Ziggity Mug Rug Tutorial ~ John from the Fat Quarterly Team

John from Fat Quarterly joins us with a quick and easy tutorial for the little “mini quilts” sweeping the sewing blog scene.

Don’t forget, we have issues of Fat Quarterly available for purchase in the shop. Each issue is full of original patterns and project ideas, articles and interviews. The talented sewists behind Fat Quarterly have joined us with a series of great posts, from their Guest Fat Quarter Packs to the ‘Fit for a Princess!’ Picnic Quilt tutorial and the Stepping Stones Block.

Enjoy John’s tutorial and join in the Mug Rug craze with your own Ziggity Mug Rug…

Greetings, Sew,Mama,Sew! readers! I’m John Adams and I blog over at Quilt Dad. I’m also a member of theFat Quarterly team, and we’re thrilled that Fat Quarterly is now available in the SMS shop. We hope that you’ll give our e-zine a try!

Today, I’m excited to share a little mug rug tutorial that I wrote especially for all of you in the Sew,Mama,Sew!community. “What’s a mug rug?,” you might be asking. To catch up on all things mug rug, check out Erin’s wonderful Mug Rug Madness posts. OK, ready to get started?

The Ziggity Mug Rug

Supplies:

• 16 – 2″ wide strips of scraps, each 5″ long
• Approx. 7″ x 13″ backing fabric
• Binding

You’re going to start with a bunch of scraps, cut into 16 – 2″ wide strips. I used “Kingdom,” a soon-to-be-released line by Jessica Levitt for Windham Fabrics. Make sure that the strips are at least about 5″ long or so. Separate the strips into two sets of eight strips each.

With one of your sets of eight, pair up two of the strips and sew them together in the same manner in which you would sew binding strips together. That is, align them perpendicular to one another with right sides together as shown above. Sew the strips together with a diagonal seam from the bottom left corner to the top right corner of the overlapping section. Trim the excess fabric using a quarter inch seam and press the seam open.

Repeat this step with the remaining three pairs, creating four sewn strips containing a diagonal seam.

Repeat these steps with the other set of eight strips, but (***and this is important***) arrange the strips so that the strip on top extends off to the left, instead of to the right as you did with the first set. Because of this, your diagonal seam should extend from the bottom right to the top left of the overlapping section.

This will result in four more sewn strips containing a diagonal seam, but the diagonal seam should appear as a mirror image to the ones sewn from the first set.

Arrange the strips alternating strips from your first and second sets so that the diagonal seams create a zig-zag effect. Match the seams as shown in the picture above and sew the strips together.

Sew all eight strips together to create your mug rug top.

Your mug rug will now measure 12.5″ in length. Trim the width as desired. I trimmed mine down to 6.5″ wide. Baste, quilt, and bind the mug rug with a backing and binding fabric of choice.

The picture above shows the detail of how I quilted my mug rug. I stitched 1/4″ on the inside of all seams for a nice graphic design.

Here’s another version of the Ziggity Mug Rug made with “From Little Things” by Sarah Fielke for Lecien. Notice how I used fewer strips but added a fussy cut square to the top of the design. Feel free to customize the design to incorporate your own design elements! Another variation might be to offset the seams so that they don’t exactly line up.

I made a pieced back for this one and free-motion quilted it in an all-over pattern.

I hope you enjoyed this mug rug tutorial. If you make a Ziggity Mug Rug, we’d love to see it! Please be sure to add it to the Fat Quarterly Flickr group.

Thanks to Kristin and the Sew,Mama,Sew! team for hosting this tutorial, and for being such great supporters of Fat Quarterly!

http://www.sewmamasew.com/2011/05/ziggity-mug-rug-tutorial-john-from-the-fat-quarterly-team/

This is a great way to practise quilting on a small scale! Many thanks to sewmamasew and John Adams.

