Re: Dottee dolls

YEP -- that's all you need -- now if I can just explain how to make these -- LOLOL! You need at least 2 different fabrics but could use as many as 5. There are four pieces for the top and one piece for the back.

- Cut FIVE (5) pieces of fabric 4 1/2" square

- Lay the piece for the back on your table RIGHT SIDE UP

- Fold the four pieces for the top in half with the WRONG SIDE TOGETHER

- Lay each of the four top pieces on the backing piece matching a different raw edge along one side of the backing piece with the folded edges to the center. Done properly, the pieces are "wovern" together and the finished coaster looks as if if it sort of quilted. For example, lay the first piece along the TOP edge of the backing piece with the folded edge towards the center. The second piece is put along the FIRST SIDE of the backing and overlapping one half of the first piece. PIN the overlap section. The third piece will go along the BOTTOM edge, over lap one half of the second piece and have its folded edge snug against(but not overlapping) the folded edge of the first piece. PIN the overlap section. Placement of the fourth piece is the difficult one to explain. Lay it along the SECOND SIDE of the backing piece overlapping half of the bottom piece and the folded edge snug against the folded edge of the other top piece but not overlapping. PIN the overlap section. Lift up the end of the fourth piece that is covering the top piece and tuck it UNDERNEATH the top piece so that the top piece is overlapping the second side piece. PIN the overlap. If you don't tuck this second side piece underneath the top piece then the four pieces won't be "woven" and once the coaster is finished, you would ony see three top pieces instead of four.

- Sew around the four edges of the coaster using a 1/4" seam. I usually do two rows of stitching and then diagonally trim the four corners VERY closely to the stitching.

- Turn the coaster "right" side out by putting your fingers into the little opening in the center of the coaster where the folded edges of the overlapped top pieces meet.

It's a bit difficult to explain and the link I had that showed photos doesn't work anymore. If anyone wants, I have done a line drawing to help explain. It's not at all difficult to do, just to explain. And DO NOT do what I tend to do when I put together the first coaster and forget to tuck that end of the last piece under the first piece. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Instructions snipped but printed for reference.

"Fold the four pieces for the top in half with the WRONG SIDE TOGETHER"

Fold how? Down the center or make a triangle?

Mary,

Is this what you're talking about:

Fold in half down the center and make sure the right side is out. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Repeat after me: "I love Google"

Now that I've seen what you were talking about, I think I'll make up a few. The stopper will be cutting all the pieces to the same size ... Sometimes, it just ain't easy being me

This is where the rotary cutter used by quilters comes in handy! With a rotary cutter you can cut 6 or 8 layers of fabric with no problem. Of course, you also need one of the acrilyc rulers and *they* can be pretty pricey! Do you know anyone quo quilts and might be able to loan you a rotary cutter and ruler??? Then again you could always do like the pioneer women did and make your self a template. Use some cardboard to cut out your template and then use the template to mark your fbrics and then you just cut on the line. For the coasters, that should get your pieces close enough to the same. Actually, as long as the folded top pieces aren't smaller than the bottom piece, they don't have to be exact. If the folded pieces are a tad larger, they will just hang over the edge of the back piece and can be trimmed once everything is sewn together. I usually sew them together from the front first and then turn the whole thing over and sew again from the back making sure I have gotten the sewing 1/4" from the edges of the back piece. As long as the BACK pieces are the same size then your set of coasters will always end up the same size because you can just trim off the larger bits of the top pieces. PLEASE -- keep us posted and let us know how you do with the coasters, OK? CiaoMeoew >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

In the days when I thought I might like sewing and not long after I bought my sewing machine, I bought one of those rotary cutters, cutting board, ruler combos. They've come in quite handy. Just like when I use scissors, my hand goes off to the side for no apparent reason. For that reason, I cut things slightly bigger than and then trim away oopses.

Eons ago, I did very poorly in several computer programming classes. I knew what had to be done but I couldn't break the process down into enough small steps. My attempts at sewing and construction/finishing suffer from similar problems plus I'm older -- eyes and eye/hand coordination ain't sew good, etc. etc. etc.

Hey wait a minute -- I'm creative so that doesn't matter!!!