Fall Mug Rugs

Designer: Kristina Brinkerhoff of Center Street Quilts

Finished mug rugs: 5-1/2×8-1/2"

Finished blocks: 5" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

• 10" square each mottled brown and mottled black (blocks)
• 1/4 yard solid white (blocks)
• 1/2 yard mottled orange (blocks, backing, binding)
• 5" square gold print (blocks)
• 1/4 yard total assorted mottled orange, brown, and gold (mug rug tops)
• 3—5-1/2×8-1/2" rectangles batting

Cut pieces in the following order.

From mottled brown, cut:

• 1—3-1/2 ×4" rectangle
• 5—1-1/2" squares

From solid white, cut:

• 1—2×5-1/2" rectangle
• 4—2" squares
• 2—1-1/2×4" rectangles
• 4—1-1/2 ×3-1/2" rectangles
• 8—1-1/2" squares
• 2—1-1/4×1-1/2" rectangles
• 2—1 ×2-3/4" rectangles
•  2—1" squares

From mottled orange, cut:

• 3—2-1/2×42" binding strips
• 3—5-1/2×8-1/2" backing rectangles
• 8—1-1/2" squares

From gold print, cut:

• 1—1-1/2×4" rectangle
• 1—1" square

From mottled black, cut:

• 1—4 ×5-1/2" rectangle
• 2—2" squares

From assorted mottled orange, brown, and gold, cut:

• 15—1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangles

Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric.

1) Lay out mottled brown 1-1/2" squares and four solid white 1-1/2" squares in three rows (Diagram 1). Sew together squares in rows. Join rows to make a Nine-Patch unit. The unit should be 3-1/2" square including seam allowances.

2) Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each mottled orange 1-1/2" square.

3) Align a marked mottled orange square with a short end of a solid white 1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangle (Diagram 2; note direction of marked line). Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Repeat on opposite end to make a side unit. The unit still should be 1-1/2×3-1/2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four side units total.

4) Referring to Diagram 3, lay out Nine-Patch unit, four side units, and four solid white 1-1/2" squares in three rows. Sew together pieces in rows. Join rows to make a star block. The block should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1) Join solid white 1×2-3/4" rectangles to gold print 1" square to make an acorn stem unit (Diagram 4). The unit should be 1×5-1/2" including seam allowances.

2) Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of solid white 1" squares and two solid white 2" squares.

3) Referring to Diagram 5, align a marked solid white 1" square with one corner of a gold print 1-1/2 ×4" rectangle. Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Add remaining marked solid 1" white square to opposite corner of gold print rectangle to make an acorn cap unit. The unit still should be 1-1/2×4" including seam allowances.

4) Join solid white 1-1/4×1-1/2" rectangles to acorn cap unit (Diagram 6). Sew acorn stem unit and acorn cap unit together to make an acorn top unit. The unit should be 2×5-1/2" including seam allowances.

5) Referring to Diagram 7, align a marked solid white 2" square with one corner of a mottled brown 3-1/2 ×4" rectangle. Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Add remaining marked solid white 2" square to opposite corner of mottled brown rectangle to make an acorn bottom unit. The unit still should be 3-1/2×4" including seam allowances.

6) Join solid white 1-1/2×4" rectangles to acorn bottom unit (Diagram 8). Sew acorn top unit and acorn bottom unit together to make an acorn block (Diagram 9). The block should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1) Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each mottled black 2" square and remaining solid white 2" squares.

2) Referring to Diagram 10, align a marked mottled black square with one corner of a solid white 2×5-1/2" rectangle. Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Add remaining marked mottled black square to opposite corner of solid white rectangle to make a cat ears unit. The unit still should be 2×5-1/2" including seam allowances.

3) Referring to Diagram 11, align a marked solid white 2" square with one corner of mottled black 4 ×5-1/2" rectangle. Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Add remaining marked solid white 2" square to opposite corner of mottled black rectangle to make a cat face unit. The unit still should be 4 ×5-1/2" including seam allowances.

4) Sew together cat ears unit and cat face unit to make a cat block (Diagram 12). The block should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1) Sew together five assorted mottled orange, brown, and gold 1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangles (Diagram 13) to make a pieced unit. The pieced unit should be 3-1/2×5-1/2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make three pieced units total.

2) Sew a block to each pieced unit to make three mug rug tops (Diagram 14). Each mug rug top should be 5-1/2×8-1/2" including seam allowances.

1) Layer each mug rug top with batting and backing; baste.

2) Quilt as desired. Designer Kristina Brinkerhoff machine-quilted vertical straight lines 1/2" apart across each mug rug.

3) Bind the mug rugs with mottled orange binding strips.