Mug Rugs

The last of the Spirit Guide mug rugs goes to a friend in Australia. She asked for a Pomeranian Dog, but when I looked for applique patterns, they were too pointy and so I decided to go with a dog paw.

I think this one might have been harder to applique anyway, going around the little toes. And I learned a couple of things that helped add interest. One was to make a darker frame by making the binding strip the darkest color. And then, the small squares to one side seemed to add more interest.

I tried my hand with a mouse for the top one. However, after finishing it, I realized I laid it out on the diagonal and did not like it, so made a second one with the little door. Both these and some  of the others might have looked better with a darker binding. The moose turned out nicely and I am happy with the colors in it. So now, my practice pieces are done and I hope I can retain the lessons learned.

Back to the UFOs. A local quilter gave me a box of Insul-bright for making heat resistant potholders. I joined a swap requiring a project made from one FQ. I just received a craft-quality FQ that is fine for this, and so tried my hand at simple potholders.

As I worked on them, I wondered who actually baked in my family, and found a pattern for micro-bowl holders that I think would work better.