A Holiday Tutorial

It was so much fun reading all of your comments for my last post!  I appreciated all of them! A few questions were asked about the layouts and if I used EQ6. I usually use Illustrator instead of EQ6 to create layouts for blocks or quilts. Im sure there are some bells & whistles that EQ6 has that are limited in Illustrator but I havent made the leap to EQ6 quite yet. Learning to use EQ6 is on my list of things to-do...I just need a few more hours in the day! But, don't we all need a few more hours in the day, right? Also, it was great to see all the fun comments about mayo or miracle whip! I had never heard of Dukes Mayo before reading the comments but now I am eager to try it. I checked out the Dukes website and it looks like it is only available it Virginia. Hopefully someday I'll try it!  

At the end of the post I mentioned a holiday tutorial I was working on. These holiday mug rugs are a fun project that can be done pretty quickly. There are 8 different applique shapes in the complete set. They would make a wonderful gift for someone as a whole set of 8 or you could make a few for a teacher, neighbor, or co-worker.

Fabric:  (Fabric requirements are based on 42" wide fabric)

10- 2.5" strips (8 for binding & 2 for the strip panel)

2- 1.5" strips

1- 1" strip

8- 7" x 7" neutral squares (applique background)

8- 7" x 7" printed squares (applique shapes)

8- 9" x 13" pieces for backing

8- 9" x 13" pieces of batting

1. Strip Panel
With right sides together begin by sewing a strip panel using 2- 2.5" strips, and the 1.5" and 1" strips. Press towards the darker fabrics. The finished panel should be 7" wide. 
Sub-cut into 4.5" x 7" units.  

 

2. Raw-Edge Applique
I didn't use fusible web for the applique shapes in this project. Instead, I used a glue stick. The glue stick method may not be the most popular method but because these mug rugs are used differently than a quilt and the shapes are on the larger side I thought I would be ok without the fusible. It seemed to work out pretty well. After I traced the shapes onto the wrong side of the 7" patterned squares and cut them out, I placed the shapes onto the 7" background squares with a small amount of glue from the glue stick to keep them in place before sewing. If you do use the glue stick method just be careful to keep the glue away from the edges where your needle will go when sewing to avoid getting glue on the needle and in your bobbin. Finish the raw edge with your favorite stitch. I used a wider zig zag. 

3. Assembly
After finishing the applique squares sew them to the 4.5" x 7" strip panel units.

 

4. Quilting & Finishing
Layer and baste the backing, batting, and top. Stitching in the ditch looks great on this project or try some new free motion quilting designs that you haven't done before. Small projects like this are a great way to practice and to try free motion stitching! Use one of the 2.5" strips to bind and finish the mug rug. Finished size 7" x 11".

Enjoy & Happy Creating!

 

Download Holiday Mug Rug Applique Shapes (PDF)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Lori]

Am I looking at this wrong or is the material on the right upside down? Not criticizing. Just inquisiitive minds want to know. The mat is very cute.

[Mary Ellen Tardiff]

Thanks for this idea. I had bought my friends Christmas mugs and now I can make the mug rugs and actually finish them this year!!

[Harding Hill Designs]

HI Lori!
Your eyes are not playing tricks on you....the Christmas tree material on the right hand side is upside down. :-)

[Mishka]

These are adorable. What a great idea!

[Virginia]

I think that is a cute idea! I recently was invited to a Christmas party in the new town that I moved to in the SW.
As a new girl on the block I pondered, "what could I give as an exchange gift?", then I clicked on your site and there it was. Thank You Harding Hill Designs.

[Maria W]

These are adorable! Thank you for sharing!