Wine Coasters

 I had a lot of fun giving the mug rug class at my local library, Purcellville Library in Loudoun County. We got some of the fabric we used for the class at Web Fabrics.  They sell quilting supplies, among other things sewing related.  A lot of their business is online, hence the "web" part of the name.

They also sell pre-cut kits to make wine coasters.  These are similar to the mug rugs I have been making, as they are made with fabric and batting.  They aren't quilted so they are very quick to make.

The library is planning on buying some kits to use for a future class. 

Web Fabrics has even made a YouTube video demonstrating how to make them.  The fabric is woven in such a way as to allow you to place the base of a wine glass inside.  This means it can serve as a coaster and as a wine glass identifier, like wine glass charms.

I decided to make a coaster using their instructions and my fabric so I would know if I could teach a wine coaster class at the library.

     

In short, this is how you do it.  Cut six 5 inch square pieces of fabric. One can be fabric you don't particularly like as it won't be seen. Try to make the others fun and interesting.

Cut one 4 1/2 inch square of batting.  Fold 4 of the squares in half and then press. 

Place the boring fabric down first. The batting goes on top and the unfolded square on top of that, right side up. This will be the back of the coaster.

Put two of the folded squares on top with the raw edges facing out.  Weave the other two squares in, also with the raw edges out.

Sew around the coaster.  Clip the corners and turn the square inside out.

Use a chop stick or something similar to poke the corners out and press. 

     

Bring on the WINE!

Mug Rug Gifts

 I was planning a trip to Pasadena soon.  I grew up there and have friends and family that I haven't seen in quite some time.  When my mother was living in Southern California I went about 4 times a year to see her. Now that she's gone, my trips to the west coast are to visit our granddaughters in Northern California. 

I thought it would be fun to make a mug rug for some of the people I am visiting.

I already sent my former roommate and host for my visit a mug rug. But she has a beloved granddaughter, so I decided to make one for her to give as a gift.  What little girl doesn't like a unicorn?  I used a Cricut design for the template and cut it out using Steam-A-Seam to place it on a white square. Purple and pink are the usually good colors for little girls.  

The  super cute bug fabric on the back makes it reversible and it has a lot of purple to go with the binding.

I have a friend who is a writer.  She gets the book case. I didn't have a pattern for this so it took a few tries to get the dimensions right. The bird design is from another project.

My friend Mary grew up near me, four houses away. I have known her as far back as I have memories.  When we were kids we decided we should have a club.  A bunch of neighbor girls got together and had meetings and even put on a carnival to raise money we donated to a worthy cause.  We agonized over a name. The Beatles were popular then, so we tried out bug names and ended up with the Ladybug Club. I found a ladybug design on Cricut and used that.

There were many kids on our block and we played outside together after school and all summer.  We were in and out of each other's house all the time. Mary's mother was a big part of my childhood.  So I wanted to make her a rug, too.   She was a librarian, so she needed a book theme, too.  I still have some fabulous antique book fabric I used to make some masks at the beginning of the pandemic, so I chose some for her. Both sides have books, one with Shakespeare as I don't know what her reading tastes are.

And lastly I made a drone mug rug.  My daughter-in-law and son are engineers on drones being built for the Air Force. I pulled up a bunch of photos online and used one to make the template for a drone mug rug for my daughter-in-law. I hope she likes it. But if not, she has a whole office full of people to pass it off to!

I finished this post after I returned from my trip.  My daughter-in-law liked my drone mug rug and asked if I could make a similar one for a friend. I did so happily.  I really need to make one for myself!  I just keep giving them away!  Hmmmm.  I wonder what pattern I should use...

Aunt Rugs

 I was bemoaning to my friend , Doris, the fact that I can't get out to fabric stores to get what I want and ordering online has been less than wonderful.  She gathered up a BUNCH of fabric quarters and just sent them to me!  She has been quilting for a long time and has a huge stash of fabric.  But STILL!  All these fabrics that she loved and bought, she just packed them up and sent them!

So I sat down and made her a mug rug to thank her for such generosity.  This is what I sent.  

