Turn a coaster into wall art with embroidery hoops :: DIY

A friend had a coaster that she liked and was saving to display.  She liked the colors, subject matter, and at the very least could put it on her frig with a magnet.  She emailed me and asked, "what would you do with it?"  So exciting.  This is my favorite kind of challenge.  Taking and every day something and making it spectacular.  I immediately had some ideas.

Of course, you could frame the coaster but that was kind of ho hum.  I  thought it would be cute to find retro fabric and use embroidery hoops as the frame.  They are so much cheaper than frames, too.  I buy mine from the local fabric mill for $.50.  Simply punch a few holes in the coaster and hand stitch it to the fabric in the hoop.




I decided to make it a threesome and added two more hoops with a cute contrasting fabric.  I created a small "home sweet home" image (I even made the silhouette match their house) on the computer, printed it, cut it out, and stitched it on the fabric as I did the coaster.  The three hoops together make more of an impact, don't you think?

You can do this with anything:  menu, vacation graphic, photo, postcard, etc.  If you have something you've been holding onto but don't know what to make of it, send me a picture.  I love a good challenge!