March 23, 2017

Mug Rugs

Hi there, and welcome to my little blog. I have been very busy this year and had lots of changes happening in my life. Some good and some bad, but it really engulfed me. I was so overwhelmed by everything that I just was unable to get over here and post. I really slowed down  on my swapping and engagement. I just needed a break. I needed a little reset. Everyone needs that at some time in life, I think. I feel like I am finally getting back to some normalcy, or what I call normal. ;) I stay in touch the most on Instagram. So, you can usually see what I am working on over there. There's a Instagram follow button in the right side bar. Today is all about mug rugs.


You all know that I love a good mug rug. I run the Starbucks Mug Rug Swap for 9 rounds with my bestie Sheila @lovely_smw and Suzie @seamrippingsuz has helped me out before too. I can't believe that it has been 9 rounds. I am obsessed with these mugs. I have almost 40! Some family and friends have gotten me some, and I love them all. All the people in the swap have been super great to me and other swappers with sending angel packages. You all keep it going. Shout out to you!!
Here's a little YAH mug package sample. 


Top questions I get in the swap

How big is a mug rug?
A mug rug is typically 6"x9". It doesn't have to be rectangular. It can be a square. It just needs to fit a mug and a snack when in use. I put mine on the coffee table with a drink and a snack. I wash them. You can hang them. Some are just that amazing. 

I feel like a mini quilt is 12"x12". Sometimes, 10" x 10"  is getting a little large for a mug rug. 


How do I bind it? 
You bind a mug rug just like any other quilt or mini. It is just smaller. I made a little video just for you. I watch a bunch of plan with me's, and I thought that a quilt with me would be super fun and helpful. If it helps just one person, it has done its job.  I was making a mug rug and thought that you might like to see exactly what I do when making a mug rug.


The other issues that comes up in a swap


The other issue that comes up more often than I would like to see is the quality of a mug rug. I have seen pictures of work that has batting sticking out and raw edges of binding. Some mug rugs have shown up with no batting on the inside. It is the worst thing to hear, and even worse to possibly address, or the person didn't take into account what the person that they are sending would like and that is the purpose of a swap. So, I am not sure why that particular person would be swapping. Unless it is just to receive a mug, and I feel that that makes you very naughty.  I try to advise where you can go to learn binding or quilting. The easiest thing is youtube. 

Also, please remember that some of these people are trying. 

With that being said, if you are sending work like what I have described above, the person on the receiving end feels cheated or not very good. They sent out work that they felt was up to par. They ( people who will remain anonymous and they are not fictitious) feel like you didn't take the time to get it right for them or even close to right. Please show some effort. Some people know that the mug rug that they are sending isn't great, and still send it. I have completely scrapped projects and restarted a project because I know that it didn't work out. Which is sad, and it is true. I always worry that my work will be found acceptable. Especially when it is going to someone who's work I feel is awesome. 

This is how I personally feel

If you know that the mug rug is not right or not good work, and you still send it. I can understand sending something that isn't your best work, but I am talking about extremes here.  I think that is really wrong. I do feel like you could rip off the binding and redo it. You could redo the whole mug rug. You can research on youtube or blogs on how to do a good binding. 

Here's the top links that came up in the google search.


 I am sure that you can search binding and find a tutorial here on this blog. I also am providing this video for others that might need some help and because I just thought it would be fun. These are my feelings and thoughts on the matter. No drama, just truth. I have never used the naughty list for a person's quality of work. However, people do talk, and it is a real issue in swaps (not just mine).  I am not perfect, and I have seen some that have really upped their mug rug game in the next rounds. Maybe someone has thought my work was hideous. Who knows.

We all come from somewhere.

2 comments

  1. Thanks for this post, Yvonne. I, too, always worry that my work will not be up to scratch. I've abandoned things a lot. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure that it is up to scratch. :) Sometimes, mine isn't perfect either. As long as you are trying, that is all we can do. Sorry about the delayed response.

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Maira Gall