mug rug swap potential

During our February meeting of the Houston Modern Quilt Guild, we held a Mug Rug swap.  Here are the two mug rugs that I entered into this fun trade.

This is the first mug rug that I've ever made.  The background is pieced from strips and squares in my scrap bag, then I appliqued two hearts on top for extra pizzazz.  This was finished with a stitch-and-flip version -- no binding was used (or harmed) during the making of this little quilt (tee-hee).

This mug rug uses hand-dyed sparkle charms that I cut a heart out of before applique'ing on top.  I explored some of the many funky stitch options that my machine is capable of (and rarely used) - such great fun!  By the way, I intended the funky shape of the mug rug too.  Next time I will exaggerate the off-kilter-y wonky shape.

I love the simplicity of this mug rug, from the clear graphic layout and colors to the hand-stitched quilting lines.  I do not know the maker (yet) but I do know that Sally, our fearless leader of the HMQG this year, received it in the swap.

These two spools make the perfect mug rug for one's sewing area (be it in a studio or the corner of one's living room).  This mug rug and the kitty mug rug below both ended up with Amy, another of our HMQG officers.  I do not know who made either of these sweet mug rugs. 

This cute kitty looks to be one of the patterns from the CatVent quilt along hosted by Elizabeth Hartman in December 2013 on her Oh Fransson blog.

Here's a view of Elizabeth's kitties on her finished Cat-Along quilt... or rather one of her finished cat-along quilts.

 

I must add this cute kitty quilt to my own personal Quilts-I-Wanna(gotta?)-Make Bucket List.

meow, meow, meow!

The latest quick little project...

I'm having fun with my latest project - making mug rugs to trade, swap, and give-away.  For those that may not know, a mug rug is a small quilt that is larger than a coaster and smaller than a placemat, room for a coffee cup and a treat (cookie, muffin, croissant - that's your choice!).   Click here to see more mug rugs.

Here are four that are currently in the growing stage ...  It's easy to figure out the inspiration here (an upcoming holiday!)

Making these small mug rugs are a great way to try out new things.  In the one above, I explored some of the fancier stitches my machine is capable of doing, but which I rarely ever try.  In the one below, I played with arranging, specifically the scattered blue triangles under the hearts.

The two below are inspired by the Hawaiian appliqué pattern, similar to cutting a paper snowflake.  

All of my mug rugs are made from the scraps and discards from previous projects.  I'm recycling!  or up-cycling! 

One or more of these may be swapped in my upcoming Modern Quilt Guild meeting.  Stay tuned for the final versions.