decor, Decorating, dining room, DIY, fabric, Gift Ideas, Home Decor, July 4th, party, Sewing, Summer, tablescape, Tutorial

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Tutorial for making these DIY oilcloth, water resistant drink coasters for Summer!

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Hi there! I’m so thrilled to be back today with this super quick and easy project. The weather in Seattle has been totally amazing lately and it’s got me thinking about summer. And, summer entertaining is on the brain! This project will look great on your patios and outdoor spaces. Bonus, it’s totally water resistant too. Let’s take a mini-break and learn how to make these adorable DIY oilcloth drink coasters for gifting or entertaining.

What in the world is Oilcloth?

Oilcloth is a type of fabric. It has vinyl on one side and kind of a soft mesh of cotton on the other side. Vinyl has a slippery and plastic-like feel to it. The best part about vinyl is you can wipe it clean and it’s water resistant! This makes oilcloth a perfect fabric choice for outdoor items like tablecloths, COASTERS, beach bags etc.

The other great thing about oilcloth is that it just happens to be made in a multitude of funky patterns and bright colors. This fabric was made for Summer! When you get a minute – run a google search for ‘oilcloth fabric’ and you’ll see what I mean. Such pretty patterns!

So this is the perfect little accessory for all those Summer fiestas and BBQ’ s you have in the works. Or even for gifting away as little favors. Tie a cute burlap string around them and presto! You have a lovely handmade housewarming gift.

Perhaps you own a pool or live near the beach? Or know someone who does? These coasters make a fantastic DIY gift idea for them.

Here’s the best part: these stylish oilcloth coasters took me 10 minutes to make – start to finish.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Oilcloth Fabric – I chose these hot pink stripes from Fabric.com
Sewing Machine
Pinking Shears – these are simply scissors with a serrated edge. They are used to cut a zig zag pattern in fabric to prevent fraying.
Tape Measure (for measuring your coasters to a perfect square)

Instructions:

Start by folding your oilcloth in half. We need two exact squares to make one coaster (both front and back will be the vinyl, water-resistant side).

Step 1: Measure out a perfect square on your oilcloth fabric.

I measured approximately a 4 inch square coaster. (It’s totally up to you on sizing. Most drink coasters are between 3-5 inches square. For fun you can also cut circles instead of squares. Use a bowl or circle template to make a perfect circle.)

Step 2 : Use your pinking shears to cut out your measured square.

Since your fabric is folded in half – you can pretty much cut two squares at once. You can also use regular scissors here and even them with pinking shears after sewing.

Step 3: Line up your two squares and sew them together vinyl sides out.

Use use small binder clips (another little sewing trick I use a TON) to hold your two pieces of fabric together while sewing. I wouldn’t suggest using pins because the holes will be visible even after removing them.

A straight stitch is fine, but feel free to try something fun like a zig zag stitch.

Tips for sewing and working with oilcloth fabric :

Because oilcloth is vinyl and kind of plastic feeling, it will stick under your presser foot. To combat this, use two hands to feed the coaster through.
An alternative is to purchase a Teflon presser foot – they are fairly inexpensive and won’t stick to the vinyl fabric as easily.
DO NOT IRON OILCLOTH. It will melt and the mess won’t be pretty. If your oil cloth is wrinkled, lay it out and throw some heavy books on top for a few days. This usually presses the wrinkles out. Oilcloth also “releases” more wrinkles when warmed up a bit. Therefore you can try laying it by a sunny window. Don’t microwave your oilcoth. 🙂

Step 4: Use your pinking shears to clean up the edges of your coasters

Simply snip along the edge without cutting through the seam to straighten and clean up the ends.

Guess what? All done! See how fast it was making these DIY oilcloth drink coasters?

These coasters look so cute and are perfect for Summer! Pin this image to share with a friend:

I don’t know about you, but I may need to mix up a batch of margaritas tonight. I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might want to check out my tutorial on DIY frayed napkins. They also make a nice gift and pretty setting for your tables. And for even more inspiration – be sure to check out Brittany’s amazing backyard and patio reveal, what a beautiful space!

