Quilt As You Go Coasters

It's fun to pull out your own book to make a project. These are the Jewel Box Coasters from Improvising Tradition. It's so nice to have the quilt math done already by the pattern.

The center of each coaster is improv pieced strata, although really, you could put anything you like in the center, including a fussy cut square or a miniature block like the hour glass I used in this coaster set. The outer frame is pieced quilt-as-you-go. It's a simple technique that works perfectly for projects which can be made turn and flip.

As the pattern specifies, I used a layer of Insul-Bright and a layer of batting, which gives the coasters a nice weight as well as real heat protection. They really stand up on their own, and who really wants a floppy coaster, after all?

The pattern makes four coasters, but I doubled it to make a nice matching set of eight. I like that each coaster is unique because of the improv centers, but they still go together as a set.

The coaster set is a great host gift, although I'm contemplating making another eight and keeping these.