A Mug Rug drove me to madness!

Whose bright idea was it to make a mug rug!

OK... I admit... it was mine and with hindsight I should have kept it to myself.    Sunday was Make-a-Mug Rug day here.  A lovely quiet day for some fun and easy sewing.  The word to watch here is EASY!!

I started off well.   Decided to use these scraps of fabric.....  Moda Celebrate Spring

left over from a charm pack when I made this.... it's Bunny Hill Designs - Darned Cute Bag pattern.

So far so good.  Kitty and I both thought including a stitchery would be nice so I started on this one.

The pens in the picture are FAB-U-LOUS by the way.  They are Frixion erasable gel pens.  So clever... they disappear when you pass a hot iron over them!   Just watch out though.... you need to iron on your weaveline/stabiliser before you transfer your stitchery.   Don't ask how I know this!! 

Anyhow.... back to the Mug Rug.    It didn't take me long to decide that the thread colours I picked were not going to look good with the fabric.  By this time Kitty was way ahead of me in the stitching stakes and I was beginning to feel a tiny tingle of unease at being left behind.... again!   I'm Tail End Charlie at the best of times.

No fear..... I had a cunning plan to overtake Speedy Gonzales.   I'd applique a lovely little robin to my rug and I had just the pattern to take my pick from.   In a flash I picked a robin... traced it onto Steam-a-Seam.... grabbed the nearest fabric and promptly ironed it onto the right side!!  That's the wrong side if you get my gist.  What an idiot.

Oh well.... I had no choice but to suck it up and start again.  I learned my lesson and the second try turned out OK.  Apart from the fact that Kitty pointed out that I'd made the body red and robins are actually brown!  Duh..... who needs friends anyway!  I reminded her that she was stitching with my thread and I might just be asking for it back (all of it) if she didn't button her lip.

Next... to attach applique to pieced rug.  No problem right?  Wrong!!  Just where I wanted to place the robin half a printed fabric flower was peeping out from a seam.   It turned the pretty little robin I set out to make into a cockerel that looks like it's been hit on the head by a brick!   

Once I'd stopped breathing into a brown paper bag I decided to carry on regardless.  That's when I discovered I'd traced the tail feathers in reverse.   I have to say that was a happy accident.  Had I got it right they would have been wrong for a chicken.  Hope you are still with me here.....

In for a penny... in for a pound.   I decided to try free motion applique!  Reckon I have a masochistic streak a mile wide.    It did go better than expected.  Which is just as well because by this time I was close to sticking my head in the oven..... and it's electric!

It didn't get much better when I messed up the join in the binding and had to stretch one side so much the rug resembled a banana!   Then it took all the strongarm needlecraft tactics I could summon to wrestle the way too narrow and totally naff binding to the back for stitching. 

This is the point where I would have taken to strong drink but I couldn't coz I'm dieting!

I'm calm now.   I've unpicked the cruddy binding and made some fresh.  Too wide this time but quite frankly I don't give a ........

So... without further ado....here it is....... My Mug Rug!

Oh well..... done is better than perfect!

Now I can show you Kitty's

Isn't it lovely.   I'm so pleased I let her keep the thread.

Anyone else care to fess up their faux pas?

See you soon.....
Josie

p.s.  I love comments so if you can be fussed.... please leave one.