hand sewing freemium

Tips on How To sew

by hand

Free Collection of Handsewing Stitches,

Techniques, and Patterns.

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© Interweave Press LLC Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

Tips on How To sew by hand Free Collection of Handsewing Stitches, Techniques, and Patterns

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Handsewing revolution

Hand-embroidery stitches

Beaded Fabric Cuff

Stitch-and-Stash Labels

Hexagon Place Mats and Coasters

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sewing made modern.

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Tips on How To sew by hand Free Collection of Handsewing Stitches, Techniques, and Patternssewdaily

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I fIrst dIscovered handsewIng stItches as a girl scout. as part of the sewing badge that I was earning, I embroi-dered a small figure on the badge itself, and I remember very clearly how proud and satisfied I was to make the figure’s head out of a french knot. But that was also the last time I would do much handsewing for a while. as I became charmed by sewing clothes, I turned almost entirely to machine stitching to create them, and for many years that remained the bulk of my sewing.

however, in recent years, I have returned to my first sewing love of handstitching. I spent a good amount of time studying couture sewing. hand stitches are a critical component, and it’s possible to make an entire garment without going near a machine. In fact, in many couture houses, the sewing machine mainly gathers dust.

this guide will get you started on handsewing, and through the artist profile, illustrated how-tos, and projects you will learn a wide range of handstitches, including my beloved french knot, and you’ll get plenty of practice with wonderful projects.

while handstitching most certainly has a practical applica-tion—before the machine stitch, clothing seams were sewn with the back stitch, shown in Hand-Embroidery Stitches—as an embellishment technique, handstitching has few peers. Use handsewing to make the projects in this guide, from the chic Beaded Fabric Cuff and darling Stitch-and-Stash Labels to the pretty Hexagon Place Mats and Coasters.

along with these fantastic projects, you will also find a fascinating and inspiring profile of handsewing revolutionary natalie chanin in Handsewing Revolution and an illus-trated reference and primer of useful handstitches in Hand-Embroidery Stitches.

I hope that this guide will tempt you to crack out your needle and thread and brush up on your handsewing skills. soon you will find there are many aspects of your projects that can be done by hand, which makes them more portable and social. You can do handsewing in any variety of settings. (I know a dedicated mother who followed her child’s complete soccer season while handstitching on the sidelines.) not only do you add creative time to your day, but you inspire others to do the same.

happy stitching,

amber edeneditor, Stitch magazine and SewDaily.

1 Handsewing Revolution ................................................3

2 Hand-embroidery stitches ...........................................6

3 Beaded Fabric Cuff .........................................................8

4 Stitch-and-Stash Labels ..............................................10

5 Hexagon Place Mats and Coasters ..........................11

edItor amber edendesIgners charlene tiedemann and Jocelin damien

ILLustratIon ann sabin swansonPhotograPhy Joe hancock (unless otherwise noted)

wrIter Marlene BlessingProjeCt desIgners

tricia waddell, Melinda Barta, and rashida coleman-hale

Projects and information are for inspiration and personal use only. Sew Daily and Stitch magazine are not responsible for any liability arising from errors, omissions, or mistakes contained in this eBook, and readers should proceed cau-tiously, especially with respect to technical information. Interweave grants per-mission to photocopy any patterns published in this issue for personal use only.

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Photo by Larry Stein

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How Natalie Chanin is changing the fashion industry one stitch at a time Profile marlene blessing Photographs robert rausch

have you ever “loved” a thread? natalie chanin describes this tender process in her new Alabama Stitch Book (stewart tabori & chang, 2008), saying, “ ‘Loving’ your thread infuses the work with kind intentions, but it’s also a very practical step that removes excess thread tension and prevents pesky knotting.” Laced throughout her wisdom about stitching, there’s tender generosity mixed with a serious ambition to change the pace and quality of our fast-moving world through handsew-ing. Practical, political, artistic, and mystical. these are four facets of this internationally acclaimed designer’s revolutionary return to the satisfactions of “slow sewing.”

