Once I figured out how to hurdle the Cute as Pie Carrier dilemma, the mug rugs were an easy project to throw together. I had four quarter-square triangles remaining and knew they’d make perfect mug rugs and the coping strips I’d made previously became and easy border to make them a little bit larger.
If you are a coffee drinker like I am then you KNOW the joy of a mug rug. I think they are cute and fun but they also keep rings off my kitchen counter. Additionally, they make a great gift.
The Joys of Zero Waste Quilting
One of the perks of Zero Waste Quilting is that you end up with a cabinet of gifts. Using all your fabrics to create a capsule collection means that projects get smaller and smaller as you whittle down the pieces. Smaller pieces often become gift items. I mean, what else are you going to do with small squares and rectangles, right?
I truly love working this way because it’s easy to just grab a little something to bring as a hostess gift, a teacher gift, whatever!
Easiest Cup of Coffee
To make this mug rug, I sewed two quarter-square triangles together.
Then I bordered them with the coping strips I thought I was going to use with the pie carrier.
I backed the mug rug with scrap fabric from Metaphor, did some simple quilting, trimmed the piece then bound it with leftover bias binding – also from Metaphor.
Bigger Lessons Learned
Bigger lessons can be learned when you work in a Zero Waste Quilting capacity. Working within a set of constraints – in this case the quantity of fabric you have to use encourages creativity. You have to figure out how to use what you have. It can be challenging, for sure, but the end results are so rewarding. Patience and perseverance, too.