Learn how to cut and stitch an easy plastic canvas coaster that features a fun chunky checkered pattern. Coasters are the perfect piece to add to your living room, kitchen or dining room to house a delicious cup of coffee or tea.
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For Halloween this year (2025), I tried to create a series of projects that matched in stitch pattern. I crocheted the Through the Window Crossbody Bag and Through the Window Tote Bag using a mosaic crochet pattern and try as I might, I could not land on a plastic canvas stitch pattern that matched, well, at least not that I was in love with.
I turned back to a favorite pattern of mine – checkerboard! But I wanted a little something different even, and that’s when I decided on a fun, chunky checkered pattern.
I made mine alternating two colors, but wouldn’t this be fun if all of the boxes were a different color?! That would be especially great for working through your scraps.
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What is the best yarn to use to stitch up a plastic canvas coaster? Can you use acrylic yarn to work up a plastic canvas coaster?
When I am crocheting coasters, I like using a 100% cotton yarn, since it’s more durable and absorbent, but I haven’t found a worsted weight cotton thick enough to fully cover plastic canvas so I lean towards whatever is in my stash – you can easily use any worsted weight yarn that’s in there. My chosen Pound of Love is a 100% acrylic yarn, and I have a several coasters I’ve made myself using Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, which is also a 100% acrylic yarn, and probably the most common yarn to use when it comes to working plastic canvas projects. A hot cup of coffee is not hot enough to melt synthetic fibers, and while it doesn’t quite absorb the same way with cold beverages, it still holds the water and does not seep through to the surface. Lion Brand Wool Ease is another lovely yarn for coasters that I have used for some in my personal collection, and the wool adds to the durability and absorbency.
If you don’t have any worsted weight yarn to spare, you can hold two strands of lightweight yarn together, and stitch the same way with it, or hold one strand and work two passes per stitch.
Are Plastic Canvas Coasters Washable?
With coasters being used for a variety of beverages that can sometimes spill and leak, I like to use yarns for coasters that I know are easy to wash, like Red Heart Super Saver and Lion Brand Wool Ease. They both hold up well to use, and washing and drying, and while these yarns and the canvas could be machine washed and dried, spot cleaning is recommend to preserve your items.
How to Wash Plastic Canvas Coasters?
I’ve had coasters with light coffee stains on them, and coasters with deep soda stains on them, and with a little spot cleaning, I’ve been able to make them good as new! Grab a damp towel or paper towel, and dab a couple times onto the coaster, then dab with a dry towel or paper towel and reassess. You may need to do it a couple times until the stain comes out. If it’s a tougher stain, you can use a gentle soap, like Dawn, on your damp towel. Repeat the same process, and once your stain is out, go back in with just a damp towel to work the soap out. Press with a dry towel to get out as much water as possible, and then lay flat to dry.
Alternatively, you can fill a bowl with some soapy water (I like to use cold like room temperature water, but you’ll find many others say warm water), and soap the coasters for about 10 minutes. Empty the bowl, and fill with just water, and rinse the coasters. I do not like to run the coasters directly under running water as it can be too abrasive. Press with a dry towel to get out as much water as possible, and then lay flat to dry.
Now, if you have a lining on the back of your coaster, like fabric, felt or cork, you’ll need to consider that when you are cleaning, how those items and/or the method of adhering it onto your coaster will hold up to your cleaning method or supplies.
As much all you’ll want to, make sure when cleaning not to try to rub the stain out or use anything that is too abrasive, like a brush, otherwise, you’ll find that your yarn will pill, fray or felt (depending on the fiber) and could look very worn and icky.
Do people use coasters?
Coasters are easy to keep handy in the kitchen, dining room, living room and office so it’s easy to grab when you need it anytime you are drinking a delicious beverage and/or snacking – it’s a great item to set down a tasty treat on as well.
Coasters are so versatile, they don’t stop at being used for coffee or a snack. They are great little mats that work for all sorts of items like a small vase, plant, candle, pen or make up brush holder, lotions and more! Coasters could easily work in any room of the house, and make great gifts too!
Can I use 10 mesh plastic canvas to make coasters? Can I use 5 mesh plastic canvas to make coasters?
While I’ve designed these coasters to be made with 7 mesh plastic canvas, you could definitely change up the mesh size to use whatever you have on hand! For this design, I wanted it to be 3 boxes wide by 3 boxes tall so you’ll want to measure your canvas out and see how many holes will get you close to 4″ – 4 1/2″ that is divisible by 3 plus 1.
Use a respective size tapestry needle and yarn. For size 10 mesh plastic canvas, I would recommend a #22 tapestry needle and lightweight #3 yarn, like Berroco Vintage DK or WeCrochet Brava Sport. For size 5 mesh plastic canvas, I haven’t used this size for projects before but I’m thinking maybe a #14 or #16 tapestry needle and chunky weight #5 yarn, like Lion Brand Hue and Me. ZP Crafts on Amazon has a great set of large eye tapestry needles that range from size 16 – 22!
What Supplies Do I Need to Make a Plastic Canvas Coaster with Checkered Pattern?
- 7 Mesh Plastic Canvas
- #18 or #20 Tapestry Needle – I like to use a #18 more
- Worsted Weight #4 Yarn – I’m using Lion Brand Pound of Love in the White, Pumpkin Spice and Black colorways
- Scissors
- Optional, Jewelry Pliers
Material Notes:
You can use soft or stiff plastic canvas.
