Sewing Mug Rugs

I've been knitting but i must share my sewing today. On Sunday January 10th I hosted a Stitch and Bitch for the GirlFriends Meetup. It went great but I had bought supplies to help someone learn how to sew. My goal was to teach the girl how to sew some coasters that used the fat quarters. When I was in home ec I learned to make a pillow in the fashion and thought it was great fun. After buying the supplies the girl canceled the hour before the meetup occured. This left me with lots of fabric and nothing to use it on. Well i bought fabric i liked anyways and some ribbon to add a touch of interest to the coasters. Instead of putting it away and forgetting about it I decided I needed some homemade decorations around the house and this was a great place to start. I had bought the oriental/metallic fat quarters pack and loved them.  To add to the back I got some fabric scrap yardage on sale. The photo above is of my second attempt.

(My first coaster attempt)

The first attempt went well but I wasn't measuring exact. I just cut one piece and cut the rest out of it not caring to be precise on my measurements. I know what would happen by doing this but was still dissapointed when it did. The coasters were not all the same size so I really wanted to love them but could not for that reason. I love the fabric combination and the ribbon I added to the center fabric. It was perfect for my decor but just not very...perfect. I'm a perfectionist so I decided to try again.

(My second attempt at making coasters)

The second time I made the coaster I was precise in my measurements and tried to sew the same distance each time (1/4th inch). This time they all came out very close to the same size except for two that were a tad larger. I liked the neatness better but not the fabric combination. It's not hideous but just not as pretty as the first and didn't really make me happy. I had paired up the two because the koi fabric had blue in it and some swirls. My thought was that it had something in common but just...wasn't my cup of tea. i have plans for these and they are already in a box ready to be shipped to hopefully someone who will love them more than me. If they don't maybe they will pass them on to someone who does.

(Not perfect but still pretty)

As you can guess I will be trying again. Third time is the charm right? i think I might stick with the same pattern as the first attempt but just be super precise and really stick to the 1/4inch seams. At least this third time they will be closer in size than the first for sure.