My First Mug Rug

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!