Dashwood Studio

Petite Street: available now

wendykendalldesigns.com
Wendy’s clean, graphic approach to design mixes playful patterns and textures with strikingly modern colour palettes. ‘Petite Street’ shows off her naïve hand drawn style mixed with geometric patterns creating a cool, modern collection, which will appeal to both children and adults alike.← back to collections

PTST 1009

PTST 1010

PTST 1011

PTST 1012

PTST 1013

FLUR 2000 – steel

FLUR 2000 – candy

http://www.dashwoodstudio.com/petite-street/

Lovely fabric for quilts by Wendy Kendall

Bound Edge Quilt Coasters Tutorial

Neat coasters! Please follow the link for instructions.

http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/bound-edge-drinks-coaster-tutorial.html?m=1




http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/bound-edge-drinks-coaster-tutorial.html?m=1

Perfect for practising quilting.

SEWING IDEAS

Holiday Bauble Coaster

DOWNLOAD

OrnamentTemplate.pdf

Introduction: This shabby-chic coaster set is perfect for decorating for the holidays in a way that isn't too over-the-top. The bright colors are happy, and the ornament shapes are uniquely Christmas time. Erin Schlosser of Schlosser Designs has created this whimsical set specially for Elna!

Time: 2 hours

Approximate Size: Makes a set of (4) 4 3/4" square coasters

Elna Supplies Required:

• Elna eXpressive 900 Sewing Machine
• Open Toe Satin Stitch Foot (F2)
• Convertible Free Motion closed toe foot
• Bobbin
• Blue Tip Needles

Other Supplies Required:
Fabric:

• (1) Fat Quarter fabric for Coaster front
• (1) Fat Quarter for Coaster back (or use 4- 5" squares)
• (4) Coordinating Charm Squares (5" square fabric pieces)
• (1) Small scrap (5" square) for ornament caps
• (2) 2 1/2" x width of fabric strips for binding

Notions:

• 12" square piece of low loft cotton batting
• 10" square of fusible web (Heat 'n Bond Lite or Steam A Seam)
• 12" square of tear-away stabilizer
• Fabric Marking Pen
• Temporary fabric spray adhesive

Sewing Instructions:

1. Cut out the following pieces:
   - (4) 5" squares for coaster fronts
   - (4) 5" squares for coaster backs
2. Place coordinating charm squares on tear away stabilizer. To make it easier to add decorative stitching, line them all up on a single sheet. Mark a horizontal center line on each of the squares.
   
   
3. Attach Open Toe Satin Stitch Foot (F2). Use the following figure to find the stitches and stitch widths used to stitch down the center line of the squares. Stitch the center stitch first, then either side:
   
   
   
   For the stitch stacking on the left use Heirloom Stitch # 7 in the center and Satin Stitch #14 on the right side of the center, and Satin Stitch #15 on the left side.
   For the stitch stacking on the right use Heirloom Stitch #5 in the center and Satin Stitch #19 on either side of the center stitch.
   If you do not have the eXpressive 900, we have provided images of these stitches above so you can choose similar ones. Carefully tear away the stabilizer from the back.
   
   
4. Trace ornament shapes on the wrong (paper side) of fusible web (template provided on the top right of this page). Iron onto the wrong side of the squares just stitched with the decorative stitches. The dashed center line on each pattern piece will line up with the center decorative stitch back. Cut out each ornament shape along the lines.
   
   
   
   Repeat this process with the ornament cap squares. Tear away paper backing, place one ornament(with the cap) on each square and iron into place. It can be centered or asymmetrically placed within the square.
5. Make a small quilt sandwich with the coaster back (face down), quilt batting, and coaster front (facing up). Use a temporary spray adhesive to hold in place. Use a straight stitch and sew 1/8" inside the shape to secure edges of ornament to the coaster. Switch to the convertible free motion foot and stipple quilt around each ornament.
   
   
   
   Trim to 4 3/4" squares when quilting is completed.
6. Make binding and attach to the edge of each coaster using a favorite method of choice.

• 
• http://www.elnausa.com/en-us/sewingideas.php?sic=3&sewingidea=472

Click on the link for more about Elna!

