Mug Rug Madness - Darci from Stitches & Scissors

When Darci told me she was thinking of doing a Mug Rug tutorial based off the super cute tree pillow she made a few years ago I was SO excited, I love that pillow and it's on my list of things I want to make this year for Christmas decorations! Her Mug Rug turned out SO cute and it's definitely an easy project - if you're a beginner sewist that's been waiting for the right Mug Rug tutorial to come by so you can join in on the fun - this one is definitely it!



Visit Darci at Stitches and Scissors here to get the full tutorial and see the finished Mug Rug - and make sure to remember to leave her some comment love!

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Have you joined in the Flickr Group fun yet? If you've made a Mug Rug based off any of these tutorials or have a post on your own blog - make sure to link up in the Flickr group here or leave a comment in the discussions. I will be featuring some of your Mug Rug posts this week!

Make sure you to comment on this giveaway post for a chance to win one of the great Mug Rugs featured in the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition tutorials or a charm pack prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop!



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Mug Rug Madness - Sara from SewSara

Really quickly I wanted to shout out to two different blogs that have interviewed me recently - I am so flattered! Yesterday Angie from Stitching by Starlight included me in her fun 10 for 10 series she's doing with different bloggers - I was so excited when she asked me to participate! Read my interview with Angie here, and there's even a giveaway involved so make sure you enter :]

Then today Generation Q magazine posted a joint interview they did with Amy and I about The Sewing Summit (with some other fun stuff thrown in there too). I love what Generation Q is doing for the online sewing blogging community and I was again so flattered (and a little nervous) to talk to them & have my quotes out there for everyone to read. If you've ever wondered why we spell Grahm's name the way we do, and for some other information on Sewing Summit, read the interview here. :]

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Now on to some Mug Rug goodness! We have a double whammy today - for some reason yesterday Blogger didn't want to accept my post about Sara's awesome Mug Rug - so today we get 2!!

First up, Sara from SewSara. I am so glad I found Sara's blog a few months ago and then have had the chance to have met her in person a few times now too! She is so fun and the Mug Rug she created for the tutorial is her first Mug Rug ever - can you believe it? I love how she went outside the "rectangular" box and created a fun hexagonial shaped Mug Rug for us!



Visit SewSara to get the full Mug Rug holiday edition tutorial here and see what the finished Mug Rug looks like! Make sure to leave her lots of comment love!

I'll be back in a few hours with the 2nd tutorial of the day!

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Make sure you to comment on this giveaway post for a chance to win one of the great Mug Rugs featured in the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition tutorials or a charm pack prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop!



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Mug Rug Madness - Michelle from I Like Orange

Michelle is one of the people I'm most excited to meet at The Sewing Summit next month. She is hilarious and her fun personality is just infectious. If she doesn't have an orange peel stuck in her mouth when I meet her, though, I'm going to be sorely disappointed! (See her picture on her blog).

Her Mug Rug Madness holiday tutorial is a darling tree skirt design - that's right - a Mug Rug that is ROUND! So creative and fun for the holidays. You could also size it up really easily and make it a table topper. I love how she fussy-cut the center tree!



Visit Michelle at I Like Orange to get the full Mug Rug Madness tutorial here! Make sure to leave her lots of comment love!

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Don't forget to visit the giveaway post for a chance to win one of the great Mug Rugs featured in the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition tutorials or a charm square prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop!

Mug Rug Madness - Kati of From the Blue Chair

Kati is another one of my friends from the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild (do we have a talented group of people or what?!) and I knew that when I asked her to be a part of Mug Rug Madness holiday edition she'd make something spectacular. Seriously, when you're over at her blog take a minute to look through the archives of the beautiful quilts she's made - one of my favorite things about her style is she usually makes a whole 'nother quilt "front" on the back of her quilts. SO pretty!



Her Mug Rug is no exception - it's gorgeous. The tutorial is easy to follow, though, and even though it looks intimidating with those Y seams, Kati explains things great & has awesome pictures!

Go visit Kati's Mug Rug Madness holiday edition blog post to get the full tutorial here! Make sure to leave lots of comment love. :]

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Make sure to comment on this giveaway post for a chance to win one of the great Mug Rugs featured in the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition tutorials or a charm square prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop!



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So What is a Mug Rug anyways?

So to round out all the pretty Mug Rug tutorials and pictures, just like in the last round of Mug Rug Madness, I'm going to have some informative posts too. Some of the information will be repeated from last round (there's lots of new people joining in the fun!) but there will be new stuff, too! So to start out - WHAT is a Mug Rug??



(photo by Eileen Josephine, on Flickr)


To me it's simple - a mini quilt that is usually between the size of a coaster and a placemat, which turns out to be just the perfect size for a cup of whatever you're drinking and a little treat beside it.

There's no standards, really, when it comes to creating Mug Rugs. Cut into your most prized Flea Market Fancy stash, or scrounge up some scraps from your sewing room floor. Usually they're rectangle (but not always) and mostly fall in between the sizes of 4"x6"-ish to 6"x10"-ish. Although I've seen some really awesome circle, hexagon and other non-traditionally shaped Mug Rugs that are lovely.