While I’ve designed these coasters to be made with 7 mesh plastic canvas, you could definitely change up the mesh size to use whatever you have on hand! For this design, I wanted it to be 3 boxes wide by 3 boxes tall so you’ll want to measure your canvas out and see how many holes will get you close to 4″ – 4 1/2″ that is divisible by 3 plus 1. Use a respective size tapestry needle and yarn. For size 10 mesh plastic canvas, I would recommend a #22 tapestry needle and lightweight #3 yarn, like Berroco Vintage DK or WeCrochet Brava Sport. For size 5 mesh plastic canvas, I haven’t used this size for projects before but I’m thinking maybe a #14 or #16 tapestry needle and chunky weight #5 yarn, like Lion Brand Hue and Me. ZP Crafts on Amazon has a great set of large eye tapestry needles that range from size 16 – 22!
Other tried and true worsted weight yarns for plastic canvas projects are Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Bernat Super Value and Lion Brand Wool Ease just to name a few. Feel free to use your favorite!
Jewelry pliers are an excellent tool to use to help weave in ends. Insert needle under the stitches, then grab the tip with the jewelry pliers and gently pull through (be careful because eye of needle or plastic canvas can break).
I am not lining mine, but for a cleaner back, you could cut and attach some felt, fabric, or cork.
Time Spent:
I had each coaster ready in just under an hour and a half.
In working the Tent Stitch, stitching does take a little bit longer with each individual stitch. Broken down, it looks like this: each square takes just over 7 and half minutes to stitch up. The whipstitch takes about 13 minutes.
Measurements:
Before stitching, the mesh is just over 4 1/4″.
The finished coaster is 4 3/8″.
How to Continental Stitch aka Half Cross Stitch aka Tent Stitch
The Tent Stitch is a series of single diagonal stitches that run parallel to each other. There are a few variations of the Tent Stitch, but you’ll want to choose either the Continental or Half Cross to work your project in. The front of the stitch pattern looks the same, but the back of the stitch pattern varies. I prefer the Continental Stitch because it makes for a fuller, neater back, though it does use a little bit more yarn than the Half Cross Stitch. It is not uncommon to combine both styles as you work and not even realize it until you take a peek at the back, and really that is totally okay! As long as the front of the project looks correct, the back is no big deal so don’t feel pressure to pull any stitches out just to work in one style over the other.
Project Note:
I recommend your anchor stitch and final end of each strand be about 1/2″ – 1″ long.
This photo shows the back of my plastic canvas coaster stitched in the Continental style. This is my favorite way to stitch the Tent Stitch because I get a nice, clean back that is easy to hide my tail ends in.
Chunky Checkered Plastic Canvas Coaster Video Tutorial:
How to Make an Easy Plastic Canvas Coaster with Chunky Checkered Pattern:
Cut Graph:
As a blogger, I rely on views to my blog to earn money from my ads. Please do NOT publicly share my graph photo/s this includes in Facebook groups, or save to Pinterest. Doing so, would allow makers to not have to return to my blog, which would result in a loss of views and income. My charts are also protected by copyright, and directly sharing them with others is copyright infringement. You may pin and/or share the title image, or even one of the images of the finished coaster, but not the charts, and you cannot remove or crop out my watermark – this equates to stealing my photo, and not giving credit where it is due. If you want to pin the chart, you can pin them to your secret board/s, meaning they’re locked and only you can see them.
You can either stitch the coaster first, or cut the plastic canvas square out first, and then stitch.
Each coaster is 28 holes wide by 28 holes tall.
If you don’t want to count the holes, you can use a soft tape measure to measure out 4 1/4″ wide and tall, and cut just outside that measurement.
Stitch Graph:
As a blogger, I rely on views to my blog to earn money from my ads. Please do NOT publicly share my graph photo/s this includes in Facebook groups, or save to Pinterest. Doing so, would allow makers to not have to return to my blog, which would result in a loss of views and income. My charts are also protected by copyright, and directly sharing them with others is copyright infringement. You may pin and/or share the title image, or even one of the images of the finished coaster, but not the charts, and you cannot remove or crop out my watermark – this equates to stealing my photo, and not giving credit where it is due. If you want to pin the chart, you can pin them to your secret board/s, meaning they’re locked and only you can see them.
Use the Tent Stitch to make boxes that are 9 stitches wide and tall to fill in your coaster. You can work each box in a different color or to do the checkboard pattern: start with Color A (mine was Black) and alternate between that and Color B (mine was Orange) so the pattern takes on a checkerboard pattern.
You will have 3 boxes tall by 3 boxes wide when finished.
After you finish all of your boxes, whipstitch around to finish – if you have not cut your canvas, you’ll want to do that first, and then whipstitch.
How to Whipstitch and Finish:
I like to work two whipstitches into each stitch along the sides to get more coverage and a fuller edging. The first one I pull up and over the center of the hole…
… and the second one I pull up and over to the right.
For the corners, I like to work 3 stitches with the second one covering the point. This way, nothing is poking through, and the canvas is completely covered.
For projects with a lot of shaping to them, I do not like to stitch first and then cut because I don’t like the stress of cutting my canvas after all the time has been put into the stitching, but for easy, straight forward shapes, like this square, stitching first and then cutting is very easy, especially if you are not sure exactly how many holes you want to cut to achieve the size you’re looking for with the stitching you want to use.
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