My First Mug Rug.....

Okay, so what's a mug rug, you may be asking.  I actually had to figure that one out for myself as well.  Being new to quilting, I kept seeing swaps, pictures, and contests for these things called mug rugs.  But, what is a mug rug?  Well, to clarify for those who are not quite certain either a mug rug is a beautiful little hand made "coaster" for your coffee mug which is conveniently made large enough to also hold a small snack.  This idea is ingenious!  Whoever coined the terminology on this one and came up with the idea of a mini quilt for a coffee mug is truly gifted!

The best part about a mug rug, or at least in my opinion, is that it is small.  Why is being small so great?  There are a few reasons:

1 - You can complete is really quickly and get that immediate satisfaction of a finished project
2 - You can get rid of some scrap fabric on this project (since it is small it takes very little fabric)
3 - You can try something new, something more difficult or advanced because you aren't making a bed-size quilt out of the object you can really take your creativity to the limits!

Paper-pieced branches with
appliqued blossoms....not quite
done with the applique.

4 - You can show off your style, have a quick gift for a friend and give your coffee mug a boost!!

I thought I'd share some pics of my mug rug in process and once I'm done quilting and binding (which will be tomorrow) I'll post final, finished pics.

I tried some fun techniques with this mug rug.  I am making this for 2 purposes.  I am entering my mug rug in the Ellison Lane Mini Quilt Challenge and this is actually a mug rug for a swap group I am part of so this little gem will be going off to my swap partner (shhhhh, it's a secret).

I hope you like my mug rug and I hope this inspired you to make something special to remind you of spring every time you sit down for coffee and a snack!