Mug Rugs By The Dozen!

You might be thinking that with all the pouches popping up around here that I haven't been quilting at all. Well that's only partially true. but I've been working a lot on some long term projects - harder piecing, and finishing some little stuff. 

One of my major projects the last few months has been a commission for 13 mug rugs (yes, thirteen!). My mother-in-law has had a couple made by me (and even made by Allie) mug rugs on her desk at work. Her employees like them... so MIL had me make them each one! 

I worked toward having a variety of colors and styles - there are a few guys who will be receiving them so I couldn't have them all girly! As it turns out, a couple of my favorites are those gender neutral ones!

I've been working on these slowly since September, and sat down to do all the quilting in one afternoon. It was fun to play around with a variety of quilting for these. 

I also tried homemade spray starch when I was preparing the bindings. I decided I don't like spray starch (after it singed onto the bottom of my iron - and I can't get it off!). It's nice that it makes things crisp, but overall not worth the hassle.

I made my own labels (printed on my printer), fused to the mug rug backs, and sewn into the binding. I know these won't be permanent, as the Wonder Under washes away in a few washes, but they're nice to have on there. 

Finally, I used a bit of embroidery floss to tie one of my Moo cards to each one. I like using this as a little tag, so people know who made the item, and they can then follow my process here on the blog. 

I'm hoping these mug rugs are well received - either way, they've greatly helped fund my trip to QuiltCon!