Mug Rug Blog Hop: Day 1

Welcome to the first day of our Mug Rug Blog Hop! 
We hope you enjoy the tutorial below, created by the Benartex design team, and then don't forget to scroll to the very bottom of the post to find out how to enter for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of fabric!

Hello! We're excited to be kicking off the Mug Rug Blog Hop with the sumptuous, saturated prints from Greta Lynn's Bohemian Rhapsody collection for Kanvas. These fabrics sparkle, and even better, they do all the work in the mug rugs we designed. Who needs complex piecing when you can let a focal print be the star of the show/mug rug? 

Here's a peek at the Bohemian Rhapsody fabrics:

You guessed it--that medallion border print on the right had to take center stage. The hardest part? Deciding whether to use the block motif or the scalloped border stripe. Our solution? Make one mug rug using each. 

Materials (for both mug rugs):
1/3 yard medallion border print 
1/8 yard each three different coordinating prints
1/3 yard dark mosaic print
1/4 yard medium floral print
1/4 yard black solid
Two 10" x 12" batting pieces

Mug Rug #1

Front

Back

Create a woven look with this no-measure cut-and-piece technique. The black background makes the prints shine, and the reverse side, featuring a fussy-cut section of the border stripe, is equally appealing!

Cutting:
Medallion border print: 7-1/2" x 10" lengthwise piece, centering the border stripe
Three coordinating prints: 15" long strip of each, with widths ranging from 1-1/2" to 2"
Dark mosaic print: 15" long strip with width between 1-1/2" and 2"; one 2-1/4" x 42" strip for binding
Black solid: 8" x 10" piece

Make the Mug Rug: 
Make a straight cut vertically through the 8" x 10" black piece, wherever you like. (Avoid making any cuts within 1" of the outer edges; this will give you more options when it's time to square up the finished piece.)

Choose a print strip and sew between the two black pieces. Tip: When sewing narrower strips, stitch both sides of the strip to the intended fabric pieces before pressing. It will help keep your narrow strip straight.

Make a horizontal straight cut through the black piece. Sew another strip between the two pieces. As you add the second side to a strip from now on, pin in place and doublecheck to make sure the strip you are intersecting will line up with its other half before sewing. 

See how the top and bottom sections of the vertical strip line up around the second added strip? 
Make another vertical cut.

Add a third strip. 

Make another horizontal cut and add the fourth strip. 

Square up pieced top as desired--at this point, ours measured about 8" x 10". You'll need to square up again after quilting, so leave some wiggle room. 

Layer the backing fabric (the border stripe!) right side down, batting, and pieced top right side up. Pin baste and machine quilt as desired. We highly recommend using a walking foot for any straight line quilting. Here's the front, quilted but not trimmed:

And the back:

Trim up after quilting (ours measures 7-1/2" x 9-1/2") and use the 2-1/4" x 42" dark mosaic strip to bind. 

Mug Rug #2:

This mug rug is even easier! We just couldn't resist using the floral medallion motif from the border print, and the floral on the opposite side was too pretty to cut up!

Cutting:

Medallion border print: Fussy-cut one motif into a 7-1/2" square

Dark mosaic print: two 2" x 7-1/2" strips; one 2-1/4" x 42" strip for binding

Medium floral print: 8" x 11" piece

Make the Mug Rug:

Sew 2" x 7-1/2" dark mosaic print strips to opposite sides of the 7-1/2" medallion square. 

Layer the backing fabric right side down, batting, and pieced top right side up. Pin baste and machine quilt as desired. 

Trim to square up (ours measures 7-1/4" x 9-3/4") and use the 2-1/4" x 42" dark mosaic strip to bind. 

You're done! Gotta love these Bohemian Rhapsody prints--both of these mug rugs are as appealing on the back as on the front!

These mugs are just waiting to be filled with something...hot chocolate, perhaps?

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Benartex or Kanvas fabric, simply sign up to follow this blog, either through Bloglovin' (or another blog reader service) or email (both options are in the right hand sidebar) and leave a comment letting us know you follow. In your comment, also tell us what your favorite cold weather beverage is. Leave a second comment and receive a second entry by following us on Facebook and letting us know. This giveaway is open through Tuesday, February 4 at 11:59 EST. 

Make sure you check out all the Mug Rug tutorials!

Day 2: Debby Kratovil from Debby Kratovil Quilts featuring Fossil Ferns

Day 3: Stitched Together Studios featuring Shaken or Stirred

Day 4: Benartex Design Team featuring Puppy Love and Smooches

Day 5: Candace from Saltwater Quilts featuring Gramercy

Day 6: Julie from The Crafty Quilter featuring Sweet Tweet