First Snow, Posting Again, and a Binding to Share

This summer and fall has kept me soooo busy!  I have been quilting and gardening and enjoying time with family and friends.  I have taken so many photos of my quilting that I will have unlimited posts!  It is time to get back to posting on my blog. I created a new pattern this summer - Summer Tomatoes. I am working on two more quilt pattern ideas.

But this morning, I am enjoying a cup of coffee and our first snow in Wisconsin. We did have a few flurries on Sunday, but not like this.

Note the temperatures outside and inside!  It is cold!

I haven't dug out my boots yet!

I took the dogs out in my sandals. I walked on the path, but still got snow in between my toes!  I will get out my boots.

My plants are covered with snow and all stacked up and put away for the winter.

A little parsley still trying to grow.

I am going to stay inside and boil some eggs and quilt up a winter storm in the house!

I have so many quilts to share -- where will I start?

Today --- just the finished binding on my stitch and slice table runner.

I tried a different embroidery stitch for the binding. It is not my favorite but I like it for this quilt.

Update: The Slice and Stitch Quilt Block Tutorial is now available at Craftsy.com as a PDF Downloadable Pattern for Only $1.00.  Click Here.

Remember to take time to play, to enjoy a cup of coffee and the first snow of the year!
Marcia

Do you have any of these?

Did you have one that you kept in your pocket when you were a little girl?

Did you have a whole shoe box full of them? 

I had a shoe box full and so did my daughter.  My Mom and my Grandmas gave them to us.  Sometimes I would sit for hours just touching the embroidery and feeling the smooth silky fabrics. Several years ago, I dreamt of making a quilt with all of them.

This summer when my daughter got married.  She asked if we could use them for the wedding.  We washed them and pressed them and neatly folded each one. We put them into an old picnic basket of my Grandma's.  We handed them out before the wedding ceremony, as a remembrance of the day and if some wanted to shed a tear of happiness for the bride and groom.

Before I put the remaining little hankies away, (back into the box for a Hankie Quilt that I will make some day), I decided I needed to make something out of them.

My first thought was to use the same fabrics from the wedding table runners, but they didn't seem to match any of the hankies.

Yellow fabrics would be pretty with this hankie.

I decided to make a little mug rug. First I needed to reinforce the back of the hankie to make it stronger.  I ironed on a lightweight interfacing like you put on the back of the T-shirts when making a T-shirt quilt.

Then I trimmed it.

All four sides.

Chose the yellow strips.

Then I started sewing on the strips and building around the hankie first.

I wanted the hankie to be in the corner of the mug rug, so I added the strips to form a rectangle.

It is ready to quilt.

Note that I quilted --- meandered right through the embroidery stitching on the hankie.

I stitched my name and the year as part of the quilting - of course!

I used a yellow daisy print on the back of the mug rug.

Trimmed it.

Bind it --- All machine Embroidery Stitched Binding.

Ready for a cup of coffee?

I am ready to make another one... and another one and another one...

How about you? 

Dig out those old hankies and make a little mug rug!

They would make a great gift for Grandma or anyone.

Take time to play!  Enjoy the moments in your life...

Marcia

Turn Three Pretty Fat Quarters into 6 Mug Rugs

First, I cut 12 strips from the fat quarters (4 from each color). The strips were 2 inches wide by 22 inches long. 
Next, I stitched them together in a random order. 
Press the seams all one direction on the back side. Cut strips across 2 inches wide. I was able to get 10 strips.

Then flip every other one and stitch them together. The seams will nest together and line up, because you flipped them the opposite way. It will create a pattern with the colors of the squares. 
Then add 3 inch borders to all four sides. Press it.  Now, it is ready to quilt.

I used a bright green for the quilting.

I stitched our names on the corners of each little mug rug.

It says: Made by Joanne (my Mom) and Marcia 2012

Here's how I cut the six mug rugs from the quilted piece.

The approximate size of the whole quilted piece was 21" X 20".  The mug rugs are 7" X 10 ".

Can you see how you could turn a small quilt into several mug rugs?  
Remember my post about turning a small quilt into a tote bag? 

I love how the borders end up on all different sides of the mug rugs. Gives it a little artsy look, without even trying!

I choose a yellow daisy fabric for the backing fabric.  It is not the same yellow, but it blends nicely.

They are trimmed and ready for the binding!  I will use the daisy fabric for the binding.

My Mom will love this post, as she wanted me to make some mug rugs using the three pretty fat quarters that she bought for me.  Surprise! I finally made them last weekend, when I spent a whole day, just sewing fun little projects.  I quilted them at the end of my work day today.  I plan to do the binding this weekend.  

Mug rugs make great little gifts for your friends.

Enjoy your day and remember to take time to play!
Marcia