Australian Homespun - June 2018

Step 1

Trim the end of the rope if needed to

remove any unravelled fi bres. Start

creating a coil of rope in your hands,

making sure it is coiled clockwise so

that it grows away from the throat

space of the machine, not into it.

When you’ve got a couple of spirals,

secure the coil with a pin going

through all the spirals. Set the

machine for a zigzag stitch the

same width as the rope diameter

and a reasonably short length of

about 1.5-2mm (^11 ⁄ 1166 in to^5 ⁄ 6644 in).

Step 2

Put the coil under the presser foot

and start sewing slowly around the

coil from the centre outwards,

catching the loose end and bringing

each consecutive spiral together. The

foot should lie across two adjacent

spirals with the needle penetrating

each one in turn. Cassandra says that

this initial stage is very fiddly and

takes patience, lifting the foot and

pivoting the coil bit by bit. To do this,

Q5mm (^1 ⁄ 4 in) diameter cotton
rope: about 2m (2^1 ⁄ 8 yd) per
coaster – see Note
Q Sewing machine thread in
matching or contrasting
colours – see Tip
Q Long, strong pins

Q Size 90 universal,

denim or topstitching

machine needles

Q Sewing machine

with zigzag foot

Q General sewing

supplies

Finished size:

13cm (5in) diameter approx.

Note: Read all the instructions

before you start. Rope quantity is

approximate and should be used

as a guide only: don’t cut the rope

until you’re very close to the end of

a coaster. Cassandra recommends

using the pre-packaged 25m

cotton sashing cord from Bunnings

for the best value. These coasters

are great for using cord left over

from other projects.

WHAT YOU NEED:

WHAT YOU DO:

Coaster stitched with blue metallic thread

Step 1 Forming the
start of the spiral

CASSANDRA’S

RESCUE TIP Starting

the coil in the middle can be a bit

messy. If it gets too ugly, rather

than abandoning it, just glue or

stitch a small circle of felt or

coordinating fabric over the centre

and treat it as a design feature.