Mug rug tutorial

I've been making crazy quilt mug rugs out of scraps. Start by putting some Joni Mitchell on the CD, I cannot guarantee a good result without her..  ;-)

Let's see what's in the scraps today...

Start sewing pieces together with a quarter inch seam allowance. Don't put too much thought into it, just find scraps and sew.

Sometimes the scraps are too big, I sew them on first and adjust the size later, I find it easier to see the design that way.

This mug rug is going to be small, just 4 x 6 inches, just enough for a mug and a cracker.  When you feel happy with the design and size of your top, cut it to size.

Now cut a piece of backing and a piece of batting half an inch larger than your top.  (I didn't do this... but do as I say not as I do...)  My batting is an old wool blanket, leftover from a quilt, and my backing an antique sheet-scrap.

Sandwich them and pin.

Then quilt.  I chose to quilt in the ditch, sewing just next to the seam on the side that doesn't have the seam allowance under it, if I had used a better color thread this would have made the quilt seams almost invisible.

Now cut to size and bind.  There are easier/faster ways to bind a mug rug, but I do it the same way as my full size quilts.  See the binding tutorial.

Good luck!
Comments are appreciated.