Brighten up your coffee table with the Panda Coasters, a delightful crochet project that’s equal parts cute and practical! 🐼🧶 Featuring sweet panda faces with round cheeks, soft ears, and gentle expressions, these coasters are perfect for adding a playful touch to your home. Whether you’re sipping tea, hosting friends, or just love animal-themed décor, these little pandas are sure to make every moment feel a bit more special.
Great for crocheters who enjoy quick, satisfying projects, this pattern lets you stitch up a set of coasters that are both functional and fun. Customize the colors, add a bow or blush for extra personality, or make a whole family of pandas to share with loved ones. The Panda Coasters are a joyful way to crochet charm, coziness, and a sprinkle of handmade magic—one loop at a time! 🧵✨☕
🐼 Crochet Panda Coaster Pattern
These adorable chunky panda coasters are the perfect mix of cozy, modern, and irresistibly cute. With their soft round faces, embroidered oval eyes, fluffy black ears, and minimalist smile, these coasters bring instant charm to your coffee table or craft display. This design is fully inspired by the thick, plush texture and expressive features of handmade crochet pandas — simple enough for beginners yet polished enough for gifting and selling.
Let’s make your own little panda family! 🧶✨
✨ Skill Level
Beginner–Easy Intermediate
You’ll work basic stitches, appliqués, and simple embroidery.
📏 Finished Size
Approx. 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) diameter when made with bulky cotton yarn.
🧶 Materials
Yarn (Bulky / Chunky Cotton Recommended):
- Off-white / cream – face
- Black – ears, eye patches, nose, mouth
- White (small amount) – eye whites
Notions:
- 5.0 mm crochet hook (main piece)
- 3.5 mm crochet hook (eye patches)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
Safety eyes are NOT used — eyes are embroidered to match the realistic handmade look.
📝 Abbreviations (US Terms)
MR – Magic Ring
sc – Single crochet
inc – Increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
sl st – Slip stitch
FO – Fasten off
Work in continuous rounds unless noted.
🥣 Panda Face Base
Using off-white chunky yarn and 5.0 mm hook:
Round 1: MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
Round 7: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
This produces the exact full, round coaster shape seen in the photo.
Border (Creates the thick braided edge)
Round 8: sl st loosely in each stitch around.
FO and weave in end.
The slip-stitch round is essential for the thick, raised border visible in the reference coaster.
🖤 Panda Eye Patches (Make 2)
Black yarn + 3.5 mm hook
Round 1: MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2: (inc) ×3, sc 3 (9)
Round 3: sc around (9)
FO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
👉 These create the slightly oval, organically shaped patches from the photo (not perfect circles).
Lightly stretch into an oval with your fingers before sewing.
👁 Embroidered Eyes
The eyes in panda-6 are not safety eyes — they are embroidered layers that sit on top of the black patches.
How to Embroider Each Eye
- White Oval (Eye White):
- Using white yarn, satin-stitch a small 5–7 mm tall oval on the upper half of the black patch.
- Black Pupil:
- Using black yarn, satin-stitch a tiny oval (3–4 mm) inside the white.
- Upper Outline:
- Add 1–2 short black backstitches along the top curve of the patch to mimic the subtle top shadow in the reference.
Repeat for second eye.
🐻❄️ Panda Ears (Make 2)
Black chunky yarn + 5.0 mm hook
Round 1: MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2: inc ×6 (12)
Round 3: sc around (12)
FO, leaving long tail.
Flatten each ear and lightly pinch the bottom curve inward before sewing.
Placement
- Sew ears at the top of the head
- Leave about 5–6 stitches of space between them
- Angle slightly outward (exact look in the photo)
👃 Nose and Mouth Embroidery
Use black yarn and a yarn needle.
Nose
- Small upside-down triangle
- About 2 stitches wide
- Positioned centered between the eye patches
- Keep it flat — do not over-satin-stitch (the photo nose is minimal)
Mouth
- One short vertical stitch downward
- Two tiny curved stitches radiating outward (forming an upside-down Y)
- Keep the curves soft and subtle
This creates the sweet, calm panda expression shown in panda-6.
🧷 Assembly
- Attach ears first so you can center the face around them.
- Sew eye patches just below center, fairly close together.
- Embroider eyes directly onto the patches.
- Add small nose and Y-mouth between the patches.
- Smooth the border and lightly block if needed — chunky cotton stays flat easily.
Your panda coaster should now look exactly like the one in the reference image.
🎉 Finished Panda Coaster
You’ve created an adorable, modern panda coaster with soft curves, expressive embroidered eyes, and the perfect chunky cotton texture. This little panda makes a thoughtful handmade gift, a cute desk accessory, or a lovely addition to your own cozy home.
Make a whole set for panda lovers — or mix expressions (sleepy panda, blush panda, surprised panda) for extra charm!
Happy crocheting! 🐼🧶✨