every piece of her eco-chic clothing line combines handstitch-ing, from construction to embellishment, with natalie’s signature cotton jersey material and a continuing thread of her philosophy of change. no surprise, then, that her winter 08/09 alabama chanin

handsewing revolution

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Appliqué embellishmentsare among Natalie Chanin's design signatures.

catalog is titled Revolution. Images of models in reverse-appliqué scarves, embroidered and appliquéd skirts and tops, hand-dyed fabrics, and layered clothing with rolled and stitched edges are juxtaposed with those of concrete walls, capital buildings, industrial-looking bridges and electric towers, and historic photos from the segregated south. the mes-sage is unmistakable: change is at the heart of not only what her company produces, but also how it produces every garment—by hand, one stitch at a time.

when asked, “what is it about hand-stitching that is so important to you?” she responds in a manner as sure as that of a seasoned cook, who patiently tells you the value of bringing your baking ingredients to room temperature. “a garment in the hand cannot be replicated on the machine. It gets a kind of life because you’re holding it—things like natural curves and folds. You have thoughts that somehow enter into what you’re sewing.”

to further illustrate the latter, more ethereal notion, natalie explains how the energy of the maker permeates the sewn ob-ject. she compares this process of transfer-ence to the story in Like Water for Chocolate: “the [heroine’s] recipes are imbued with magical qualities, based on the desires and emotions of the cook.” she also points out that fabric itself carries its own evocative power: “each of us has inherited some rem-nant of a fabric—a doily, a handkerchief.” these scraps are living stories, whether a small patch of denim from a favorite pair of jeans or an embroidered dish towel from a grandmother long gone.

In the florence, alabama, town where natalie grew up and once again lives and works, a small army of women who sew add their stories to all the handcrafted gar-ments that natalie designs. “each collection emphasizes quality of cut, detail, craftsman-ship, and style and each piece is a labor

of love signed by the artisan who hand-stitched every seam,” proclaims her website (alabamachanin.com). this custom-cool line of clothing offers beauty that is several parts good color, 100 percent organic cot-ton, and original design—plus many parts loving touch.

Key to her vision of a business based on sustainability, natalie chanin is committed to staying close to home for materials and labor. In fact, when her business partner in her original company, Project alabama, planned to move all the company’s hand-sewing overseas to increase margins and meet demand for the beautiful clothing, nat-

“Each of us has inherited some remnant of a fabric—a doily, a handkerchief.” These scraps are living stories, whether a small patch of denim from a favorite pair of jeans or an embroidered dish towel from a grandmother long gone.

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alie parted ways. her new company (formed in 2006), alabama chanin, still features natalie’s distinctive designs: “the heart of the design came from me. the company has become more and more who I am.”

It is, in fact, a company that has already expanded to include home furnishings, jew-elry, textiles, sewing, sustainable business models workshops, and more. one of her “heroes” is Paul hawken, founder of smith & hawken and eco-business philosopher. his Growing a Business and Natural Capital-ism books have both resonated with this de-sign visionary. By integrating principles of sustainable growth into alabama chanin, natalie’s enterprise is evolving organically. “I used to sell to sixty stores around the world. now we’re selling to four, and we’re making more money.”

an outgrowth of her clothing line, one of her first workshops was “sewing, cooking & community.” In it, a cooking workshop and a sewing workshop ran concurrently so that participants could choose to flow between both. the sewing group made aprons for the chefs, who in turn made lunch for all the participants. this inventive, integrated ap-proach is pure natalie chanin. In her words: “It is lovely to see/hear a group of women working, sharing, dreaming, sewing.”

