Fancy Little Mug Rugs from Solid Stars

Hello, Friends!

I have a fun little gift project to share today!

I made three little mug rugs, using

some 6 1/2" star blocks that I made

a short long time ago. 

{Ahem...time flies.}

You can read more about the Moda Sweetwater solid bundle

of fabrics that I used, in this post.

I had such fun stitching up these solid blocks!

I used one of them on the back of a little table runner,

and it's featured in this post.

Hmmm...solid blocks do tend to show "mistakes", 

don't they?
I'm pretty sure I've always had some issues,
but busier prints tend to mask them better.

A little miracle occurred when I pressed some fusible fleece

to the back of the stars. Everything flattened out nicely!

I had some little iron-on labels in my stash,

also from Sweetwater, so I decided to use them to

dress up these little orphan blocks.

It didn't hurt that the tiny houses also disguised those imperfections!

The little labels were easily ironed and stitched into place.

I used a Frixion pen to mark quilting lines.

I used a different quilting design for each block, 

just for added interest.

When the quilting was done, a quick press

with a hot iron removed the Frixion lines.

I trimmed up the blocks and prepared them for binding.

I used some leftover jelly roll strips, cut to 1 1/5" width,
to bind each block with a different print.

I used my own tutorial for "Machine Binding"

to finish off these little beauties in no time.

Feel free to try it - you'll love it!

It's a single-fold binding that works great for

small projects like mug rugs or mini quilts!

{I made one slight modification to the tutorial

and used a straight seam, instead of a diagonal seam, 

to attach the ends of the binding together.}

I chose a pretty print from Treehouse Club,

also from Moda Sweetwater, for the backings.

I still have lots of my fat quarter left over.

I only needed 3 7" squares...yay!

I wish I had time to make dozens

and dozens of these!

Little mug rugs are a great way to show off individual blocks.

That's one reason I like to join sew alongs,

even if I don't expect to use the blocks in a quilt.

Blocks can be made into special gifts

for friends, whether they are quilty friends or not.

These little orphan blocks will find their way to loving homes.

How do YOU like to use extra blocks?

Let me know in a comment!

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Sweetwater Mug Rugs

Hello, Friends!

I'm almost ready for Christmas...how about you?

Earlier this week, the scene was set with some

beautiful snow.

I love to sit near the window with a cup of cocoa

and a little treat.

Hershey's Kisses are my favorite chocolate snack!

Not long ago...

Sweetwater fabrics blogged about a box of fabric

that I couldn't resist.

I ordered one almost before I finished reading the post!

The box of Christmas goodness arrived quickly, 
and I was not disappointed!

I kind of hoard collect Sweetwater fabrics,

and I took great joy in creating a few mug rugs

to give as presents this year.

I mostly used the fabrics that came in my box,

but I had some of this fabulous Feed Company plaid

that was just right for the bindings.

I had purchased this plaid mug from Pottery Barn

and I love the way it looks with each of these

black and red mug rugs.

Other mugs look pretty, too, though...

here's a classic pedestal mug, called Heritage,
 that I've had for many years, made by Pfaltzgraff.

I've got a sweet little Dept. 56 Scotties mug

that looks inviting, too.

This is how it looks with one of my favorite

designs by The Patchsmith!

Pattern: Scotties and Westies, available here.

Here's the same mug,

featured with the Sweetwater snowflake.

The designs by Sweetwater are so cute...

this snowman will bring cheer all winter long.

The snowflake design is so pretty and simple.

It sets off fabrics exquisitely.

I love the black and red theme,

but I also made up a couple of mug rugs

in aqua and red.

I hope this mug rug brings JOY to its recipient.

A little star will shine in the snow

all winter long.

I love the dash of aqua in that plaid binding.

These mug rugs will be given as gifts

to some special folks.

Stop by again soon,
for some more winter mug rugs,
made for more special people!

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More Zippy Pouches and A Pretty Package

I'm still having fun with this month's

Across The Pond Sew Along theme...

I just LOVE that tutorial for the

Easy Zippy Pouch, from Dog Under My Desk!

Do you remember the first one I made?

I couldn't stop at making just one of these pouches.
It was too much fun to choose fabrics and zippers!

Here's a sharp little number using red, black and white fabrics,
with a splashy red zipper.
The outer print is Zen Blossoms from Michael Miller.

Inside is a Half Moon Modern print by Moda.

I love the little mini lobster clasp.
You could clip this pouch to a key ring or a backpack.

I had an irresistible craving to make a pouch
that used a tangy orange zipper...
I chose two coordinates from Joel Dewberry's Heirloom line.

Awesome!

I really love the soft turquoise and maize tones,
contrasting with the brighter orange.

How about those diamond quilted designs?
They were surprisingly easy to execute,
using masking tape to guide my stitching.

It just so happens that
my son needed a special gift-wrap
for a certain special young lady's birthday present.
I offered to jazz up the jewelry box.

{Before...a pretty embossed lid, but kind of plain.}

{After...much more interesting!}

I used a tutorial by A Spoonful of Sugar blog
adding just a bit more batting in the lid.
I wanted to cover the base as well,
but the fit was too tight after I decorated the lid!

This box just called out for a matching zippy pouch,
don't you agree?

I used random chevrons, stitched vertically,
for the quilting on this one.
The fabric on the exterior is Simply Color
by V and Co. for Moda.

Inside is another one of my favorites...
Cufflinks in Turquoise from Summer Soiree
by Paula Prass.

So fresh and pretty - just right for the lovely young lady!

Keep an eye open for some of these zippy pouches to appear
in my shop on Etsy, eamylove!

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