Button Coaster

I thought this looked like the cutest craft when I saw it posted at craftstylish earlier this month. I was totally amped and envisioning dozens of beautiful, rainbow colored button coasters. I get like this with new crafty ideas and projects, only to be brought back down to earth by the sheer frustration of it all once I get started.

That's what happened with this coaster.

It took me over a week to finish, partly because I've been very busy and partly because I needed to take many breaks from the stitching. It wasn't terribly difficult, just tedious. One too-tight thread would throw an entire row of buttons off. And - being a perfectionist - it was killing me when I finished a row and there was an extra loose button or one stitch that looped too large. I plugged away, though, and finally finished tonight while watching the season four finale of "Jon and Kate Plus 8." (Will there be a season five? We don't know!)

All the griping aside, I'm actually really pleased with how it turned out. It's far from perfect, but I learned along the way and now can start and end my rows much sharper and neater than from following the tutorial alone. I guess I would say it was worth the effort. I'll at least be making three more of them, because I want a full set of four. (That's what I had in mind before I began.) They will probably be a gift for a very special friend, since I don't use coasters much myself.

Of course, there are still a few other color combinations I'd like to see come to fruition. There may be plenty more button coasters in my future ... or at least two or three more sets.

That also depends if I can find some cheaper buttons somewhere. Any suggestions?