Fun Mug Rugs With A Heart

 I was playing with some of my scraps leftover from the heart themed table runners.  I thought a little mug rug would be just the project!  Small, fast, easy to make and oh so very sweet.  I have two versions here.  The first is Hearts A Flutter with cute little hearts scattered topsy turvy across the surface. The second, My Beating Heart is so simple yet elegant with just some echo quilting to give it it's personality.

So let's gather some materials. The sizes are the same for both mug rugs.

Front and back fabrics:  (2) pieces 6 1/2" x 9 1/2"

Batting:  (1) piece 6 1/2" x 9 1/2"

Binding: 2" x 36" piece, pressed in half length wise

Hearts: Scraps or strips of multiple colors 

Small piece of fusible web that can be sewn (I used Heat N Bond Lite)

You will see the downloads for the heart templates in the sections below. The templates have an optional seam allowance added (outside line) in case someone wishes to hand applique or turn the edges under and use a straight or blanket stitch to attach.  If fusing, trace the inside dark solid line with no seam allowance, then satin or zig zag stitch the edges.  This will quilt your mug rug at the same time.

Download Hearts A Flutter template here.

For Hearts A Flutter, cut 1" strips then sew together along the length to create a strip set. You could also use strips in random widths but not too wide as the hearts are small.  You could also just make each heart a single color of fabric. Press the seams all in the same direction. 

Trace the hearts onto the paper side of the fusible web. rough cut around them and place them on the back of the strip assembly. Press and fuse into place. Cut out the hearts along the drawn lines.

Scatter the hearts onto the top fabric until you find an arrangement you like, then peel the paper backing and fuse into place.  Layer your backing fabric wrong side up, place the batting on top then your top fabric right side up. Secure the layers together with pins or, stitch around the outside, very close to the edge to hold the layers together.  Satin stitch, blanket stitch or zig zag the edges of each heart.  Then echo quilt once around each heart shape.  

     

Sew your binding on to the front of the mug rug, then fold over to the back.  Machine or hand stitch to the back.

Fabulous and finished!

For My Beating Heart, you will follow all the same steps above except that you will only be fusing on and stitching the one heart.  Download My Beating Heart template here.

The heart is about 3" x 3".  Place it on the mug rug top on the right side centered between the top and bottom with the same distance from the right edge. Fuse or applique into place. Place your layers together, secure then stitch around your heart through all the layers.  Starting at the bottom point of the heart, echo quilt around the heart, equally spacing each round of stitching.  

The echo stitching rounds will eventually start going off the top, bottom and right edges.  As the echo grows larger, you will only be stitching the curves on the left side which goes really fast.  The echo rows should be 1/4" to 3/8" apart.  I just used the width of the foot on my machine.

Finish with binding the same as the Hearts A Flutter mug rug.  That's it, you are done!  So now enjoy your happy little mug rugs this Valentine's Day or any day you wish to share some love with someone special.

Happy Sewing!

Sue

PS. Be sure to visit our web site for lots of great quilt, table runner, placemat, home dec and tote bag patterns!

Heart Themed Quilts With Free Patterns

There are so many fun patterns out on the web that are free!  Great designers share their beautiful designs with us and many also design free projects for the fabric manufacturers to feature a new line of fabric.  Quilt shops love this as they have a great pattern to show you as soon as the fabric arrives.  I was poking around and ran across a few I would like to share.  Of course there are thousands more just through Pinterest alone, but this is a great start!  Some of these certainly could be used for lovely baby quilts any time of year or a fun challenge project to display.

Sandy Gervais (one of my all time favorite fabric designers) created this sweet Candy Hearts table runner for Riley Blake. You can download the PDF here.

We found these adorable hearts designed by Andie Hanna on the Robert Kaufman's site. The quilt is called Chasing Rainbows and would certainly make an adorable nursery or floor quilt for a new arrival.

Robert Kaufman had a lot of free offerings for all seasons but here are a few more of their heart themed quilts.  This lovely quilt called Stars and Hearts Garden Style was made up in batiks but would be awesome in any fabric!

This one is called Sweethearts and also came from the Robert Kaufman site and is so cute in all gingham plaids.

Moda Bake Shop always has a ton of blocks and quilt designs.  I found a few worth noting here.  This one is called Latitude. Would also be fun in batiks with an interesting background print of perhaps grids or maps etc.

This one was also from Moda and used those sweet llama fabrics that were popular.  It is appropriately name Llama Love You.  Of course any small scale print would work.

I love to paper piece and this great heart foundation from Moda could be made in many different sizes and use up a lot of those scraps and small pieces we tend to save.  Would make a  wonderful collage quilt piece using many colors.

This one is called Truffles and looks just like the ooey gooey chocolate centers when you used to stick your finger in the bottom first to see what the filling was before you popped it in your mouth LOL.  Thanks for the memory Moda!

I really loved this one and it is so simple.  Just nine patches set on point.  It is called Stiletto Nine Patch.

And who said diamonds are a girls best friends?  Picture these beautiful pendants in shades of stained glass batiks.  This one was out on the Hoffman site and was simply titled Pendant.

And last but not least is this simple rainbow heart, sunny and bright for any day.

I hope you enjoy making some of these free designs. They certainly translate well in many colors and for many occasions.  I would love to see your creations so be sure to post a pic on my Facebook or Instagram.  Lots of great deals on Dragonfly Fiberart Patterns on the web site, home of the Fast and Fabulous card patterns and we are starting to carry more rulers to make your making easier.  Dragonfly Fiberart Pattern Company

Happy Sewing!

Sue