You may also like this tutorial for making mosaic tile coasters…

…or DIY personalized wood slice coasters.

I’ll be back here next month and I’m looking forward to connecting with you all again soon.

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

April 17, 2019/2 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

arts and craft, Decorating, DIY, Do It Yourself, Pillows, Sewing

41 Decorative DIY Pillows

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to update any room in your house, change out your pillows! Pillows are easy to add, move, re-cover, or take to another room. They are used for adding texture, pattern, and warmth to your space (and let’s not forget comfort). Here are 41 Decorative DIY Pillows that will inspire you to make some beautiful pillows for your home.

Create beautiful textured DIY Moroccan Wedding Pillows for any room in your home.

Repurpose skirt into rectangular pillow Repurpose a skirt into a pretty rectangular pillow with bold pattern and texture.

Check out this Free Pillow Sham Pattern to create decorative pillows for your bedroom.

Make a quick 10-minute Dollar Store Bandana Pillow Cover.

Recycle old dress shirts to create these Plaid Pillow Covers and add some patterns to your decor.

Make this gorgeous, modern no-sew metallic foil pillow.

Learn how to easily sew this Cute Ruffled Pillow.

Use some fabric and add some fancy trim to make this beautiful Pillow with Jute Brush Fringe.

Make a beautiful Shabby Chic Throw Pillow Cover from light linen fabrics.

Sew some fun Beach Themed Pillow Covers for your beach themed room.

Learn how to make both a no-sew faux Alpaca pillow cover and a Kilim throw pillow from a rug.

Map Coordinates throw pillow for first home by Michelle j designs A Map Coordinates Throw Pillow would make the perfect first home gift!

How fun are these DIY Pom-Pom Pillows? Adorable!

DIY Pillow Covers made with Dinner Napkins by 2 Bees in a Pod Repurpose cloth dinner napkins to make a pillow cover.

diy st patricks day pillow Make a St. Patrick’s day pillow to keep your room more festive.

Help your back by making a DIY Lumbar Pillow for your favorite seat.

Make a fun Cricut DIY Mermaid Pillow by Our Crafty Mom This adorable DIY Mermaid Pillow would be great in a little girl’s room.

diy striped euro shams Create Striped Euro Shams to add a decorative element to your bedding.

Sew an Outdoor Pillow by Creative Ramblings DIY Outdoor pillows are awesome too, learn how to make one for the patio.

Use Fingerprints in stars in red, white and blue to create this awesome patriotic pillows.

birch tree pillow covers Design these Birch Tree Pillows with white felt for a bold statement.

If you like farmhouse style, these DIY Stenciled Farmhouse Pillows are perfect for you.

Add some freshness to your room with this Watercolor Pineapple Pillow Cover.

diy modern flower pillow by hazel and gold designs Make a Modern Flower pillowcase using iron-on vinyl.

DIY Paint by Numbers pillow by Shrimp Salad Circus Use Paint by Number skills to make this beautiful pillow cover.

Anthropologie-inspired tasseled pillow by shrimp salad circus Make a Beautiful Tasseled Pillow inspired by Anthropologie from fabric circles.

recover outdoor pillows using curtains Use Curtain Panels to re-cover outdoor pillows and update your patio.

Shibori Dyed pillows by shrimp salad circus Try out Shibori Dyeing to create these rad patterned pillows.

diy anthropologie knock off octopus pillow This DIY Anthro-inspired Octopus Pillow is a cool modern statement piece.

diy back pillow Make your own Back Pillow to have the support you need while it looks good.

Add some greenery to your room with gorgeous Botanical Stenciled Pillow covers.

diy pillow cover by design inside the box Make this bright and bold pillow using just a yard of fabric and a pillow form.

drop cloth pillow cover by girl just diy Turn a drop cloth into a pillow and add letter stenciling to make it beautiful!

