I gladly agreed. I think they turned out great. Each mug rug has a warm and natural batting inside which gives it a little body. There is a bit of quilting on each to hold the layers together. Of course, I sent along a few other little goodies but I don't want to show what they were because the ladies are followers of this blog and I don't want to spoil their whole surprise.
This first mug rug is constructed on a muslin foundation from selvedges generously donated to me by my friends who quilt and sew much more than I do. I love working with selvedges, I just don't like doing the sewing that is required to generate having my own, LOL. There is also a redwork style embroidery. I hope the recipient will enjoy this little matt, it is just the right size for use by the computer.
The second mug rug I made was also created using selvedges on a muslin base with a redwork style embroidery. This was a mix of patterns to get all the elements I wanted on the cup and for the steam lines. The difference is mainly in color, theme and the quilting stitches are the S curve lines in the selvedge strips rather than the straight stitch quilting stitches used above.
The third one is also selvedges on a muslin base but the muslin is entirely covered with the selvedges. I then took my passion for crazy quilting seam treatments and added a bunch of embroidery to each joining seam. This one feels very texturized when you run your hand over it and I am very happy with the way it turned out. The quilted lines run diagonally across 7 of the strips.
The swaps being sent to me should be arriving in the very near future. I will try to blog about them when they arrive.
If you haven't tried making one of these little matts I really recommend that you do so. They are fun, can be done in a wide variety of shapes and techniques. I plan on making more for gifts.
Shari
