Mug-Rug in a hurry! ((Free from me!!))

I’m in a hurry…..I’ve got to be to the car dealership at 8am to have Shamu in for some routine maintenance….and then after that I’m on my way to Columbia SC to see Jason!

There was a ton of stuff I “SHOULD” have been doing last night, including packing, but I didn’t..because…well….you see there was this pile of crumbs. and the greens were playing so nice with each other, and the little strips and pieces of neutrals were just too cute, but small..and I was thinking of pitching them ((Yes I was!! But I did not!!)) and before I knew it….

Well, I had this idea for a cute little stringy strippy mug rug….and…well! It turned out SO. DANG. CUTE! It’s a Tannenbaum Mug Rug!

Before I even knew what happened I had layered it, pin basted it..and I was sitting down and dropping the feed dogs on my trusty old Bernina..and FREE MOTION QUILTING this thing!

SOMEONE STOP ME!

I haven’t free-motion quilted on a domestic machine in years, and let me tell you, it’s an acquired skill that needs constant up-keep if you are going to keep it! OY! Do you see those loops that cross over each other? And how square some of those rounds are? I did some of the ugliest stippling of my life..LOL! But It is still so cute I decided to bind it and keep it…

SO…you want one? I’ve quickly drawn up my foundation pattern and you can get it HERE.

After clicking to view the page, right click and save the file to your computer.  To print, find the file on your computer and print it after clicking to open it there.  If you just print from the page view, it might not print the correct size.

I’m not including paper piecing instructions with this. I’m assuming you have some paper piecing skill, or can look it up on the net. I didn’t even number the foundations, but I did put it so 4 trees print per page so you can run multiples.

The foundations are “missing” some lines…because instead of having all lines drawn for you so you can make each tree identical ((Who wants to do that?!?)) you will place the pieces free style to fill in your trees and your backgrounds.

If you want to...you can add pencil lines to the blocks to give you a guide where to sew your green pieces in the tree, and you can draw lines in the block background to help you with string placement for that ---just look at my completed mug rug and you can wing it just like I did! The great thing about string piecing? It doesn't HAVE to be perfect...EVER!

You are going to:

1. Crease template on "Tree Triangle” lines for ease of placement
2. Place trunk piece as #1
3. Add two pieces to either side of trunk
4. String piece up the tree triangle with crumbs. The creases help you know where to aim and shoot for…have your scrap and stitching go BEYOND the crease line.
5. Fill in the backgrounds with random strips and strings.
6. Trim Trees 1/4” from the seam line.
7. Remove paper foundations.

I have the utmost faith that you can do this without me having to show you each step!
From here--Sew your trees side by side! You can put the short one on the left or right, it doesn't matter. Have fun with it!

Cut 4 border rectangles 1.5” X 4.5”. Cut 4 1.5” squares for cornerstones.

Sew the borders and cornerstones to the block and press. Layer with a scrap of batting & backing --- quilt, bind and enjoy! Your mug rug will finish at 6-1/4” Square.

I’ll be back Wednesday night, or maybe Thursday….not sure, playing it by ear. I’m taking binding with me to keep my hands busy if we decide to stay in, have pizza and visit.

As I type this, we’ve got over 70 links on yesterday’s Mystery Monday Link-Up! Be sure to stop by and check them out..I’m loving the different colors that people have chosen!

Oh--- and that job??? Jeff starts TODAY! Yeah! No one who hasn’t lived and struggled with a bi-polar ADHD child can understand what a big deal it is to see any amount of progress. ANY amount. The smallest positive is a HUGE POSITIVE.
And so we move forward!