Recently I was in the Mug Rug swap at Craftster, and I made my very first one! A mug rug is bigger than a coaster and smaller than a placemat; the idea is that it is big enough for a drink and a snack. It is really just a little quilt, so as a life-long quilter, I jumped right in!
I looked through my partner's Wists and I saw this picture:
I decided to use that as my inspiration. I drew up a pattern, cut out the pieces, and hand-appliqued the fruit onto the background--that took a few hours. Since her favorite color is yellow, I used that and red as the main colors.
For the back I drew a message, using a sloth (also taken from her Wists) and a heart to represent our Craftster usernames. I love the yellow dot fabric on the back!
When I was finished, I knew I had done my best work--but was it appropriate for something that would quickly be subjected to coffee stains and cookie crumbs? Hmmm, not really! Luckily, my partner, who is also a quilter, realized this too, and said that she plans to hang it on the wall in her kitchen. Yay!
This experience served to remind me of something I already knew: you need to take into consideration the function of the item you are making when you decide on the techniques you will use. Fine hand-applique should be reserved for things that won't receive a lot of wear and tear. Next time, I'm using Heat n Bond!
2 comments:
Your mug rug was just beautiful. Even with the Heat n Bond, it would be better hanging than with coffee stains.
This is gorgeous! Wow, love the detail and the drawing on the back is too cool!
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