If you've ever wanted to try tufting but felt intimidated by large rug projects, a tufted coaster is the perfect way to start. It's small, fast, beginner-friendly, and lets you practice core tufting skills without wasting materials. 
In this tutorial, I'll walk you through how I made a tufted cherry coaster — from sketching the design to trimming, gluing, and attaching the non-slip backing. Whether you're using our Tukloom tufting gun, premium yarn cones, or a complete tufting starter kit, this guide will help you create a clean, polished coaster you'll actually want to use.

Materials You'll Need

Tufting Gun
Primary Tufting Cloth
Acrylic or Cotton Yarn (black, red, and pink for this coaster)
Tufting Frame
Fabric Glue or Carpet Adhesive
Hot Glue Gun + Glue Sticks
Non-Slip Backing Fabric
Electric Trimmer / Shearing Tool
Duckbill Scissors
Marker or Chalk for Drawing Your Design

Step 1: Choose Your Colors & Sketch the Design

Start with your yarn color palette. For this design: 

• Red for the cherries
• Pink for the background circle
• Black for the stems

Sketch your cherry design directly onto the tufting cloth using a marker.
A simple round layout makes trimming and finishing easier.

Step 2: Tuft the Outline and Fill the Colors

Begin by tufting the black stems. Outlines first help you keep clean borders.
Then fill in:

• The red cherries
• The pink circle around them

Keep your speed steady for consistent pile height.

Step 3: Cut Out the Coaster Shape

Once tufted, remove the piece from the frame and cut around the outer circle.
Leave a small 1–1.5 cm border of primary cloth for folding later.
Trim excess backing cloth on the reverse side.

Step 4: Apply Rug Glue

Brush or pour a thin layer of rug glue onto the back.
Let it fully dry — this step locks the yarn loops so your coaster stays durable and shed-free.

Step 5: Fold and Glue the Edges

After the glue dries, fold the extra primary cloth inward.
Use a hot glue gun to secure the folded edges so no white cloth peeks out on the sides.
This step gives your coaster a smooth, clean edge.

Step 6: Add the Non-Slip Backing

Cut a piece of non-slip backing fabric slightly larger than your coaster.
Glue it onto the back using a hot glue gun.
Trim the backing to match the coaster shape exactly.
This makes it functional, stable, and table-safe.

Step 7: Trim, Shave & Detail the Surface

Use an electric tufting trimmer to even out the surface.
This reveals the cherry shapes more clearly and gives the coaster a soft, neat finish.
Then use duckbill scissors for fine detailing around the edges and any stray fibers.
This is where the piece goes from“DIY”to truly polished.

Extra Tips for Better Results

• Use high-quality yarn — cheap yarn frays more and makes trimming harder.
• Keep your design simple for your first coaster.
• If the edges look uneven, reheat your glue gun and press the fabric in place again.
• Don’t rush the glue drying stage — this affects long-term durability.

Final Thoughts

Tufted coasters are an amazing starter project for anyone new to tufting. They’re quick, fun, and let you practice key skills like outlining, color blocking, trimming, and finishing. Once you’re comfortable, you can move on to larger projects like wall hangings, rugs, or custom designs.
If you want to try this project yourself, you can explore tufting guns, starter kits, yarn cones, and rug tufting supplies on tukloom.com.