Completed Mug Rugs

A few weeks ago, when I was contemplating the choices I've made in my life that led me to mug rugs, I started pulling fabric.  I didn't know what I wanted to do with these gifts--I had no plans, no ideas.  I was hoping the mountains of scraps and fat quarters would inspire me and I could make the mug rug to end all mug rugs (hopefully).

Instead, lots of other things happened.  Instead, I walked away with a messy sewing room and no ideas.  Instead, I followed a whole lot of new Pinterest boards devoted to mug rugs.  Instead...I decided I like mug rugs.  I like them.  I want them in my house, in my cubicle, waiting for me in the drawer with all the kitchen towels.  This is completely ridiculous, I know, but I can't help it.  They're just so darn satisfying to make: in fifteen minutes, you have a quilt that holds your bagel and tea.  I know.

Finally, I got some ideas.  I found this Blue Elephant Stitches granny square tutorial and made a block without a border.  The center block is Happy-Go-Lucky that I used originally as a dog bed; the solids are from my Cotton Couture charm pack I received last fall at the Quilters Take Manhattan event.  You may also recognize the binding and backing from my Rainbow quilt.  I love using scraps!

I quilted it 1/4" on either side of each seam, making a fun design on the back!

BUT!  My sewing buddy and I were exchanging two mug rugs, not one.  For the other one, I decided to go more improv.  I love the look of log cabin blocks but I've never tried one, and I don't even know why.  Too many scraps, maybe?  But a mug rug was the perfect chance to try something new.  

I started with the middle piece, a fussy-cut Heather Ross design from Nursery Versery.  My friend is a mom and also an avid sewist, so she'd appreciate both the scene and the fabric.  I then added pieces in a circle, moving outward.  I used some Flea Market Fancy and Chicopee (Denyse Schmidt), Locally Grown (Creative Thursday), Bella (Lotta Jansdotter), random Cosmo Cricket scissors I bought in a destash on Etsy, Quilt Blocks (Ellen Luckett-Baker), Les Amis (Patty Sloniger), Field Study (Anna Maria Horner), and Timber & Leaf (Sarah Watts). For the other side, because I didn't see this block as a large piece like the granny square, I used a scrap of FreeSpirit Solids in Manatee--the same charcoal used in the Chicopee print.

I backed the mug rug in Lizzy House's brown Pearl Bracelets (from Guising) and bound it in another Chicopee print.  Chicopee will always remind me of when I first started quilting last year and won it from a FreeSpirit giveaway on Facebook.  Fate, I tell you.  I quilted in diagonal lines 1" apart, except around the mice.  I wanted them to remain untouched.

I got word from Elizabeth tonight that she received the mug rugs (and the fun teas I sent with them) and loves them!  I'm so happy.  I really put myself into these and love how they turned out, so I'm glad she loves them too!

Soon I'll have more updates on my Summer 2013 Finished Projects--I need a catchier title.  Until then, mug rugs for everyone!

A Post I Never Thought I'd Write

This post is about mug rugs.  Something I've made fun of for years.

I mean, really.  I would open quilting magazines or read quilting blogs and be snarky and think, "you need somewhere to put your cookie?  This is a real thing you're actually thinking about?"  And then I made one last year, which has a permanent place on our coffee table, for Nick's soup bowl or beer glass or whatever he's eating.  And now I'm actually planning a few...for someone else.

My sewing buddy and I (a penpal program run though Deborah at Whipstitch) are both avid tea drinkers.  We have several favorite teas in common, and when I had the chance to visit David's Tea in Chicago, we talked about it like  it was Disney.  Which is awesome!  We've decided to swap some mug rugs for each other for work, because we both drink tea at our offices, and I've spilled tea on me or my paperwork twice in the past week.  Obviously, I need some help.

I'm having a hard time planning her rugs, unless I want to stick to a basic log-cabin design, with a main fabric in the middle and coordinates blocking it out from there.  Here are some mug rugs I've seen and loved lately:

Hey Porkchop!

Two More Seconds

Pin. Sew. Press.

Saltwater Quilts

I found this on Tumblr...I'd love to know the original mug-rugger!  (Is that a word?)

The hardest part for me is knowing how to translate my ideas to a mug rug.  I'm not great at math or deciding dimensions, so I work well with tutorials.  The Hey Porkchop! example above comes with a great tutorial, which I may follow for one of my buddy's gifts.

Mug rugs: love 'em or hate 'em?  Are you judging me for suddenly loving them?  And if you aren't a hater, can you recommend any good tutorials or patterns?