In her steady, honeyed southern voice,

natalie says she is channeling her grand-mother, a woman who showed her the “waste-not, want-not” joys of preserving fruits and vegetables from the garden, bak-ing from scratch, recycling and remaking fabrics into new clothing, and more. while natalie’s own mother prefers microwaves and other modern shortcuts, she herself enjoys the soothing qualities of domestic activities. “I love to iron. there’s something beautiful about hanging your just-washed sheets outside and ironing them. they’re fresh and crisp, containing some of the es-sence of the outdoors.” and, of course, she sews. “all I do is sew and write books about sewing. I really enjoy the writing.” Yes, and she runs a business, designs collections, is raising a twenty-six-year old and a two-year old, cooks, and gardens.

Ironically, when natalie had a home economics class in high school (once an obligatory subject for young women), her first project, an apron, fell apart. her teacher declared that she would never sew well. she’s traveled a long professional road since to become a powerful handsewing advocate, a trendsetting designer, and a powerful voice for sustainable style.

for those who possess her Alabama Stitch Book, projects complete with stencils and patterns await, along with the revelation of how one can love thread and stitch com-pletely. she is also at work on a second book, Alabama Studio Style.

when asked what’s next in this maver-ick designer’s career, she replies: “Just more of the same: our ever-growing, ever-learning process. Baby steps. I guess that we will just keep making baby steps.”

marlene blessing is the former edito-rial director for Interweave’s bead magazines and, most recently, its book division. She is a life-long sewist and crafter, as well as the daughter of a talented Norwegian mother. She now works as a writing/editing teacher, coach, and content developer. a

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hand-embroiderystitchesBackstitch Working from right to left, bring the needle up at 1 and insert behind the starting point at 2. Bring the needle up at 3. Repeat by inserting at 1 and bringing the needle up at a point that is a stitch length beyond 3.

Here are some of our favorite hand-embroidery stitches shown step by step.

1 2

3

chain stitch Working from top to bottom, bring the needle up and then reinsert at 1 to create a loop; do not pull the thread taut. Bring the needle back up at 2, keeping the needle above the loop and gently pulling the needle toward you to tighten the loop flush to the fabric (leave a little slack in the thread to keep the loop round). Repeat by insert-ing the needle at 2 to form a loop and bringing the needle up at 3. Tack the last loop down with a straight stitch.

Blanket stitch Working from left to right, bring the needle up at 1 and insert at 2. Bring the needle back up at 3 and over the working thread. Repeat by making the next stitch in the same manner, keep-ing the spacing even.

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2

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1

2

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couched trellis stitch /laid emBroidery Form a grid within the shape or space you wish to fill (outline shapes if neces-sary with the desired stitch, such as a backstitch) by taking long straight stitches back and forth in one direction and then laying long straight stitches over those in the other direction (fig-ure 1a and 1b). Take a small, angled straight stitch over each intersection of threads on the grid (figure 2).

1a

1b

2

figure 1b

1a

1b

2figure 2

1a

1b

2figure 1a

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cross-stitch Working from right to left, bring the needle up at 1, insert at 2, then bring the needle back up at 3. Finish by inserting the needle at 4. Repeat for the desired number of stitches.

French knot Bring the needle up at 1 and hold the thread taut above the fabric. Point the needle toward your fingers and move the needle in a circular motion to wrap the thread around the needle once or twice. Insert the needle near 1 and hold the thread taut near the knot as you pull the needle and thread through the knot and the fabric to complete.

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2

3

1

2

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1

1

lazy daisy stitch Working from top to bottom, bring the needle up at 1 and create a loop by reinserting at 1; do not pull the thread taut. Bring the needle back up at 2, keeping the needle above the loop and pulling the needle toward you gently to tighten the loop so that it is flush with the fabric. Tack the loop down by inserting the needle at 3. Repeat for the desired number of stitches.

seed stitches /seeding stitch Small straight stitches worked in clusters or scattered at random. Seed stitches can also be worked tightly together and all in the same direction to uniformly fill a space.

