Plastic Canvas Coasters

I wanted some coasters (the ones I have always go missing) and I love working with plastic canvas! So here is the outcome. I also love Ancient Egypt so that became the inspiration for my designs.

Supplies:
2 or 3 different colors of yarn (I used two different for each, use three if you want the border a different color)
Plastic Canvas needle for size 7 canvas
Size 7 canvas cut into squares of 20 by 20 (I found precut, packaged squares this size)
Drawer Liner
Sissors

To attach Drawer Liner:
Hot glue gun or
Needle and thread

I would suggest the hot glue gun, or other type of glue, (not Elmer's)  if you can. It was much easier than the needle and thread (Thread looks nicer with felt).

I used the program, PC Stitch, to make my patterns. You can download it and use it for free, there are just some limitations. You can't save (but you can screenshot them). Below are the two patterns I used. One is the Eye of Horus and the other is the Ankh (symbol of life).

I've shown previously how to use plastic canvas. It's pretty basic: you go up one hole and down one diagonal to it. As I have show in the picture of the Ankh (picture 3), you just go up from the bottom on 1, down through 2, up through 3, down through 4 etc.

I did my stitching in this order: the design, the border, the filler. You don't have to go in this order. I would actually prefer: the design, the filler, the border. It doesn't really matter; it is all preference.

I do want to say it can make a difference how you do the stitches. On the left I did long stitches on the back which makes the back look fuller, but takes up more yarn. On the right of it, I did quick stitches like I showed you in the first step. This makes the back pretty plain and you don't use much yarn. The way you do the stitch only really matters if both sides are going to show, in this case, we are covering the back. I just wanted to let you know about your options.

I used the big, loopy method for the edge row so it would be easier to sew the liner on. Then I used the other, yarn saving method on the rest, because it didn't matter.

Make sure to tuck your yarn in. You don't want it to stick out, like when you start.  Also, if you did the big, loopy, more yarn wasting method of stitching, it is easier to tuck the needle in and hide the yarn.

I laid down the drawer liner so that the edges of it would be just inside the black border. Outline it in pencil and cut.

Lay it on the back and make sure its the right size.  I put the pencil side towards the coaster though it shouldn't show much either way.

Glue Gun:
Take out your glue gun. I just went along the edges, but you can dab it in the middle too if you want. It stayed fine with just the edges glued down. Careful: HOT GLUE! I glued down two adjacent sides and then did the other two sides gradually at the same time, otherwise if you just do three whole sides it will be hard to finish the last side.

Sewing:
I like to sew, because it looks nice, but in this case it didn't look very neat and was difficult, but it is an option if you don't have any glue. I hid the end of the thread in the yarn. I found it easiest to go down through a hole in the liner and go diagonally up through some of the blue yarn a little over from where I went down. It helped make it so the thread didn't show as much.

You can't see it when a cup is on it, but it serves its purpose!