Our first online Learn to Sew class is a Quilt-As-You-Go Coaster, made up of scrap fabric. This small, finish-in-an-afternoon project will teach you the basics of how to easily quilt 4 customizable coasters on your home sewing machine. This is the perfect project for a one-of-a-kind housewarming gift, the holidays, or just to brighten up your own home!
The supplies are simple, and you probably already have most of them in your craft space. You will need 4 five-inch squares of a batting, 4 six-inch squares of backing material, and coordinated scrap material for the design on the top. We suggest a sewing machine that has a Needle Up feature and an internal Thread Cutter. The Janome 3160PG sewing machine is designed for quilting projects like this.
Building the Quilt Sandwich
Learn to sew this project by layering the backing, batting, and our first choice of scrap fabric to go in the center of the square. This is different than ‘traditional’ quilting, when you quilt the layers together after the quilt top is assembled. We will build the quilt sandwich as we sew.
To begin, lay your backing fabric face down, your batting in the middle, and then your center scrap fabric face up. Find a second scrap fabric to use next to the center, and lay it on top with right sides facing. After you have aligned one side of each of the fabrics together, trim any odd pieces so that they are even.
Add New Blocks
Take the entire quilt sandwich to your machine and sew the seam of the two top pieces together. You will sew through 4 layers- the 2 top pieces, the batting, AND the backing! After the seam is sewn, finger press it open. Begin to quilt-as-you-go over the two pieces of pretty fabric that are now attached to your batting and backing.
Follow these steps to add every new block! Find a coordinating piece of scrap fabric and align it with an edge already sewn on your coaster. Sew the seam down, press the loose piece open, and quilt your design through all 3 layers of your quilt sandwich. The Needle Up feature of your machine makes it extremely quick and easy to move the project around as you customize your quilting design! If you ever need to fully remove the coaster from your machine, the internal Thread Cutter will automatically trim your top and bottom threads for you without pulling on your fabric.
Cover all of your batting with your custom design. After, trim the whole project down to a 4.5″ by 4.5″ square. Sew binding around all the edges and you have completed your first Quilt-As-You-Go Coaster!
Project Ideas
Use the quilt-as-you-go for many types of projects. With some additional layers of batting, insulation, or even canvas, you can make larger potholders. If you have a large amount of fabric, you could even make a coordinating set of placemats and drink coasters.
We would love to see the projects you make with this technique! Send pictures of your coasters to our Instagram so we can celebrate your creativity with you!