5-Minute Folded Coasters: Use Up Your Scraps

A little hexagon that does a lot

What if one simple hexagon could become four different coasters? That's the idea behind this project, and it's such a cute way to use up your scraps.

Each coaster starts with a single hexagon as the backing. The top is built from more hexagons that are folded in half, pressed, and stacked on the backing. Change how you fold them, or how many you use, and you get a different look. Together they mix and match beautifully.

The straight edge versions are especially forgiving. There are no points to line up, so if something shifts a little while you sew, you won't see it in the finished coaster. That makes them a great first try if you're new to sewing.

The sewing itself is one seam around the outside, then you trim the corners, turn the coaster right side out through the centre and give it a final press. No binding, no fiddly finishing. Each coaster really does come together in about five minutes.

Watch the video

The full step-by-step is in my video 5-Minute Folded Coasters: Use Up Your Scraps. I show how to fold and stack all four variations, how to pivot neatly at the corners, and how to turn and press the coasters for a clean finish.

Make a set in one colourway for a housewarming gift, or mix every scrap in your basket for a playful set of your own. 

What you'll need

This project needs smaller pieces of fabric, but because you layer the pieces you still use up a good amount of fabric making it perfect to do some scrap busting. Every coaster uses one hexagon for the backing. How many you need for the top depends on the variation.

The free hexagon template is linked in the video description, so you can cut every piece to the same size.

Materials and tools

• Fabric scraps, preferably cotton or a similar woven that presses well
• The free hexagon template ( in the video description)
• Thread to match or contrast, it won't be visible :)
• Pins
• An iron + ironing board, for pressing the folds and the finished coaster
• Scissors, for cutting the hexagons and trimming the corners
• A sewing machine 
• Optional: a fabric marker to mark the seam line, which helps at the corners
• A point turner, or something pointy, to push out the corners for crisp looking corners. For a simple project this is what makes the difference.