1

23

split stitch Working from left to right, bring the needle up at 1, insert at 2, and bring the needle up near the right end of the previous stitch (between 1 and 2, at 3), inserting the needle into the thread to split the thread in two. When you’re working with multiple strands of thread, insert the needle between the strands.

straight stitch /running stitch Working from right to left, make a straight stitch by bringing the needle up and inserting it 1⁄8–1⁄4" (3–6 mm) from the starting point. To make a line of run-ning stitches (a row of straight stitches worked one after the other), bring the needle up again and repeat.

split stitch

split stitch

split stitch

basting

running

basting

running

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Tips on How To sew by hand Free Collection of Handsewing Stitches, Techniques, and Patternssewdaily

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For explanations oF terms + techniques used

click here For our sewing basics online

Fabric— 1⁄8 yd (11.5 cm) of silk duoppioni

— 2" × 8½" (5 × 21.5 cm) piece of lightweight interfacing

Other SupplieS— Metallic polyester machine embroidery/quilting thread (shown here: gold)— Embroidery thread to match one of the accent bead colors— Kreinik Metallics embroidery thread (shown here: gold)— 1 skein embroidery floss in contrasting color (shown here: red)— 1 spacer bar or other long lightweight bead (shown here: bone 9 × 53mm [3⁄8" × 1 7⁄8"] 6-hole

by tricia waddell

Experiment with free-form bead embroidery for a one-of-a-kind silk cuff bracelet. Add random topstitching and a simple embroidered border for more texture. The Velcro closure makes it quick to finish.

Beaded Fabric cuff spacer bar)— Assorted small beads (shown here: red size 6 round pony beads; blue 5x6mm glass oval beads; assorted 4.5–9mm [3⁄16" – 3⁄8"] shell discs)— 21⁄8" (5.5 cm) of ¾" (2 cm) wide Velcro— Fabric pencil— Beading or handsewing needle (small enough to fit through bead holes)— Embroidery needle

FiniShed Size2½" (6.5 cm) wide × 8" (20.5 cm) long

nOteMake sure thread used for bead embroidery is strong, such as mercerized cotton with a polyester core. If thread is weak (such as 100% cotton sewing thread) it may break, especially with the weight of beads and exposure to nor-mal wear and tear on the exterior of the cuff.

cut Out and Mark Fabric 1Cut a 5½" × 9½" (14 × 24 cm) piece (or ad-just length to fit your wrist, allowing 1¾" [4.5 cm] for closure overlap) of silk for top of cuff. With the right side facing, use a fabric pencil to lightly draw a line 1¼" (3.2 cm) in from each long edge. Draw another line ¼" (6 mm)

in from the first line on each long edge.

2Lay the fabric in front of you with the long edge facing you. On the right side of the rectangle, draw a line ¼" (6 mm) in from the short edge. This will be your seam allowance on the edge of the cuff. On the left side of the rectangle, draw a line 1¼" (3.2 cm) in from the short edge (this includes a ¼" [6 mm] seam allowance and a 1" [2.5 cm] space to place the Velcro (figure 1, next page). The center rectangle within your marked lines will be the surface area for all topstitching and bead embroidery.

3Cut a 3" × 9" (7.5 × 23 cm) piece (or adjust length to fit your wrist, allowing 1¾" [4.5 cm] for closure overlap) of silk for the back of the cuff. Set aside.

tOpStitching4Starting with the metallic machine embroi-dery thread, randomly stitch wavy lines along

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the length of the fabric rectangle within the marked-off space.

5Switch to your contrasting thread color and randomly stitch wavy lines along the length of the fabric rectangle within the marked-off space, crisscrossing the first set of wavy stitches. Keep in mind that 3 of the wavy lines will be covered with beads in subsequent steps (I had a total of 8 wavy lines).

bead eMbrOidery6With your handsewing, embroidery, or beading needle and machine embroidery thread, attach your spacer bar bead to the center of your marked rectangle and secure it with a whipstitch.