Create a fun, festive DIY Pom Pom Pillow using a placemat.

If you have a beach-themed home try creating this Nautical Come Sail Away Pillow.

diy felted wood throw pillows by h2obungalow Create Felted Pillows to add color and pattern to your room.

Farmhouse pillowcase by making it in the mountains Make a Simple Ruffled Farmhouse Pillowcase from a simple old pillowcase.

Tell others how much you love your home with this Our Happy Place pillow.

ruffled farmhouse burlap pillow by making it in the mountains A 15-Minute Ruffled Burlap Pillow would be a perfect addition to farmhouse styled homes.

Make a Double Sided Pillow and get more bang for your buck!

make pillow from placemats by green with decor Repurpose Placemats into Pillow covers for some durable throw pillows.

I hope you were able to find some inspiration for making custom and fun DIY pillows for your home. It’s a great change to make a big impact in a room without spending a lot of time or money. if you like this collection, please share on Pinterest by pinning this image:

Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear what you think or what kind of pillow you’d like to try to make!

Hi, I’m Sheri from Hazel + Gold Designs. Here are a few fun stats about me: I ~~like~~ love chocolate and peanut butter (together of course.) If you like stats, I have been crocheting for about 16 years, crafting for 20, and woodworking for about 4 years. I found a passion in making and being creative and began documenting my projects online at Hazel + Gold Designs.

When not working on projects, I enjoy spending time with my husband, four children, perfect dog, and ornery cat. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Read all of Sheri’s tutorials.

~Find more of Sheri’s projects here ~

March 13, 2019/1 Comment/by Sheri

bedroom, Decorating, Home Decor, Kids Room, Pillows, Sewing, Tutorial

How to Make a Felt Letter Pillow Cover

How to Make a Felt Letter Pillow Cover

Friends! I’m so excited to be back today with a new project for you, a DIY felt letter pillow cover. One of my favorite things to do is to scour home decor stores for inspiration for my kids’ rooms. I love trying to recreate trendy looks for my home, but on a budget. Today’s project accomplishes this goal! I’ve seen some really cute letter pillow covers and I knew I could DIY one myself. Originally I made one for my son’s room. It turned out so well that my daughter requested one for her room too. Lucky for you, a sewing machine is optional – so this project is for truly for anyone who wants to make their own Felt Letter Pillow Cover.

Let’s get started!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here .)

Felt in the color of your choice
Pillow Cover
Sewing Machine (or fabric glue or thread and needle)
Sewing scissors
Pen or chalk or pencil
Pillow form (to match the size of your pillow cover)
Pins
Word Template or Letter Stencils

Instructions:

Step 1: It’s helpful to type up and print out a word template for this project or use letter stencils. It’s not totally necessary, but when tracing your letters onto the felt it helps keep all the letters relatively uniform.

Making Your Word Template:

Open up Word or Google Docs and type out the word you want. Add a space between the letters. (I used the Impact font at font size 150pt for this project.)

You can make your letters bigger or smaller. Just be aware, it gets a little tricky to cut out smaller letters. Cut your letters out of your template and let’s move on to the next step.

Tip: If your word contains more than one of the same letter – you only need to cut that letter once. For instance – WANDERER has two E’s and two R’s, but I only needed one template for each letter because I could use the same one to trace two letters. This should save you a few minutes.

Step 2: Trace your letters onto the felt using your stencil or cut out letters (or draw them freehand if not using a template).

You can use pen, chalk, or pencil to trace. Just make sure you can see the lines so you can cut them out.

Step 3: Cut out your letters using scissors.

Step 4: Space your felt letters onto your pillow cover. (I made a lumbar pillow cover from canvas drop cloth for this project, but you can also buy a plain cover.) It’s helpful to play with the placement and see where you want to start the word on your pillow cover.

Attaching the Letters:

Sewing – Pin your first letter to the pillow cover. Hand sew or use your sewing machine to sew the letter onto the cover. You can use matching thread or a different color to give it more of a rustic vibe. My thread was white on brown felt.
Fabric Glue – Glue your felt letter to your pillow cover.

