Tutorial: Pieced Centre String Block Coasters!

I came up with this fun little tutorial as a way to use blocks made from my earlier tutorial (Pieced Centre String Quilt Blocks) in a small and colourful project! It was mentioned to me by a few people that they were going to try making blocks based on my tutorial, and I thought it would be great to share a project that didn't require you to make enough blocks for a whole quilt (which is what I'm doing right now and let me tell you - it is time consuming)!

Enter the Pieced Centre String Block Coaster!

Are you ready to get started? Woohoo!

Okay, so to start: in order to make the coaster top (i.e. the string block) you will need to follow my earlier tutorial but with a few modifications. Here are the modifications - you will start with a 5" square paper piece (instead of 6.5"), the pieces for the centre strip will have a width of 1.5" (instead of 2") and your finished centre strip will end up measuring about 7.5" (instead of 9.5"). Are you still with me? Everything else stays the same, but the modifications mean that you won't end up with a trivet sized coaster, teehee!

This is what the block should look like. Be sure to give it a nice press (iron) before you continue so that it lies as flat as possible.

Cut a piece of fabric for that back of the coaster  that is 5" square, and a piece of batting for the middle that is 4 3/8" square.

Place your string block and backing fabric right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam around three edges.

Clip your corners, turn right side out and press.

Insert your batting in the middle either above or below the seams so that it lies flat. Press again.

Turn the open edges in 1/4" and press. Starting along that edge, topstitch 1/8" from edge all the way around. Continue quilting as desired. I did another line of stitching all the way around 1/4" from the first line, and then stitched in the ditch along both sides of the pieced centre string.

Back side:

(Sorry about the slight wonkiness in the 1/8" topstiching - my machine was just not into it today).

So what do ya think? I hope you guys like it and that it will inspire your to try out my earlier tutorial without the dread of a full sized quilt hanging over you, teehee! And again, I'd love to see pictures if you make something using any of my tutorials!