(photo by fishskin fabric, on Flickr)


Make it simple - use the super fast and easy Quilt As You Go method. Piece simple strips or use your Accuquilt Go! Baby cutter to do tiny 2" squares. Make it complicated - hand piecing hexagons, anyone? Are you sensing a theme here? The BEST thing about Mug Rugs is that they're whatever YOU want them to be and whatever YOU have time for.



(photo by Dream Patch, on Flickr)


So, to recap:

What is a Mug Rug? A small, fun to create, mini quilt that is mostly there to look pretty on your desk and soak up your drink of choice's drips and condensation, as well as giving you full-on permission to eat some cookies, since, well, that extra space off to the side of your drink is just THERE for you to use.

How big is a Mug Rug? As big as you want it to be, usually falling somewhere in between the usual size of a coaster and a placemat. 4"x6"-ish to 6"x10"-ish. Can you tell I'm pretty non-committal about these things?

How do I make a Mug Rug? Just like you were making a mini quilt! Is that answer not satisfying enough? Keep checking back for new original tutorials all this week with more in depth instructions on different ways to finish a Mug Rug off.



(photo by dinino68, on Flickr)

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Make sure you to comment on this giveaway post for a chance to win one of the great Mug Rugs featured in the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition tutorials or a charm pack prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop!



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Mug Rug Madness - Leigh of Leedle Deedle Quilts

The first tutorial kicking off Mug Rug Madness holiday edition is this adorable plus sign Mug Rug from my friend Leigh at Leedle Deedle Quilts. I bonded with Leigh initially over the fact that she's a mom of five boys, and as the mom of two boys I totally look up to her for that. :] Leigh is also a member of the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild with me, so I get to see her at least once a month!



I love the plus sign Mug Rug she created for us - it's simple but looks classic & it actually really easy to put together! Her tutorial is a breeze & you could have a few of these whipped up in an afternoon. Hint: they'd also make great placemats if you just kept adding squares! :]

Visit Leigh's Mug Rug Madness post here to get the full tutorial. Make sure to leave lots of comment love!

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If you want to enter the giveaway for Mug Rug Madness holiday edition for a chance to win one of these great Mug Rugs featured in the tutorials or a charm pack prize pack from Fat Quarter Shop, visit the giveaway post here!

Mug Rug Madness holiday edition! - giveaway post

I'm so excited to kick off the 2nd round of Mug Rug Madness! This holiday edition will be so much fun - just like our last round, each day here at Two More Seconds there will be 2 posts: one directing you to a fantastic blog with a new Mug Rug tutorial and one that will be an informative post about Mug Rugs, what they are, what they're good for, more tutorials and resources and links and sometimes just plain pretty Mug Rug pictures!



That's a lot of information and posts to keep track of, but everything will always be linked from the Mug Rug Madness holiday edition static page here. Don't worry about missing a post - it will all always be on that one page.

Sponsor:



This round I was so excited to be able to bring Fat Quarter Shop on as a sponsor of Mug Rug Madness! They generously donated fabric from 2 upcoming holiday fabric lines for us to design our Mug Rug tutorials with. You'll be seeing Mug Rugs made with both Countdown to Christmas and Ready, Set, Snow - both new lines from Moda.





Giveaway:

What's a fun and crazy blog series without some amazing prizes?! Fat Quarter Shop is offering up some awesome prize packs: FOUR winners will each win 2 charm packs of both of the featured fabric lines from this round! Also most of the guest posters this week have offered up their beautiful creations as prizes and trust me, they are all amazing.

To enter, just leave ONE comment on this post.

For additional entries, do any of the following things and leave a separate comment for each item:

1. Follow me (@TwoMoreSeconds) on Twitter
2. Be an existing or new follower of Two More Seconds through your favorite RSS reader or Google Friend connect
3. Follow Fat Quarter Shop (@fatquartershop) on Twitter

That's a total of 4 possible entries. On September 23rd I'll close comments and do a wrap-up post to announce the winners!


Flickr Group:

Also if you're on Flickr go join the Mug Rug Madness Flickr group here. We want to see pictures of all the Mug Rugs you've made already or when you make some out of the wonderful tutorials that are coming this week. I'll be featuring some of your pictures and blog posts out of the Flickr group this week in the Madness!

I'll be back later this afternoon with the first tutorial - thanks for joining in the fun!

Mug Rug Madness Round 2 : Holiday Edition

Who's ready for a little Holiday Edition of Mug Rug Madness??! Back in March I hosted Mug Rug Madness here on my blog --- 10 days of new & original Mug Rug tutorials & an introduction to what a Mug Rug was & what it could be used for ... and it was so fun that I decided to bring it back ... just in time for the holidays!!

September 12th - 22nd will be a blog tour around 10 of the best & most creative sewing blogs around - each of them offering a Mug Rug tutorial they've created just for us - each made with darling holiday themed fabric to get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season!



Fat Quarter Shop generously donated some brand new fabric for this round - so each Mug Rug will be showcasing either Countdown to Christmas or Ready Set Snow. And there will be prizes as well - join in on the fun & you'll have the chance to win some fabric so you can get started on your own Mug Rug for yourself or to get a jump on handmade Christmas gifts this season!

If you want to browse through the posts from the previous Mug Rug Madness in the mean time - here's all the information located in one place!

See you Monday for the full list of who will be joining us & for our first tutorial!