These woven raffia drink coolers are the perfect addition to your drinks at a picnic or just for lounging outdoors! I am excited to drink more soda & lime coming into summer from these very glasses.
Soda & lime is the perfect refreshing drink that can be made at home in literally 30 seconds! Our Sodastream is a great investment for the very reason that I’ll be drinking these nonstop once the temperatures get above 25C.
You will Need:
Raffia
Tapestry Needle
For this tutorial I used the help of some weaving videos via Craft School Oz on YouTube. They gave a thorough understanding of the main components of weaving.
The trickiest part of weaving these drink covers is starting off! Because there’s a few different sections to this tutorial, I’ve divided them into four parts: starting off, adding thread, transitioning to vertical weaving and finishing off. Read on for the full tutorial!
PART 1: How to Start Your Woven Circle
For a video tutorial, here’s Craft School Oz’s starter tutorial (fellow left-handers’ version here!)
Start by creating a loop with a bunch of raffia. You’ll have a single thread with a needle ready to stitch. Stitch straight through the middle of the circle and gather the end of your stitching thread with the rest of your bundle (no need to knot!)
Loop through the middle of the circle again, this time with a blanket stitch. Blanket stitch around 8 stitches, then pull the short end of your coil to tighten the loop.
Continue stitching around the circle, bringing both ends of the threads together. Slowly it should become a snail-like loop, called a magic circle.
PART 2: Adding More Stitching Thread to Your Weaving
To add more stitching thread to your weaving, take the needle off your thread and pull the end to join the bunch of raffia you are looping around (no need to knot!) There’s a video tutorial here.
Thread a new strand of raffia with your needle. Thread this stand through the top loop you last stitched. Pull the end of your new thread to add into the bunch of raffia you are looping around (no need to knot!)
Continue stitching. The ends will be worked into your weaving, preventing them from coming loose.
When you begin to reach the end of the bunch of raffia you are coiling, add a few extra strands to the bundle. Doing this a few strands at a time will help it look natural.
There’s no need to knot them in place – simple stitch over them and they’ll be held secure.
PART 3: How To Change to a Vertical Weave
When you’ve reached the diameter of the cup you’d like to cover, it’s time to transition to weaving your circle upwards!
To do this, start to pull your stitches to face upwards on the coil rather than outwards. It helps to lay your circle flat on a table to ensure they start to face upwards. It may take half a dozen stitches to notice the transition, and that’s ok!
PART 4: How to Finish Off Your Woven Raffia Drink Cover
When you’ve reached the height you’d like your drink cooler to be, it’s time to finish off! There’s a video tutorial of the process here.
Cut the ends of the raffia off. Instead of cutting them straight, cut at an angle so that they’ll gradually disappear.
Continue to stitch over them until there’s no more raffia coil. End by hiding your stitching thread inside the basket – stitch it through a few rows of thread. Cut off the excess and you’re done!
Made it to the end? Check out my other projects here or don’t forget to download the Raffia DIYs Booklet below on this page.
And if this tutorial has made you thirsty, grab a Sodastream here to start whipping up your own refreshing summer drinks.
