ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Make a Colorful Cross Stitched Coaster With Yarn

Updated on February 6, 2018

During summer people often enjoy entertaining friends and family. Why purchase boring mass produced coasters for your guests when you can make something colorful and fun? Coasters are a great way to keep drinks from making those unsightly rings on your table, which can be hard to clean if the beverage is not water. Just imagine if you have kids over at your house and they place a moisten glass of cola or chocolate milk on your beloved coffee table. If you have fun color coasters for them to use they will be more likely to actually place their glasses on top of these functional, but pretty little mats. The materials needed for this cross-stitched coaster are:

  • a large eyed needle
  • multicolored yarn
  • plastic canvas mesh
  • scissors
  • a black permanent marker

Take a look at the steps below to see how I created this very festive nesting spot for your favorite drink.

Colorful cross stitched coasters are a nice touch.
Colorful cross stitched coasters are a nice touch.

Step One: Cut Out A Square of Canvas Mesh

Measure out the square piece for the coaster.
Measure out the square piece for the coaster.

Use a ruler to measure out a square of plastic canvas mesh that is four inches (10.16 centimeters) by four inches. I used a scrap piece of mesh that still had room after I cross stitched a Christmas candy cane, an American flag, and Valentine's Day heart. Use a black permanent marker to map out the dimensions of the square, and then cut along the lines with scissors.

Step Two: Secure The Yarn

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Secure the yarn to the plastic canvas mesh.Here I have secured the end piece of the yarn to the back of the coaster by cross stitching it in.
Secure the yarn to the plastic canvas mesh.
Secure the yarn to the plastic canvas mesh.
Here I have secured the end piece of the yarn to the back of the coaster by cross stitching it in.
Here I have secured the end piece of the yarn to the back of the coaster by cross stitching it in.

Secure the yarn to the back of the canvas mesh by leaving a few centimeters hanging out at the end. Sew in the part at the end to give the front and the back of the piece a clean look. Some people simply tie a knot at the end of the yarn and keep sew, but this makes the back of the cross stitched piece look messy. I prefer to sew in the ends of the yarn so the bottom of the coaster is as level as possible, which is very important if you will be sitting a drink on top of it.

Just think about the coaster at the store and keep in mind this are level on both sides and do not have a whole bunch of lumps and bumps. Of course with cross stitching both sides of the coaster will not be as uniform as if you had purchased a mass produced wood or plastic coaster, but it is best to make the piece as smooth as possible. When cross stitching try to make each stitch even and do not leave any too loose or too tight. I actually double stitch over each whole of the canvas mesh to make sure none of the plastic is showing.

Step Four: Double Cross Stitch The First Few Rows

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Here I am double cross stitching the first row.I went back and cross stitched over the border row.Here I have cross stitched a few rows and I am working my way up the piece.
Here I am double cross stitching the first row.
Here I am double cross stitching the first row.
I went back and cross stitched over the border row.
I went back and cross stitched over the border row.
Here I have cross stitched a few rows and I am working my way up the piece.
Here I have cross stitched a few rows and I am working my way up the piece.

One thing I like to do to fill up the mesh holes is by double cross stitching.  I first go across cross stitching from left to right ( that is just the way I like to do it), and then I go back over the row from right to left.  I love the effect of double cross stitch, which is especially star burst like with the multicolored yarn.

Step Five: Keep Cross Stitching

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Here four rows have been cross stitched.Beginning the fifth row.
Here four rows have been cross stitched.
Here four rows have been cross stitched.
Beginning the fifth row.
Beginning the fifth row.

As you work your way up the piece continue making even cross stitches.  Pull taughtly, but do not tug on the yarn so hard that it breaks the mesh squares.  A few times I have inadventently pulled too hard on the yarn and broke a square, which required extra stitching the cover up the broken part. 

Step Six: The Halfway Point

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Coaster almost half way cross stitched.Here I have reached about the half way point!
Coaster almost half way cross stitched.
Coaster almost half way cross stitched.
Here I have reached about the half way point!
Here I have reached about the half way point!

Once you have reached the half way point you can really begin to see your handiwork take shape. However, continue to make even cross stitches so the piece looks as uniform as possible. The good thing about canvas mesh is the ability to take out stitches if you are not satisfied with part of your handiwork.

Step Seven: Almost Finished

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Getting closer to complete.Here I have almost completed the cross stitched piece.
Getting closer to complete.
Getting closer to complete.
Here I have almost completed the cross stitched piece.
Here I have almost completed the cross stitched piece.

Step Eight: Enjoy Your New Coaster

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Here is a picture of the finished coaster.Coasters are like colorful little rugs you can place under your cups.  Thinks of coasters as dog beds for your glasses, and soon all of your drinking vessels will be wanting one.
Here is a picture of the finished coaster.
Here is a picture of the finished coaster.
Coasters are like colorful little rugs you can place under your cups.  Thinks of coasters as dog beds for your glasses, and soon all of your drinking vessels will be wanting one.
Coasters are like colorful little rugs you can place under your cups. Thinks of coasters as dog beds for your glasses, and soon all of your drinking vessels will be wanting one.

The cross stitched coaster is now ready to be used and enjoyed.  Have fun creating colorful coasters as gifts for family and friends, and this is the perfect activity for children.

Your thoughts about coasters:

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)