isn’t that fun to say?  mug rug.

i think mug rugs are one of those sewing blogger sensations that most of the world doesn’t know about yet.  once starbucks figures out how awesome they are, you know they’ll be selling them at every location for $20 a pop.  but for now, they seem to be a niche blogger thing, which is kinda cool.

the first time i heard about a mug rug, i immediately thought of my good friend kim.  that girl is an avid tea drinker and a prolific baker.  when i’d hang out with her at her parents’ house in high school, i was always offered tea and a snack.  always.  whenever i visit kim now at her own home, i get the same offer.  so to give myself a break from kid clothes sewing and get a mini quilt fix, i made kim a mug rug.

here’s the thing about being friends with someone for half of your life – you know random things about each other like what the design for their stained glass class project in high school was.  mine was a hummingbird from a disney coloring book (lame).  kim sketched her own design, a girl in a purple dress reaching up to a rainbow sky (totally cool).

when i presented the mug rug to her, i held it up in the same orientation as her stained glass and asked her if she knew where my inspiration came from.  she laughed and guessed it right away.  best reaction ever (except maybe for em calling her quilt “stupendous”).  🙂

if you’re still a little unclear on what a mug rug is, here’s an action shot.  because i’m NOT a prolific baker and had to get out the door to meet up with kim and her kids for a playdate at the park, all i had in the house for the photo was stale mini nilla wafers.  plenty of coffee around, though.

the design is also inspired by noodlehead’s sunburst pillow tutorial, which is on my “to make” list.  for anyone interested in the fabrics, here’s the rundown of designer and collection from the top down: kona solid red, sandi henderson meadowsweet, erin mcmorris weekends, kona solid mustard, amy butler lotus, pillow & maxfield whimsy, patricia bravo bazaar style, kona solid purple.  most were from my scrap pile.  the back was a fat quarter and i didn’t get the selvedge side, so i don’t know that one.  the binding method is from “a practical guide to patchwork” by elizabeth hartman, the same method i used for em’s quilt.  SUCH a good explanation.  i feel even better about my mitered corners this time, too.

it was such a fun and quick project, i’m already planning my next mug rug – maybe a chevron pattern to bring to work?  sewing for myself?!  shocker.