7Choose 3 wavy lines on either side of the focal bead. With your round beads and match-ing accent color thread, handstitch beads along the length of each wavy line within your marked rectangle using backstitch. Make sure each bead is secure and snug against the previous bead. The goal is to create a pleasing random pattern.

8With the shell discs, Kreinik metallic embroidery thread, and embroidery/beading

needle, use a four-point star stitch to secure discs randomly to fabric (figure 2). With your needle, come up through the center hole of the disc from the wrong side of the fabric, then down on the outside edge of the disc. Come up through the center again with your needle and thread and down on the opposite side of the outside of the disc. Repeat two more times until you have a four-point star across the top of the disc. Keep adding discs in this fashion, leaving room for the wavy topstitched fabric to show through.

9With the oval beads, metallic machine embroidery thread, and embroidery/beading needle, use backstitch to attach a small num-ber of these beads around the cuff for accent.

bOrder eMbrOidery0Using 3 strands of embroidery floss and your embroidery needle, handstitch along the inside fabric pencil line on the long side of the cuff using split stitch. Repeat for the other long side of the cuff.

aSSeMble cuFF-With the wrong side facing, place the piece of cut interfacing on the fabric so that it is centered within the rectangle that was

marked on the right side. Make sure the inter-facing is ¼" (6 mm) in from each short edge.

=Fold the front of silk fabric around the interfac-ing so it meets in the middle to hold the interfac-ing in place. Iron on lowest setting. Fold over a ¼" (6 mm) seam allowance on either short edge of the front of the cuff. Iron on lowest setting. Miter (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com) and snip the corners.

qTake the fabric rectangle for the back of the cuff that was set aside and iron a ¼" (6 mm) seam allowance on each side. Sew one half of the Velcro to one short end of the back cuff fabric, making sure that the Velcro is 1⁄8" (3 mm) away from each folded edge.

wPut the back cuff fabric together with the front cuff fabric, with wrong sides together, and pin. The Velcro on the back cuff fabric must be on the opposite end of the cuff from the space you left on the front of the cuff for the connect-ing piece of Velcro. With the metallic machine embroidery thread, machine stitch a 1⁄8" (3 mm) border around the entire cuff, securing all fab-ric pieces together. This line of stitching will be on the outside of the hand-embroidered border you completed in Step 10.

eMachine or handstitch the connecting piece of Velcro to the front of the cuff in the space you marked with the fabric pencil. There should be no bead embroidery on this end of the cuff.

tricia waddell is the former editor of stitch magazine.

beaded cuff

figure 2

beaded cuff9" (23 cm)

1¼" (3.2 cm)

1¼" (3.2 cm)

¼" (6 mm)

¼" (6 mm)

[fold over to back]

[fold over to back]

main decorative part of cuff with bead embroidery

[cuff edge]

[cuff edge]

[border embroidery]

[border embroidery]

¼" (6 mm)seam allowance

1¼" (3.2 cm)

beaded fabric cufffigure 1

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For explanations oF terms + techniques used

click here For our sewing basics online

Add a clean, organized touch to your sewing supply jars with a great set of embroidered labels. What a clever way to use up small scraps of fabric from your stash!

Fabric (for 4 labels)—18” (45.5 cm) long × 44” (112 cm) wide piece of patterned cotton fabric

—7” (18 cm) long × 22” (56 cm) wide piece of medium-weight fusible interfacing

Other SupplieS

—Assorted glass jars

—Sewing thread in color to match fabric

—Cotton embroidery thread

—6” (15 cm) diameter embroidery hoop

—Sizes 3 and 8 embroidery needles

stitch-and-stash labelsby melinda barta —Terrifically Tacky acid-free double-sided ½”

(1.3 cm) wide craft tape

—Rotary cutter and self-healing mat (Optional)

—Acrylic ruler

—Pressing cloth

Make labelS1Cut the interfacing lengthwise into 4 strips that are as wide as you want the labels to be (¾”–1¼” [2 cm–4.5 cm] widths were used here). Cut the fabric widthwise to get strips that are 18” (45.5 cm) long and six times the width of the strips of interfacing.

