Make Your Own Coasters from Fabric & Felt

Coasters are the mark of growing up.  It's like announcing to the world that you have a surface worth protecting, which really doesn't happen until you start taking pride in your home.  That is, after college.  
  But for me, coasters are about a lot more than being stuffy and fru-fru.  I have a lot of demands.  I want coasters to be absorbent, lightweight and, above all, great-looking.  Guess what?! I have the solution right here.
  Here's my recipe to make 6-10 adorable coasters in about 15 minutes.

• For the front side of this set of coasters, I used a linen tea towel that I found in the "seconds" bin.  You can use any swatch of fabric that is medium weight -- like a tea towel = ) Let's say 18 x 24 inches. Or you can buy a dish towel from Beyond Her (always a favorite).
• For the back side of the coasters, you'll need some felt.  I had odds and ends, and I preferred the heavier weights.  Again, 18 x 24 inches.
• You'll need some spray adhesive.
• You'll need a healing cutting board and an rotary cutter.
• If I were giving these away, I'd want some raffia as a tie. That's it!

​Click on the photos below to read the captions and get the dets on this simple DIY!

Select a swatch of medium weight fabric, roughly 18 x 24 inches. Next time, I would iron it before starting.

Get a piece of heavyweight felt the same size as the fabric swatch.

Get some spray adhesive and get yourself in a well-ventilated area. Also protect surfaces - this stuff gets everywhere.

Based on some carpet samples I had been using as coasters, I decided 4 x 4 in. was a good size.

We sprayed both pieces of fabric on the WRONG side.

Sometimes you need to work out where the design will show the most. Starting at one end, place the two sprayed sides of fabric together. Smooth out bubbles and wrinkles.

A rotary cutter and a steady hand are all you need. Work from one side to the other and from top to bottom.

We trimmed the edges of the "fabric sandwich" and optimized where the 4 x 4 inch squares would go.

Some squares have a recognizable design, some don't. What I wanted to avoid was plain squares.

Here's a piece of layered coaster before its final trim.

As you can see, this effort makes a cute stack of coasters. I think we got 10 out of this one towel.

As a bonus, your coasters actually make a puzzle. I would suggest this game after a couple of margaritas!