Step 5: Continue to sew or glue the rest of your letters onto your pillow cover.

Step 6 : After you finish sewing on the letters, cut off any loose strings. If you used fabric glue, you want to let this dry for 24 hours before attempting to wash it. (Please refer to the instructions on your specific fabric glue. )

Step 7 : Insert your pillow form into your new cover.

All done! This looks fantastic, don’t you agree?!

I have seen these letter pillow covers in stores for over $25! Yet, I was able to make this knock off for less than $5 with a simple DIY canvas pillow cover and some inexpensive felt.

I love the way this pillow turned out. As I mentioned, my daughter requested one for her room. (Although she’s having a little trouble choosing which word she wants!) So far she’s come up with: Cupcake, Ice Cream, Unicorns – she can’t decide.

This project would also be cute as a personalized pillow cover. Or make it as a gift for someone who has young children. It’s the perfect touch for a nursery or kids room.

Another idea would be to create one for each holiday: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are great occasions to display a felt letter pillow.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial for a DIY felt letter pillow cover. You might also like to learn how to sew a rope basket at Decor Hint (where I blog regularly).

I’ll be back next month with another fun project for you! In the meantime, be sure to check out some other sewing tutorials on Pretty Handy Girl.

Thanks for reading!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

February 27, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

Sewing

Home State Pride Garden Flag from a Placemat

Home State Pride Spring Garden Flag | Pretty Handy Girl

You know I’m a lover of saving money when it comes to decorating. That’s why I love to create garden flags made from placemats! They are the perfect size for a garden flag stand. You can decorate flags using a variety of paints, fabric and even fake flowers. Best of all, if you have the fabric, these Home State Pride Spring Garden Flags will only cost you a dollar because the placemat is from The Dollar Tree!

Previously, I made a Snowman, Valentine’s Day, Fall and Summer Flag, but I really wanted a Spring flag for our yard. That’s how I came up with the idea to create this Home State Pride Garden Flag.

Want to learn how to make one in less than an hour? Grab some fabric, some thread and let’s get sewing!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Dollar Tree fabric placemat
State shape print out
Patterned fabric
Solid color fabric
Sewing Machine
Sharpie Stained Markers
Thread (coordinating with the placemat and with the patterned fabric)
Pencil
Quilting pins
Ruler
Sewing scissors
Double-sided Fusible Interfacing
Iron
Painter’s Tape

Optional (if you don’t want to hand letter):

Instructions:

Search online for your state’s shape. Print it on a sheet of letter paper. Lay the state on a piece of double-sided fusible interface. (You can use pieces of tape if you need to secure the shape in place.

Cut out around the outline of the state shape.

Discard the state print out. Flip the fusible interfacing over so the state shape is backwards. Iron the fusible interfacing onto the solid fabric.

Cut around the edges of the interfacing. Remove the backing from the interfacing. Set the fabric state aside.

Measure and fold over 1 ½” from one short side of the placemat. Iron to hold in place.

Lay the placemat on top of the patterned fabric (leaving the folded edge folded.) Cut around the placemat shape.

Fold the edges of the patterned fabric under approximately 1/2″ on all sides. Iron the folds.

Center the patterned fabric on the placemat and secure with pins. Center the state cut out on the patterned fabric.

Iron the state shape to the patterned fabric until the interfacing melts and bonds.

Open up the folded edge of the placemat and stitch around the perimeter of the patterned fabric.

Flip the placemat over and stitch the folded edge down to create a pole pocket.

Choose a decorative stitch (if you have a sewing machine that will make decorative stitches) and sew around the border of the state flag cut out.

Lightly trace your letters in pencil. Draw over the pencil lines with Sharpie Stained Markers. (I chose to outline the state shape to help it stand out better.)

Hang your DIY Home State Pride Garden Flag out in the yard and enjoy!

Be sure to pin this project for a friend (because friends don’t let friends pay full price for home décor! Right?!)

