These easy coasters and trivets are made with just pipe cleaners, yarn and a glue gun. They’re quick and easy to make, and lovely for kids to give as a homemade gift to parents and grandparents. (Instructional video below).
Remember the other day I came up with these yarn-wrapped Valentines hearts when I was experimenting with pipe cleaners and yarn?
Well, I had a feeling I could create something even better with the yarn-wrapped pipe cleaners, so I played around with them a little more, and ended up coiling them, and voila… the idea for these super-easy coasters and trivets was born.
EDITED TO ADD: We’ve since used this process to make these 10-Minute Friendship Bracelets as well.
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Aren’t they awesome! I love them so much! And I love that you don’t need to know how to crochet, braid or sew to make them!
At first, I was stumped about how to secure the trivets together. I didn’t want to resort to sewing them because I wanted to keep the process simple enough for kids to do.
I wracked my brains for a few minutes, and then thought “What about a glue gun?”
Sure enough, the glue gun worked like a charm!
I’ve tested my trivets several times, using the larger ones on my dinner table to hold hot dishes, and the smaller ones under my tea pot and coffee cup. They work beautifully!
Absorb drips and spills!
Bonus: unlike a hard trivet or coaster, these are absorbent, so they’re great for catching drips and condensation when used as a coaster.
How many pipe cleaners?
You can make your trivets as big or as small as you want. The size will depend on how many pipe cleaners you use. I used 9 pipe cleaners to make the large blue trivet in these photos, and 7 to make the smaller pink coaster.
The weight of your yarn…
The weight of your yarn will determine how thick your trivet turns out. A chunky yarn makes a thicker trivet than a thin yarn. The project goes faster with a chunky yarn too because you can cover the pipe cleaner more quickly with it than you can with thin yarn.
I’m just so thrilled with this project. The kids are going to love this process, and we’ll be making many of these to give as gifts throughout the year, I’m sure.
I’ve made a video tutorial that demonstrates making a trivet from start to finish, or if you’d rather, you can skip to the written instructions.
Pipe Cleaner & Yarn Trivets Video Tutorial:
Supplies:
- 7-10 chenille pipe cleaners
- yarn (I recommend using a chunky yarn)
- glue gun
- scissors
Instructions:
Time needed: 45 minutes
How To Make a Trivet or Coaster with Pipe Cleaners and Yarn
- Wrap Pipe Cleaners with yarn
Begin winding your yarn around your pipe cleaner, leaving the first 1/4 inch of the pipe cleaner bare. You will bend this bit and pinch it to secure your yarn.
Trap the tail of the yarn in place as you wind around the pipe cleaner. Keep your wrapping/winding relaxed. Your trivet will be thicker and work up more quickly than if you wind your yarn tightly.
- Add another pipe cleaner
Before you reach the end of the pipe cleaner, add a second one by twisting the ends together tightly. Continue wrapping over the twisted bit and carry on. Repeat this process every time you add a new pipe cleaner until you reach the length that you desire.
- Finishing wrapping
When you get to the end of the last pipe cleaner, Leave an 1/8 of an inch bare and snip your yarn leaving a short tail. Bend the end of the pipe cleaner over the tail and pinch it in place.
You’ll now have something that looks like a long length of woven rope.
- Coil and Glue your Trivet
Protect a flat work surface with a piece of wax paper or cardboard before you begin gluing.
Place your rope of pipe cleaners on a flat work surface. Begin coiling the pipe cleaner. Every couple of inches, dab a thin line of hot glue along the edge of the coiled pipe cleaner, and press the next couple of inches of pipe cleaner into it. Hold for a few seconds while the glue cools.
Continue to coil and glue your pipe cleaner rope until you reach the end and your trivet has been formed.
- How to remove stray bits of glue
If some of your glue squeezed through to the surface of your trivet, you can remove it by doing the following:
– Small, hardened blobs of glue can be snipped away with scissors.
– Fine strands of glue will vanish if you quickly blast them with a hair dryer.
And that, my friend, is all there is to making these gorgeous homemade trivets and coasters. What a beautiful, easy and practical homemade gift for a tween or teen to make for a parent or grandparent.
Now I need to put on my thinking cap and come up with some more projects to make with pipe cleaners and yarn!
If you have any brilliant ideas, let me know in the comments below.
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
