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.

Playing on the design wall - storm at sea.

I've got all the pieces sewn for the Storm-at-sea quilt and I've been trying to deside on the lay out.... Here we go!

The traditional Storm-at-sea layout:

Ok, so traditionally it should be in blues and greens...  I really like how the straight lines somehow curve over the design,  making circles and waves.  Looking at it now I'm wondering why I didn't make the diamond blocks in the lightest fabric bringing out the star shapes...

With added diamond and square in a square blocks:

I really like the lines working together in this layout leading the eye back and forth over the quilt.

Let's put it all on point:

It seems to me the waves come out more when the blocks are on point.  I like this!

Now, lets add more diamonds and square in a square: 

I like it, but maybe it's a little busy?

I'm going for the third option, a traditional layout on point.  I like the waves and the simplicity of the lines.

My current enders and leaders project.

Have you heard of enders and leaders?  It's a wonderful way to get "boring" piecing done without thinking about it, saves thread and your machine.  I learned about it from Bonnie Hunter at her website "Quiltville", here's a link to her leaders and enders page. 

When you are finished sewing a seam, or a chain of seams, instead of pulling the thread out and cutting it, put some fabric under the foot and sew a seam, then cut.  This results in you always having fabric under your foot.

This prevents the thread to get pulled down and tangled, and saves thread. 

At the moment I'm making 12 cm crazy quilt blocks as leaders and enders, not because it's boring but to use up some scraps.

Next to my sewing machine I've got a bin that catches all scraps big enough to sew on.

At the end of a chain of sewing, I pick up two pieces of scrap fabric and sew them together.

Then adding more pieces as enders and leaders, usually I've got 3 or 4 blocks going at a time.

Honestly I only finger press the seams as I'm working on them and ironing them as they are finished, I guess I've got a lazy streak..

These blocks have a life of their own, this one is not a traditional crazy quilt block, apparently it wanted to look like this.  :-)

When it's bigger than 12 x 12 cm, I cut it to size, this shows a different block.

These blocks come together quicker than you think, and it's like magic.  They almost sew themselves while you are working on your other sewing...

I haven't decided how to put together this quilt yet, I'll have to get back to you about that...

Beginners pinwheel tutorial

Since I am a beginner quilter myself, I've been quilting for a little more than a year with 8 completed quilts behind me, I have decided to try my hand at a tutorial made for beginners. 

This is what is on my design wall right now:

This time I'm working from a (actually I've got three...) five and a half inch jelly roll, so either cut your fabric into the desired width or use a jelly roll.  Take one strip of each fabric and place them right side together. Be very picky about matching the sides to each other, to ensure a good result in your pinwheel.  This fabric has been cut (from the factory) with a sawtooth pattern.  Either cut the sawtooth off, or match the bottom of the Vs in the sawtooth with the clean cut side of the fabric.  I'm lazy, so I'll leave the sawtooth where it is..

Now cut your strips into squares.  Take a ruler and a washable fabric marker and mark the diagonal on each square, keeping the two fabrics together.

Use your quarter inch foot, and sew a seam on one side of the mark, keeping the two fabrics together.

Then sew a second seam on the other side of the mark.  You can buy a special quarter inch seam ruler than helps you mark the center diagonal and the side seams.  Personally I'm perfectly happy with only the center mark.

Now cut the triangles apart on the marked diagonal.

Time to set the seams with an iron, I use a small amount of steam.  Some quilters do and some don't, if you are using sensitive fabrics... don't!

With the darker side turned up, flip the fabric open and set the seam turning the seam allowance towards the darker side of the square.

Now cut of the "dog ears" to get rid of some of the bulk in the center of the pinwheel.

Make the block by placing the squares in the pinwheel pattern making sure they are turned the right way.  It might help to squint your eyes when looking at it.

Take the left side square and turn it over on top of the right side square.

Place them exactly on top of each other making sure the seams match up.

Sew a quarter inch seam.  To speed things up sew all the squares at once, one after another.  Just keep feeding the next square under your foot. 

If you're wondering, I've got a Husqvarna sewing machine from the 50's.  Her name is Green Greta and she is just lovely.  She free hand quilts like a star.

Set the seams and iron them open just like before, seam allowance towars the dark side. You have now made half the blocks.  Place one half-block on top of the other, right sides together.  To make sure that the center seams of the block match up nicely take a pin and, from the wrong side on the top block, pierce the place where the seams come together.

Now pierce the bottom block where the seams come together.  This ensures that the blocks are placed exactly so the seams match up.

( I could encourage you to actually put the pin where the seams come together, but why tell you to do something that, obviously, I don't...)  Seriously, try to do it right.

Now place a pin on either side of the center pin, and remove the center pin.

Sew the seam, making sure you place the seam on the spot where the seams match up.  Set it and iron it open.

Your first pinwheel block is done!

Good luck with you pinwheels, now I'm moving back into the sewing room to finish mine.  I'll let you know how it turns out!