I spoke to my mother's little sister the other day.  She has seen some of the mug rugs I have posted here.  She mentioned how much she liked them.  So she gets a mug rug, too!  

She used to belong to the Red Hat Society, a group of ladies 50 and beyond that do lunch and wear outrageous red outfits and matching hats.  It was perfect for my flamboyant and beautiful Aunt Suzy.  

I found some dramatic black and red fabric with gold accents. I added lace for femininity and then appliquéd my Aunt's initials. 

I think it suits her.

After I finished these mug rugs, I was at a loss for what to do next.  I still feel that I want to try new things with this tiny quilt journey.  But wait!  I have another aunt on my mother's side. I called my Aunt Donna to see if she would like one.  I don't know if she REALLY does or if she was being polite, but we ended up deciding on flowers and horses.  She is a Kentuckian after all! So we had to include the horses.

This is what I made for her.  I put the horse with the paddle block and then the flowers within the courthouse step block. Here is the mug rug for her.

After I made the mug rugs for my maternal aunts, I couldn't leave out my father's sister  She lives in California.  I haven't seen that side of my family in a long time. They live in Southern California and our granddaughters live in Northern California. Thats a long flight from Virginia, where we now live, so I have only gone to see the girls in recent times.

I chose purple for my Aunt Janet. Once again I added a bit of lace. I found a purple ribbon that fit and tried that, too.  I liked this new quilt square and mailed it off. 

I wonder what my next project will be?

Loving the Mug Rugs

 I'm really liking making mug rugs.  

Maybe it is because it is like making a tiny quilt and I like quilting.  

It is very satisfying to finish a project in a day or so.  

I can try different fabrics and designs and then move on and try something else.  

I've used some horse and cat fabric I bought for masks. Now I am going to try other ideas.  I don't know what, yet.  But I am going to get in the craft room and go through my books to find my next project.  I may even keep one for me! 

I am going to try new and different designs and I will document them here.

Mug Rugs for My Granddaughters

I have been inspired by mug rugs for some reason.  Perhaps because it is a quilt with a tiny commitment.  Unlike most quilts with many squares, a mug rug has a single quilt square and maybe an appliquéd side bar or two.

   

For the mug rugs I made for my granddaughters, I chose two simple patterns.  I found them in this book, One Block Mug Rugs, by Amanda Weatherill. 

   

It has a lot of good patterns with clear instructions.

   

I made two different patterns with two different color palettes.  

   

Here's hoping for a lack of arguing over who gets which one! 

   

I've already started two more mug rugs. I will try to remember to take more pictures as I go. Maybe I can inspire you to try one or two!

Knitting and mug rugs

 I have been trying to keep busy.  COVID has kept me inside most of the time.  I started making masks in March and have sent a few to friends and family.  

    

Then I decided to make an afghan for my son-in-law.  After I got part way finished, I realized that I ought to make one for my other son-in-law.  I wouldn't want one to feel more loved than the other!  So I bought more yarn and started a second afghan. I was worried I wouldn't finish the second one in time for Christmas, but finished a week or so before.

    

Since Christmas, I have been looking for a project.  I have been checking out books with crafting ideas.  One of the ideas that I have collected, is mug rugs.  A mug rug is a quilted or appliquéd type of coaster for a warm cup of coffee with room for a snack. As it is fabric, the snack would have to be something dry, like a bagel or cookie of some kind. 

    

The local library didn't have any books that had patterns, but Amazon had quite a few.  I bought two with patterns I liked and tried to find fabric I own that would work.  I am doing daycare for my grandson and have quit going into stores, even with a mask, so I am limited in what I can do.  

    

The book has patterns to appliqué the cup and saucer.

   

I made this one for my friend Jackie.  It was my first and looks kind of busy, but I don't have a lot of pastel fabrics.

    

I made this one because I was intrigued by the bees and had some fabric with bees on it.  I may send it to my friend, Mary.  

She told me she wants to learn to quilt and this may give her some added inspiration.  

    Once the world gets back to normal, maybe she will come for a visit and we will actual go to a fabric store and PICK OUT fabrics and make some of these together.

Next I will  make some little ones for my granddaughters.