Showing posts with label machine binding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label machine binding. Show all posts

December 29, 2018

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,


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.


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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February 7, 2016

First Crush Coffee Cups - Mini Quilt

Do you know my sister Susie,
who blogs over at Susie's Sunroom?
She has a February birthday,
so I made a little mini quilt for her present!


I decided to make a mini quilt
that she could display in her kitchen,
on this sweet little quilt stand.



Susie likes coffee,
so I decided to make up 4 coffee mugs
using the Mug block from Quilty Fun,
by Lori Holt.

{Lori Holt calls them Cocoa Cups, and they're just super cute, no matter what is in them.}


Fabric selection for Susie's gift was really easy...
I chose First Crush by Sweetwater for Moda.
I have lots of fabric left from my layer cake
that I've been using for other projects,


I made up four mug blocks in no time...
which one is your favorite?

The first one is bold and dark, like a good cup of coffee!


Next we have a text print...
so cute to remind someone how special they are.


I think this one is my favorite...
it showed that this gift was made with lots of love.


A mug with hearts can't be beat for Valentine's Day,
or any other day of the year.
Our family name is Love, so red hearts are a "yes, please!"
for the Love girls!


 You can see from the photos that I got a lot of practice 
with free motion stippling.
The print designs are very forgiving.


The stitching shows up very clearly, though,
on the solid gray background and backing.
No pressure...




I must say it was a quick, neat finish.


My present was made in record time!
I nearly gave Susie a "heart" attack,
when my package arrived the day before her birthday!

Next time you need a gift for someone special,
think about a mini quilt!



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October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is here!
I've made some new mug rugs to celebrate.


Both patterns are from The Patchsmith.
The first one is the Primitive Pumpkin Mug Rug.
This pattern is available individually,


I had the most fun creating the pumpkin
from a variety of orange fabrics in my stash.
The Patchsmith method was so innovative and easy...
as are all of her designs!


I couldn't resist making a Jack-O-Lantern mug rug, too!


For this mug rug,
Once the basic mug rug was stitched,
I jazzed it up using The Patchsmith's


I like those missing teeth...
someone's been eating too much candy.


I finished both of these off using my own 
These mug rugs look almost as nice on the back, 
if I say so myself!


I hope you'll have a chance to make your own mug rugs,
then enjoy a nice cup of hot cider 
and a sweet treat this Halloween!


Don't worry, though, if you're too late for Halloween...
pumpkins are welcome all the way through November!



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October 30, 2013

Comfort and Joy Mug Rug

I really glad  relieved that I've been sewing
for Christmas all year long!
Already, I'm noticing that I've
got less and less time
available for holiday stitching.

I was asked to make up some reversible mug rugs,
celebrating the four seasons,
so I started with Winter and Autumn.

{Here's my Christmas-y Winter mug rug for October's Christmas-y project.}


I didn't use a pattern this time...
rather I let my Winter's Lane fabric bundle speak to me,
and this mug rug kind of just happened!

I began with one of the "Christmas cards" 
from the Winter's Lane fabric panel.


I love the way this image expresses 
a favorite holiday sentiment, but can be used all winter long.
Cheery colors...a sweet font...even some snowflakes!


For the side panel, where the mug sits,
I made 3 background squares,
then fused a brilliant poinsettia flower to each block.
This is my favorite part!


A bit of sashing tied it all together.
I just trimmed the mug rug to size,
making it exactly the same size as the reverse,
which was the Autumn Ticker Tape featured in my last post.

The hardest part was choosing a binding fabric
that would set off both sides of this mug rug.
for Machine Binding, and I was done in a flash!

{My new iron made it a breeze!  Do yourself a favor, and use a decent iron.}


Here's another view of the finished Winter mug rug.


Now this little holiday mug rug is all set
for cups and cups of Christmas cheer, all winter long.



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