2Place the piece of fabric facedown on the ironing board. Center the matching piece of in-terfacing, fusible side down, over the back of the cloth so that the long sides are parallel. Fuse the layers using a damp pressing cloth and iron, according to manufacturer’s directions.

3Use a pencil to lightly write the word of your choice in the center of the fabric (the bottom of

the letters should be parallel with the long sides of the fabric).

4Mount the fabric face up in the embroidery hoop. Separate the strands of a 24” (61 cm)-length of embroidery thread. You are now going to embroider over the word drawn in Step 3 by couching the embroidery thread in the follow-ing manner: Using 4 strands of the embroidery thread and the size 3 embroidery needle, begin at the edge of the first letter drawn in Step 3. Bring the needle through the fabric from the back to the front to anchor the thread, and then remove the needle. Using the 2 remaining strands of embroi-dery thread held together and the size 8 needle, couch the thread to the surface along the line of the letter, curving when necessary and securing the shape with the placement of your couch-ing stitches. When you reach the end of a line, use the size 8 embroidery needle to bring the 4 strands of the embroidery thread back through the fabric and then up at the next anchoring edge or letter (some letters such as a “P” will require the 4 strands being couched to be anchored through the fabric at several points, while letters such as an “S” will only require the strands to be anchored at either edge of the letter).

5Remove the fabric from the embroidery hoop and press. Trim the fabric lengthwise into a strip that is three times the width of the interfacing with the interfacing section centered on the strip. Fold the fabric along the long edges of the interfacing toward the center, with wrong sides together, and press.

6Trim the strip so that it is 1½” (3.8 cm) longer than the circumference of the jar you want to cover. Use 2 strips of double-sided tape to adhere the long sides of the fabric strip around the jar (the two ends of the strip will overlap), folding under the exposed edge of the strip to hide the unfinished edge (use short strips of tape to hold the end in place, if needed).

7Use the size 8 needle and sewing thread to slip-stitch the folded edge to the body of the fabric strip, hiding the thread knots in the fold as best as possible.

8Repeat Steps 2–7 for the desired number of labels.

melinda barta is editor of Beadwork magazine and author of five books, including custom cool Jewelry: create 200+ Per-sonalized Pendants, charms, and clasps (Interweave, 2008) and hip to stitch: 20 contemporary Projects embellished with thread (Interweave, 2005). Visit her website, melindabarta.com.

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Inspired by Japanese zakka style—“finding savvy in the or-dinary”—is at the heart of these pretty place mats. Raid your fabric stash to create the pieced hexagons, then combine with natural linen for a charming place setting.

place MatFabric (for one place mat)—23 scraps of various cotton prints for hexa-gons, each at least 2½” × 2½” (6.5 × 6.5 cm)

—2 bias strips of 2” (5 cm) wide × 30” (76 cm) long cotton print for edging

—12” (30.5 cm) wide × 18” (46 cm) long piece of linen fabric

—12” (30.5 cm) wide × 18” (46 cm) long piece of waffle fabric

hexagon place mats and coasters

by rashida coleman-hale

—12” (30.5 cm) wide × 18” (46 cm) long piece of low loft-cotton batting (optional)

Other SupplieS—Matching cotton sewing thread—Matching silk thread for appliqué and paper piecing—Paper for templates —Rotary cutter and self-healing mat —Acrylic quilt ruler—Handsewing needleFiniShed Size—18” (45.5 cm) wide × 12¼” (31 cm) long.

nOteS: —Seam allowances are ¼” (6 mm) unless otherwise noted.

