What type of material do you use when you are making coasters? What about the FSL coasters - how are they suppose to work when there is no material to absorb anything?

I have been stitchin gout FSL coasters for years - no one that I ever gave them to - ever complained about them not absorbing any moisture - I have used them and find that they can get a bit wet - but what coaster doesn't - if spilled on - but the table top never really gets the moisture on them. I use WSS (water soluable stablizer - the mesh looking kind) on all my FSL (free standing lace)

1. Zundt - Wine Glass Cover
2. Zundt - Wine Glass Cover - also have Coaster, as Chris shared.
3-8. Vintage Lace - Isolde Staab costers
8-12. Skeldale House coasters
13. Ricky's Stemware
14. I can't remember the designer for this set.


If you really wanted more coverage - I would use one of the many idea's that the other CUTE family have provided. Enjoy!

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3 comments

by bumblebee 12 May 2012

Beautiful pics Shirlene, Im loving the black and gold. Zundt-well I could spend a fortune there that I dont have LOL

by momhome 13 May 2012

Beautiful. Thank-you Shirlene.

by momhome 13 May 2012

Shirlene - Thank-you for sharing your website. Your FSL coasters are beautiful. You do such lovely work.

Hey!!!! questions aren't dumb, nor the people asking them and seeking answers.
I have learnt so much from your question I want to thank you for asking it.
I have made lots of coasters. I stitch onto cotton fabric on a medium weight cutaway stabiliser, then I float some acryic felt at the back and stitch out the satinstitch edging again. I've been lucky so far rather than anything being planned and all my coasters had good solid edgings.
My FSL squares that I'm making for a table runner could serve as coasters but I've never made any real FSL coasters. Your question might egg me on to try my luck for times when I might want to entertain.
AlmaG.

1 comment

by momhome 13 May 2012

Good luck. Thanks for responding.

I messed up a fsl design and have been using it as a coaster and it works great. I guess you could float a piece of something (felt, vinyl tablecloth, leather etc.) underneath and send an outline stitch to attach it if you want it more absorbent.

FSL Coasters could be used for Wine Glasses or ant glasses that have stems.
They also could be used on top of a table cloth for a more formal dinner.

If you are in an area of the world where your glasses sweat then the more decorative coasters can be stitched on 100% cotton, called rubber sheeting. It is the stuff that is used on the underside of diaper changing mats. Cotton is much more absorbent than polyester. I use lace designs instead of FSL.

I have made mugs rugs with the clear 22ga plastic over, but these will let the water run!

3 comments

by momhome 11 May 2012

Thank-you. I will have to look to see if my local fabric store carries the rubber sheeting. Thank-you. Thank-you for the links.

by bumblebee 12 May 2012

I made a beautiful apple set from Stitch Delight I thinks with cotton on top and floated felt before final satin. So preety and absorbent.

by bumblebee 12 May 2012

In the summer you could put a little pool under my Ice tea LOL

I like to use felt.

I cut a circle of poylester felt a little smaller than the coaster in a color that matches, and a little clear medium weight vinyl circle a little smaller than the felt. I layer them behind the coaster and hand stitch the felt to the backside of the coaster so that the stitches don't show. The vinyl just floats inside this sandwich. I throw them in the washing machine in a lingerie bag. Lay them flat to dry.

1 comment

by momhome 11 May 2012

Thank-you. This is very helpful.

I think they are just too pretty to use for coasters and have coffee or tea stain them. I would make the cloth ones if I were using them for coasters, and the fsl ones use as little doilies or something else.

1 comment

by momhome 11 May 2012

Good idea. Thank-you

I did FSL coasters by Zundt designs and used just Water Soluble Solvy (the mesh like fabric one, not the plastic one) and they turned out well. Shirlene on this site does beautiful FSL. Maybe she will come along and tell you what she uses. Love Chris

P.S. If I'm doing simple ones, I'd use cotton or felt.

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7 comments

by momhome 11 May 2012

These are beautiful. When do you use them or are they just for pretty? How do you take care of them afterwards?

by pldc 11 May 2012

beautiful Chris hugs Loralye

by oigelcox 11 May 2012

Beautiful I love them well done . I attended an EMB seminar by MR. Zundt very interesting man found out lots about the history of their stunning lace which goes back 100 years. Hugs Joyce

by almag 11 May 2012

Oh My Goodness, Chris!! I'd want to wear these, not use them to hold drinks.
Alma.

by shirlener88 11 May 2012

Chris, these are stunning and thanks!

by bumblebee 12 May 2012

I have a book on the history of lace and you can see the reproductions that Zundt does-oh so lovely

by bumblebee 12 May 2012

These are little jeweled beauties

when sewing the back of a coaster a fellow cutie told me that I should use the platic felted back tablecloths that you buy @ the dollar store theyby making it soft in the middle & absorbent on the backside! I have done this many times & it works great!

3 comments

by momhome 11 May 2012

Which way does the plastic go? On the inside or the bottom? Thanks for the idea.

by pldc 11 May 2012

on the bottom

by momhome 11 May 2012

Thank-you. I will have to go buy some of those table cloths.

Thanks for asking! I have wondered the same thing. I think the fsl are more the type you would put in a saucer for your tea cup. They are decoration. I want to know where you but the insulation for the thicker coasters.
Charla

if you want to make heatproof coasters put a layer of insual bright in the middle so you dont get heat rings on your table. Joyce

FSL is sewn on Water soluable staberlizer which looks like vileane You use the same thread in the bobbin as in the needle either rayon or Acrylic thread. When you have finished the embroidery you wash the lace under a warm water tap and dry on a towel. If you want the lace softer let it soak for a while . I only rinse the lace to keep some of the stifness for making gift cards. Hugs Joyce

1 comment

by pldc 11 May 2012

actually if you make alot of fsl DON'T WASH IT DOWN the drain because you can clog up your pipes!!!!

I have used felt for fabric coasters and have had very good results with it. I have also used linen like fabric with equally good results. I have also made the FSL ones and have used them on my table when entertaining. Hope this info helps. Hugs, Mary

That's not dumb, it's inquistive -and if you don't ask, then you don't learn :) I'd say that the FSL coasters are meant more to look nice than actually be as useful as fabric ones. I'd guess you'd use fabric you like to match placemats or I personally would use a heavy duty linen type fabric.