I love celebrating the holidays, but this year I feel like there is even more reason to go big on the holidays. So many things are unknown, so we need to look forward to everything we can! And that means bringing joys, big and small, into our every day. I don’t drink coffee or tea, so I have been surprised at how much I love having a fun mug rug hanging out on my desk. I put my drinks and occasionally a treat on it and it brings a bit of quilted fun to my workspace.

Quilted Halloween Mug Rug

ThermOWeb products make this project easy and fun and I’m going to show you my favorite ways to put together this cute mug rug.

Scaredy Cat Mug Rug Supplies

Fabric for front and back of mug rug, binding and applique- I am using Scaredy Cat fabric by Amanda Niederhauser for Riley Blake Designs. You don’t need much – scraps are perfect for the applique and larger scraps will even work for the mug rug itself- which is one of my favorite reasons for making them! You will only need a 2 1/4″ X width of fabric strip for the binding.

SpraynBond Basting spray – I didn’t use to spray baste, but it makes all the difference, even on a small project like this!

HeatnBond EZ Print Lite sheets – these feed right through your printer- NO TRACING!! It’s the best for speeding up the process and getting you to the actual fun part- the sewing!

StitchnSew Sew-in Fleece – I love the loft of this fleece, it makes the quilting just pop.

The pattern for this mug rug is available in my Etsy shop.

Preparing the Applique

Separate all the pattern pieces from each other by cutting them out, but be sure to leave a slight margin around each piece. Follow the package instructions for fusing the pattern pieces to the wrong side of the fabric. Next, cut out each pattern piece ON the line- take your time to do this accurately. Finally, remove the paper backing from the pattern pieces.

Sew Mug Rug front:

Cut your mug rug front pieces according to the pattern directions. Sew the accent strip to the background strip using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press the accent strip up and away from the background fabric.

Apply the Applique:

Take your mug rug front and applique pieces to your ironing surface. Place your pumpkins according to the pattern instructions. I find it useful to use a ruler to help me place them accurately on the fabric background. Again, follow the package instructions to fuse the applique into place. Begin by fusing the pumpkin shape, followed by the stems, the pumpkin centers, and finally the bats. If adjusting the position of your applique pieces, keep in mind that there is extra fabric to allow for squaring up the mug rug at the end, as well as a 1/4″ allowance for binding- so do not place your applique pieces closer than 3/4″ from the edges of the background fabric.

Sew Applique/ Quilt Halloween Mug Rug

Take your fused mug rug front, your StitchnSew fleece, and your backing fabric and use the SpraynBond Basting adhesive to create a “quilt sandwich”. (backing fabric wrong side up, fleece in the middle, and mug rug front right side up on top of the fleece)

*NOTE: typically I sew around the applique pieces before quilting as it’s usually less bulky and ensures they stay in place through the final stages of the project, but in this case, I want the extra texture from sewing the applique on while the fleece is in place so I am waiting to sew down the applique until the next step. If you want a smoother look to your applique, sew around each of the pieces now, before creating the quilt sandwich.

Sew around the applique pieces and quilt the rest of the mug rug as desired. I have been enjoying free motion stitching around the applique pieces with an embroidery foot and lowered feed dogs to create a “sketched” look to my applique. You can also use a regular or walking foot and a straight stitch or a narrow zig-zag stitch to hold the applique pieces in place.

After quilting, square up your mug rug to the final size and add binding using your favorite method. I have been practicing my machine binding with these small projects and actually quite like it.

Mug rugs can be used for their intended purpose- holding your mug of coffee or tea (or in my case, any drink), hang them on the wall as a mini quilt, or they are fantastic for gifting as they are easy to mail and quick and fun to make.

The pattern also has directions for making a mini pillow- perfect for trays, shelves or a fun addition to a centerpiece. What will you use your mug rug for?

If you would like to make the fabric pumpkins shown in the pictures- you can find my pattern for a Fabric Pumpkin Patch in my Etsy shop.

And if want, even more, Halloween treats to sew- you can find my Mini Banner tutorial on my blog.

Happy Halloween Sewing friends! xoxo, Amy

Love the Scaredy Cat Fabrics?!