Hidden Diamond Mug Rug

For the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap, my partner was Laura.  She is a mom who lives in Canada and loves all things scrappy, pink and chocolate.  So, I designed a mug rug just for her.  It was as scrappy and pink as I could make it.  In fact, I used a bit of every pink in my stash!

I designed the pattern (yes, there is a pattern for you to use) with tiny one inch squares and half squares--tricky little buggers to work with too!  I used a foundation pattern to help with keeping everything in the right place.  I chose not to put a binding on this one.  Instead, I sewed the layers pillowcase style, turned, stitched closed the opening and then topstitched along the interior border line to create a faux binding effect.  (Don't know how to make a faux binding--here's a great tutorial already created by my quilting friend Andrea!)

The gray used to offset the pink is Kona charcoal.  For the backing, I used some more pink fabric from my stash which had a fun kind of stitched look to the design.  The batting was just some cotton Warm & Natural batting.  I quilted around the diamonds and inner side of the pink border with some Sulky premium 40 wt. rayon thread in Light Silver that had a nice sheen to it.

This mug rug made a fun scrappy gift that has endless coloring possibilities.  I've named the mug rug pattern Hidden Diamond because of the center design.  Below are three PDF files.  A color sheet and the foundation patterns, in case you'd like to make your own scrappy Hidden Diamond mug rug.  (Please remember that this pattern is for personal use only.)  When printing, individual squares should measure one inch on the sewing lines.  You may have to scale your printing depending on your individual printer's settings.

Hidden Diamond Mug Rug Color Sheet

Hidden Diamond Mug Rug Foundation Pattern A

Hidden Diamond Mug Rug Foundation Pattern B


Instructions:

To sew this little mug rug, first, precut your little squares and half squares triangles.  When I'm working with such small pieces in foundation quilting (also known as paper piecing), I'm more generous with my cutting.  So, give yourself a bit more than the typical quarter inch seam allowance, especially on the half square triangles.  If you want, print out the color sheet and color in your design plan so that you know how many of each fabric you need and where to place them.

After printing out both foundation pattern sheets, cut out the individual strips (the cutting line is the lighter outer line, the sewing line is the darker inner lines).  Strips are easy to foundation piece.  Just start at one end and work towards the other.  (Here's a great tutorial for those not familiar with foundation piecing.)  Use a shorter than normal stitch length for easier removal of the paper later.  Press as you go.  Once each strip is done, trim along the cutting line.  Then sew the strips together.  Press as you go.  When everything is together, carefully remove the paper backing. 

Cut out backing and batting a bit larger than desired final size.  If you plan to put a regular binding on, then quilt the layers first, trim square and bind.  If you are using the faux binding method, follow the tutorial link listed earlier.  You're done!  Make a few and give them to friends for holiday gifts, they'll love you!