In the Mug Rug Mode and a little more......

First things first.......this isn't the mug rug tutorial I promised but I will get to it yet. This is a post that is about mug rugs but also by the time you read to the end, I have a request. It's a post that will give you a peek at some mug rugs I made and why I am in a "Mug Rug Mode" lately. There'll be more mug rug photos tomorrow and finally on Saturday, I'll get to the Mug Rug Tutorial. There's not likely a need for anymore Mug Rug tutorials but I will share a tip that may make your mug rug stitching a wee bit easier.
So, what got me in the "Mug Rug Mode"? Well, it all started last fall when here in Blogland, everyone was making mug rugs. They were so cute. They had themes, were colorful, quick to make and useful!!! So, at Christmas I made a mug rug for my son's girlfriend, Stacia. It was similar to this one...........
I liked it so much that I made one for me and have it at my computer desk. I love Hazlenut Belgian Cafe coffee and that's what's in that cup. I'm likely drinking a cup right now, if you are reading this in the morning. But back to the mug rugs.......... I signed up for Michele's Quilting Gallery Mug Rug swap. I had so much fun making a mug rug for my partner in Tennesee. You'll see what I made in tomorrow's post. And you'll also see what I received from my partner. It came from a long way away! I was thrilled when I opened the package. But that's for tomorrow.
Once I sent my swap mug rug off to Tennesse, I was still enthused about mug rugs and when Janice at Firefly Quilt Shop asked if there was some little thing I could do for a kit favor for a retreat she was going to..........I said yes and came up with this...............

I call it a "Cookie Coaster". I decided that's what these are really for because I may get a mug of something but I really want space for that cookie!! I had never made anything with batiks until I used them in this project. I loved the colors! Janice did, too, and used a variety of batiks in the little kits and they definitely say "Spring". When I share my tutorial, you'll find out just how "not-so-easy" making a mug rug can be. Actually, it's not the mug rug that was hard to make. It was that I made a mistake in my math and well......you'll hear it all when I share the tutorial. :-)

My sister's birthday was coming up on March 2nd, so I thought I'd make a little mug rug to tuck in with the little book and card I was sending her. Here it is........... I had that all over print that I used for the backing and the other pieces for the mug rug came from this...........

I love to repurpose things and I have had this vest panel for ages and knew I would never make it and wear it. I made a similar vest panel years ago and it looked good on the panel but never fit right. This is not the first panel, I've "re-purposed". I have made totebags and pincushions, book covers, etc. from these panels. And I have several more of them in all sorts of holidays and themes that are never going to become clothing! I figure why not cut them up and put them to good use! I didn't use a pattern for the one I made for my sister, Judy. I just started cutting and stitching. I love doing that. It goes back to one when we were kids and played dolls and paper dolls and we had a great time.

After I finished the mug rug for Judy, I decided to make one for my friend, Dorothy. I cut more pieces from the vest panel, but I had to piece a block to get another little church. Then when I was done piecing, I realized there were letters in each corner from words on the vest. It looked kinda goofy, so I used my gel pen to turn it into two words and embroidered......."Blessings and Love".........

Dorothy is a very dear friend and is a member of our Bible Study group. I've mentioned our Bible Study group a lot here on my blog. It usually meets Tuesdays, although this winter there have been a lot of Tuesdays when that didn't happen. Too much cold and snow! It's a group of six friends who generously invited me to join them not too long after we moved out here to Henderson. They have met for more than 25 years and I felt honored to be invited into their group. I have to be honest. I wasn't looking to join a Bible Study group, but this is more than just a study of the Bible. And yes, there is dessert and it's always good but there is a friendship and caring that makes the bond among these women a wonderful thing. As I said, I am honored to be included in their group. We share about our families, the fun times, the hard times, our health, recipes, and so much more. It is a very good thing. Right now, though, one of our group, Dorothy, is facing a cancer challenge that is not going well. Last Tuesday, we took Bible Study to Dorothy's house. Her daughter Pam gave us the "go-ahead" and we brought dessert and gathered to share time together. It was both a sweet time and a bittersweet time. We didn't do any study, we just enjoyed visiting with Dorothy. Her smile is the same but she's not got that same spunk we all know and love. I wish that something as simple as a mug rug could make it all better. My little gift seems inconsequential in the whole scope of things. But as I stitched it, I prayed for peace and comfort for Dorothy, just as many others are doing. She's one of those people that everybody loves. She has a wonderful sense of humor and amazing faith. She is taking this challenge far more gracefully than most of us would. I don't usually ask you all for prayer because we are all in different corners of the world and of different faiths or not. But I would like to close this post and ask you to pray for peace and comfort for Dorothy. I checked first before posting this so I have permission to share this with all of you. To read her Caring Bridge journal and see her smiling face, please go here. Blessings and many thanks to all of you!
Sandi