Brilliant Binding

I have given you a basic and very, very simple way of joining up the ends of your bindings... 
Now I have a different way for you. It may seem very fiddly at first, but the results are wonderful... it is worth persevering because no-one will be able to find your join with this method!!! There should be a 'printer friendly version here

1. You will need to leave good long tails at both the start and the end of your binding strips, the longer the tails the easier the join will be....

2. I recommend 5"... 8" will be perfect... this means that you will start sewing your binding on 5" - 8" down from the start... and finish sewing 5" - 8" before the join end..... thus leaving the tails as in this picture.

3 Pin the start of the binding in place and mark the end with a pin, then lay the other end on top of that and cut it 2 1/2" from the pin... exactly 2 1/2", not even a mouse's whisker more or less!!!

IMPORTANT TO NOTE......
these measurements are for 2 1/2" wide binding only...
IF your binding is only 2 1/4" wide you will trim a 2 1/4" distance... if your binding is 3" you will trim 3"... OK??

4. You can just about see here that there is a 2 1/2" overlap with the start and the end of the binding strip

5... you don't see it there? how about this?

6. Now lay the end of the binding open and flat on the table, my ruler is only there to hold the fabric down for my photo....

7. fold up the quilt to allow you to place the beginning end ON TOP diagonally, just like making a mitre... in fact it is another mytre!!

8.. holding with pins, draw a line from corner to corner....

9. sew it along the marked line... this is a fiddle, just fold your quilt a little bit to allow you to do this. take out the pins....

10. try to see whether it has worked perfectly before you cut anything!!!, if you need to adjust it , unpick the seam and do it again perfectly!.. then trim away the excess triangle... just as when you were joining the binding strips

11.. lay it all flat against the quilt edge and sew with walking foot!!!

That's all there is to it!

Tommy the Turtle – A Free Motion Quilt Tutorial

 

 

 

Did you ever have one of those SLOW days?   Days that you don’t even want to get out of your pajamas?  Tommy the Turtle has them all the time–but he knows the secret….

Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

In honor of Tommy – and embracing his motto–let’s stitch a new motif!
TOMMY the TURTLE –THE TUTORIAL –Say that three times fast!
It is helpful when learning any new pattern to use some guidelines.  This helps keep a motif in proportion.  If you are sewing a quilt with squares–no need to draw lines-use the seamlines.
Begin by drawing any size square.  In the sample below, the squares are 3- 1/2 by 3-1/2 inches.
Next, draw a circle in the middle of the square.  I used this ruler – found at an office supply store and drew a 2 -1/4 inch circle.  You could use a cup or a small plate…

Begin by stitching around the circle (Start where you want the neck to be positioned.)  Then stitch the neck and head into one of the corners of the square.

Next, travel around the circle and stitch a rounded leg.  Stitch around the circle and close to the previous line of stitching.

At the opposite corner, stitch a leg, a curved tail, and another leg before proceeding around “the shell” again.

Stitch the last “leg” and then cross into the circle.

Spiral into the center of the shell and stop.

Next, spiral out – but add a scallop as you go…(this is actually Tammy the Turtle…?)

For a boy turtle–simply spiral out and back toward the neck.   Knot off at the base of the neck somewhere.
NOTE--I was unable to find a nice looking way to transition to another turtle–so I knotted off between each turtle.  (For more on knots see HERE and HERE.)

Make a pair of turtles…
and maybe a baby…

Or line them all up in a row…
The turtle’s shell is an opportunity for creativity.  Add any embellishment here…Give your turtles personality!
Tommy the Turtle would look darling on any border and in the center of any quilt square.  Or–make a pillow or a pin cushion with a single turtle!
TOMORROW–
Check in tomorrow to see a little quilt I made with Tommy the Turtle.  I think I’m going to have it framed!
Lori
MATERIALS
This turtle looks great on Kona cotton from RJKaufman’s New Summer Collection…Stitched with Sulky Rayon thread on top and Aurifil cotton 50 wt in the bobbin on my Bernina 820 without a stitch regulator…
PS… All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to Pin, Blog, Tweet with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!
 http://theinboxjaunt.com/2014/05/13/tommy-the-turtle-a-free-motion-quilt-tutorial/

See Lori's blog for more fantastic inspiration!