Like these cute garden flags? Stay tuned because we’ll have a lot more on Friday.

February 13, 2017/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Sewing

How to Sew Reversible Recipe Placemats

How to Sew Reversible Recipe Card Placemats | Pretty Handy Girl

A few months ago, my husband’s grandmother passed away. She was an amazing woman, super smart, and always had a kind word to say about anything. She also had an amazing laugh, the kind that brought you to laughter yourself. Recently I came across the box full of recipes that she gave us as a wedding present. It was fun reading through them and picking ones that had little notes about her favorites and her husband’s favorites (my husband’s grandfather.) I decided to follow the idea of Emma from Hello Beautiful, who memorialized her grandmother’s handwriting on tea towels. I thought it would be fun to take some of the recipe cards and make reversible placemats for my mother-in-law.

Before we get started, I have to wish you all a Happy New Year! Yes, I know it’s been two weeks since the official new year. But, I’ve been sleeping in and taking time to chill. Our kids have been out of school after a snow/ice storm shut down Raleigh. Yes, I know, go ahead and laugh. But, we don’t have enough plows to clear all the neighborhoods and our streets are currently skating rinks. Don’t believe me? Check this video of a man skating on his neighborhood street.

If you are snowed in (or if you have some time on your hands) take an afternoon to make these memorable recipe placemats.

Want to learn How to Sew Reversible Recipe Placemats? Let’s get it done.

Materials:

Linen Cotton Canvas Ultra Fabric in pattern of your choice (I used Mossy Tulips.)
Linen Cotton Canvas Ultra Fabric with recipe scan sized to 15″ x 20″ per placemat
Recipe Cards
Scissors
Pins
Coordinating Thread
Sewing Machine
Pen or something to poke corners out

Optional: 1 ½ yards of water resistant fabric (I used black out shade material.) You’ll want to use at least one layer of fabric or batting in between your layers or the pattern side will show through on your recipe card side.

Instructions:

Start by taking a photo of your recipe card. I used my iPhone and the Turbo Scan App. Bring your scan into a photo editing program. Clean up the scan and enlarge to 13 ½” x 18 ½”. Add an 1½” coordinating border to your scan. This will give you enough excess for seam allowance and to leave you with an inch border.

Combine your scans into one document. For six placemats, you can format them like this:

My final document size for the six placemats is: 48″ x 42″ to fit on the Linen Cotton Canvas Ultra Fabric. I left a half inch border of white on the outside of my image.

Upload your file to Spoonflower.com and order 1 ½ yards of Linen Cotton Canvas Ultra Fabric.

Cut your fabric between recipes.

Lay each recipe placemat on top of the pattern fabric and cut your patterned fabric to the same size. Cut your water resistant fabric to size.

Layer the water resistant layer first, the patterned fabric second, and the recipe fabric face down next (as shown below.)

Pin the layers together.

Stitch through the three layers around the outside of the border. (Be sure to stay slightly inside the colored border to avoid having a white line showing.) Leave a 2-3″ gap unstitched.

Trim off the corners at an angle.

Pull all three layers through the gap to turn your placemat right side out.

Use a pen or pointed object to poke the corners out.

Stitch along the inside edge of the border with coordinating thread to secure all three layers (and to create a pretty border.)

Topstitch the gap closed. Keep your stitches as close to the edge as possible.

Now set your table and wait for your guests to start reading the recipes!

If you get tired of the recipe side, flip them over to the pattern side.

I gave the placemats to my mother-in-law for Christmas. She was definitely surprised and touched by the gift.

It’s nice to have a memento of my husband’s grandmother around. Hopefully we’ll see the placemats come out next time we are at his parents.

Do you have any writing of a loved one that you’d like to memorialize? This is such a nice way to keep the memory alive.

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Spoonflower was mentioned in this post only because I like their ability to print anything on fabric. They have not idea I like them. You will always be notified if you are reading a sponsored post.

January 13, 2017/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey