Mini Art Quilt / Mug Rug

This mug rug (in actual fact, just a mini art quilt) was recently commissioned by a neighbour who asked if I could make something for her husband from a treasured shirt that had fallen to pieces.

The grey plaid shirt was particularly special to him but by the time I got it it had been worn and washed so often that parts of it were literally in shreds. There were still a few sections of fabric that were solid, though, and I used them to create this little mug rug. I wanted to retain as much of the essence of the shirt as I could so part of the fabric that I used came from the placket of the shirt and I also used the buttons.

The grey and orange fabric is cotton from Nancy Crow's line and I used it as the back of the mug rug as well.  I added the recipients initial with Shiva Paintstiks and then free motion quilted it in blocks of straight(ish) lines and bound it with black cotton around the edges.

The mug rug measures about 6-8" and was made to fit on the table beside his favourite chair.

Artsy Little Mug Rug

This past week I was flying back and forth across the country and decided I needed to take along a little stitching project to pass the time on the airplane . . . and these little mug rugs are the result.

If you don't know what a mug rug is, it is an over-sized coaster that is big enough to hold a coffee mug or a glass as well as a spoon to stir with and maybe even a little snack. They vary in size but these three are about six to seven inches square (or almost square) and they have a layer of batting to help protect your table from heat and moisture.

I love to combine machine quilting and hand quilting in my work but, being on a plane meant that I had lots of time to do hand work and no access to a machine, so these are actually hand-quilted as well as having the decorative stitching. It's all done is a primitive style on a fabric that has a real ethnic feel to it and I love the result. I have listed one of them for sale in my Etsy shop to see what the reaction is to them.