Finished The Rug Mugs

 I finished the bindings on the last three mug rugs today. These are all orphan blocks from a Dear Jane Swap. I recently finished a quilt top using many of the blocks from the swap and these did not make it into the top. I like them and figured they would be perfect as little mug rugs. I had fun finding inspirational quotes to put on each one to make it a rectangle instead of a square. They finish at 9X12 inches. I think the one in the middle is my favorite.

 Quote reads: Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Sieze common occasions and make them great.

 Quote reads: Its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years.

Quote reads: You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Not Much Progress, But I Did Finish One Mug Rug

This is the view of Sandia Crest that I woke up to on Tuesday. Good thing I picked Monday for my hike. It was cold and rainy most of the morning and the trails would have been wet and slippery. It usually takes a few days for the ground to dry out so that hiking is good. This made Tuesday a good day for working on projects. I got the binding cut for my mug rugs and my improv quilt. The binding is now attached to the improv quilt and I will reveal that once it is finished.

I did manage to get one of the mug rugs finished and I am sending it to a friend.

The mug rugs are fun and quick to make and that is what I like about them. I hope to finish the other three soon as I just need to do the binding and they finish at 9x12 inches so that will not take long. I also need to finish the hand sewing of the binding on the improv quilt and am doing a really tiny stitch of 1/8 inch so that will take more time than a regular binding.

What the Heck is a Mug Rug?

I have been seeing everyone posting "mug rugs" on blogs lately. Seems like this is the new buzz word and I have missed out. I Googled it to see what all fuss was and what this new creature was. Turns out it was all started by someone named Amanda back in 2010. Her blog URL is msmcprrkchopquilts.com I went to her site and saw the original mug rug with a latte sitting on it next to her sewing machine but it was not her original post. I could not find the original post but it is a grey mini quilt with flying geese. So seems it caught on like wildfire and everyone is now making mug rugs. The closest thing to a definition is: Mug Rug: Larger than a coaster, smaller than a placemat, used for placing your beverage and maybe a pate containing a snack. It is a small quilt.

Seemed like a really cool idea to me so I decided it was time that I jumped aboard and made one. I have a friend that just had surgery and is recovering. I wanted to send her a little gift and this was the perfect thing. I went thru my orphan blocks and found this heart block from a swap that I did. Just the right thing. Hum.............don't want a square so put a message next to it............hum found this and it said just the right thing. I wrote out the sentiment on the fabric and sewed it on. I really liked how this looked. Ok now to quilt it.........my free motion on my domestic machine is rusty but I got the job done. I did a traditional binding, hand tuned to the wrong side. 

I just love how cute this turned out. I hope this is something that will make her smile when she has her cup of whatever sitting on it. I see a lot more mug rugs in my future!