—See sidebar for guidance on the English Paper Piecing method used in this project.

cut Out Fabric 1Copy and enlarge the paper template labeled “place mats” shown at right. Print and cut out 23 copies of the template for all the hexagons.

2Pin one hexagon template to the wrong side of one of the cotton print scraps. With a pencil, trace around the template. Add a ¼” (6 mm) seam allowance around the entire hexagon and cut out.

3Repeat Step 2 until you have a total of 23 hexagons of various cotton prints.

piece hexagOnS uSing engliSh paper piecing MethOd4Fold the seam allowance over the template edge of one of the hexagons and begin basting (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com) with cotton thread at each corner around the hexagon (see sidebar on page 12 for instructions on this technique). Then remove the pin. Repeat this process on the remain-ing hexagon pieces.

5With right sides together, being sure to pick up only 2 or 3 threads, whipstitch (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com) 2 hexagon pieces together along one side of the folds. Do not stitch through the paper. Try to keep as close to the edge as possible.

6Repeat Step 8 to stitch a row of 3 hexagons together. Continue stitching hexagons together, alternating rows of 2 and rows of 3 until all hexagons are used. Stitch the rows together using the same method of stitching, alternating rows of 2 and rows of 3 hexagons until all rows are stitched together.

7Once you’ve finished stitching all the hexagons together, press and then remove the basting and paper.

hand appliqué hexagOnS tO linen8Pin the hexagon strip to the front of the linen piece with the leftmost side placed 2¾” (7 cm) away from the linen fabric’s left edge. Center it so that 1¼” (3

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english paper piecingPin the paper template to the center of one of your fabric pieces (figure 1). Then care-fully fold the edges of the fabric around the paper shape, basting at each corner as you go (figures 2 through 6). Keep the folded edges clean and the corners crisp and take care not to sew the fabric to the paper. It’s OK to just carry the thread along between corners—no need to knot and start again.

figure 1 figure 2

figure 3 figure 4

figure 5 figure 6

cm) of the hexagon strip hangs off of the top and bottom edges of the linen. Trim the excess fabric so the edges of the hexagon strip are flush with the edges of the linen fabric.

9With silk thread use a blind stitch (see Sewing Ba-sics on SewDaily.com) to handstitch the hexagons to the linen fabric, picking up the very edge of the hexagons. You don’t want this stitching to be seen, it is simply used to secure the hexagon piece to the linen.

0Continue stitching until one side is entirely secured and finish with a knot on the back of the linen. Repeat this process on the other side of the hexagon strip.

aSSeMble layerS-Create your quilt sandwich by laying the batting and then the linen face up, on top of the waffle fabric.

=Baste these layers together around the edge by hand. Machine quilt the layers by stitching an outline around the hexagon strip, about 1⁄8” (3 mm) in from the edge of the strip, as I did, or add free-motion stitching, as desired.

attach the binding qTake the 2 binding strips and lay them right sides together. On one edge, stitch them together diagonally so when pressed, they will form an “L” shape. Trim the seam allowance to ¼” (6 mm). Stitch the strips together diagonally and trim the seam to ¼” (6 mm). Press the seam open.

wFold under one end of the binding strip 1” (2.5 cm) toward the wrong side and press. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press.

eOpen the binding strip. Starting from the bot-tom center of the linen quilt top, place the bind-ing strip along the edge of the place mat, right sides together, with the raw edges of the strip and place mat aligned. Pin along the length.

rStart sewing 2” (5 cm) in from the folded end of the strip, through all layers, ¼” (6 mm) in from the raw edge.

tStop ¼” (6 mm) from the first corner and backstitch (see Sewing Basics at SewDaily.com) twice.

yTo form a mitered corner, fold the strip straight up, make a diagonal fold, and bring the strip back down. Line up the raw edge of the strip with the next side to be stitched. Begin sewing again, turn-ing the corner over the diagonal fold and continue sewing around the place mat until you reach a spot about 1” (2.5 cm) from the end. Repeat the process for mitering at each corner.

