Beavercreek Adult Take-and-Make: Quilted Rainbow Mug Rug

First things first:  You must sign up to reserve your kit here.  Once you've registered, please pick up your kit from the adult services desk at the Beavercreek Community Library.

OK, guys.  I am really excited about this month's craft!  I can't take credit for the design or the pattern as I found that here:  https://amerooniedesigns.com/rainbow-sunset-mug-rug-tutorial/

Now, you may be wondering, do my mugs really need a rug?  Probably not.  BUT, think of this craft as a way to practice quilting techniques on a small and more manageable scale.

Personal Note:  I first became interested in quilting when I was in college.  I started small with things like pillowcases

One thing I love about this pattern is that it's a QAYG (quilt as you go) pattern.  This means you're sewing your fabric pieces right onto the batting thus eliminating the need to piece the top and then quilt it onto the batting.  If you like this technique, there are LOTS of patterns like this out there on Pinterest and Etsy.

So, lets get started!

In your kit, you will have the following materials:

10 Rainbow fabric pieces (3"x7")

1 Yellow "sun"

1 9"x6" piece of 100% cotton batting

1 9.5"x6.5" piece of backing fabric

You will need to supply the following materials:

Sewing machine (or needle, if hand sewing)

thread

scissors

If you've never quilted before, this is a perfect project to start with!  All you have to do is be able to sew in a straight line (or straight-ish).  If you don't have a sewing machine, you could certainly hand sew this, it would just take longer.

I followed the instructions on this tutorial except for the binding method.  I chose to finish off the mug rug without using binding and only top stitching.  I think it has a cleaner look. 

  1.  Prepare your batting by trace where you'd like to place the sun.
  2. Place your first piece of fabric (red) on the batting and make sure it overlaps the sun area.
  3. Put the right side of the second fabric strip (orange) on top of the first strip and sew using a 1/4" seam allowance.
  4. Use an iron to press the second strip away from the first.
  5. Quilt on top of the first fabric strip using any method you like.  I used this as an opportunity to be creative.  This is where you can really practice your quilting techniques.  You can use straight lines, zigzags, whatever your heart desires!
  6. Position the third strip of fabric (yellow, right side down) and sew.  Press away from the orange strip.
  7. Quilt the orange strip.  As you add strips of fabric, you can trim the excess from the edges.  This makes the project a little more manageable.
  8. Repeat above steps for all the strips of fabric.  When you are finished, you should have the entire batting covered except for the sun area.
  9. Now, we'll make the sun.  Sew around the outlined circle on the yellow fabric.  Trim away the excess fabric.  Pinch the fabric on one side and cut a small slit into it.  Turn the sun inside out and press flat with an iron.
  10. Put the sun where you want it on your batting, pin and sew around the outside circle.  Then, quilt the sun anyway you'd like.
  11. Trim the entire rug down to 6"x9"
  12. Now we will put the finishing touches on it.  Place the backing fabric (white) face up and then place the quilting batting on top, face down.  Right sides of both fabrics should be touching.
  13. Sew around the outside of the entire rug using at least a 1/4" seam allowance.  Make sure to leave a few inches open on one of the sides.
  14. Before turning right side out, snip the corners of the project to reduce bulk.
  15. Turn the project right side out.  On the open side, turn the fabric inward so it matches the rest of the side and pin.  The outside edge will seem bulky, but that will go away when you top stitch.
  16. Top stich around the entire outside of the project to finish it off.
  17. Celebrate a job well done with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and a cookie!

I would LOVE to see your finished projects!  You can post pictures to our Facebook page here or email them to me at mcrumbacher@gcpl.lib.oh.us

Happy Sewing!!