uFold the remaining raw edge of the binding down to the wrong side ¼” (6 mm) and press, then fold the binding over to the wrong side of the placemat,

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coaster backing

coasterhexagon

coaster trapezoid

placemat

enlarge 140% to full size; shown at 60%

coaster and placemat templatesencasing the raw edges inside the binding. Pin along the length.

iHandstitch the binding down, using a blind stitch (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com), making sure the machine stitches from the first side are covered. Remember to miter each corner as in Step 18.

oTo finish the binding, fold the raw edge under to the wrong side and lay it down so it is slightly overlapping the other side of the binding. Hand-stitch the binding into place.

coasterFabric (for one coaster)—5” × 5” (12.5 × 12.5 cm) square of waffle fabric —1 square of linen at least 3½” × 3½” (9 × 9 cm)—6 scraps of various cotton prints, each at least 3” × 1¼” (9 × 3 cm)—5” × 5” (12.5 × 12.5 cm) square of low loft cot-ton battingOther SupplieS—Matching cotton thread—Matching silk thread for appliqué and paper piecing—Paper for templates—Acrylic quilt rulerFiniShed SizeAbout 4¼” (11 cm) across.

nOte Seam allowances are ¼” (6 mm) unless other-wise noted.

cut Out Fabric1Enlarge, copy, and cut out the paper coaster tem-plates. Make 6 copies of the “trapezoid” template.

2Using the coaster backing template, cut out 1 piece of waffle fabric for the back and 1 piece of batting.

3Pin the paper hexagon coaster template to the wrong side of the linen fabric. Use a pencil to add ¼” (6 mm) seam allowance around the perimeter of the hexagon, then cut out.

4Pin 1 paper trapezoid template to the wrong side of one piece of cotton print scrap fabric. Use a pencil to add ¼” (6 mm) seam allowance around the perimeter of the trapezoid, then cut out. Repeat entire step until you have a total of 6 trapezoids of various cotton prints.

piece Fabric uSing engliSh paper piecing MethOd5Fold the seam am llowance of one of the trapezoid pieces over template edge, pin, and then begin basting (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com) the corners around the trapezoid (see sidebar on page 12 for instructions on this technique). Remove pins. Repeat this process on remaining trapezoid pieces.

6With right sides together, being sure to pick

up only 2 or 3 threads, whipstitch (see Sewing Basics on SewDaily.com) 2 pieces together along the folds of one of the short sides. Do not stitch through the paper. Try to keep stitching as close to the edge as possible. Repeat this process to add a third trapezoid, then continue until all trapezoids are joined end-to-end. Do not joint the first and last trapezoids to each other.

7Lay the trapezoid ring you just created on the hexagon, with right sides together so the interior edge of the trapezoid ring matches up with the edge of the hexagon. Use a running stitch to hand stitch the trapezoid ring to the hexagon (being careful not to stitch through the paper) until you have reached the unjoined trapezoids. Hand stitch the last two trapezoids together as in Step 6 and finish with a knot on the wrong side.

8Press, then remove basting and paper.

aSSeMble layerS and tOpStitch9Press the outer seam allowance of the trapezoid ring flat. Sandwich the batting

between the waffle coaster bottom and the linen/ cotton coaster top, with right sides together and pin.

0Machine stitch around the sandwich, being sure to leave a 1” (2.5 cm) opening for turning the coaster right side out.

-Trim the corners and turn the coaster right side out. Fold the open raw edges inside and finger press.

=Starting from one corner, topstitch around the perimeter of the coaster about 1/8” (3 mm) in from the edge.

qMachine quilt by topstitching around the middle hexagon just outside of the seam line.

rashida coleman-hale is a stay-at-home mom living in Manhattan. Her days entail juggling a husband, two toddlers, sewing, blogging (iheartlinen.com), writing a book, and just enjoying her crazy life.

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