Heart Mug Rug Tutorial
It’s a mini quilt for your favorite warm beverage – a mug rug, that is! In this heart mug rug tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a sweet little quilted gift that’s both fun and fast to sew. I made a batch of these for my book club girls (along with their favorite drinks – spiced tea for Debbie, hot chocolate for Cindy), and another stack for family who are still waiting on full-sized quilts. For now, these tiny heart mug rugs will have to do!
Let’s get into the project, shall we?
What You’ll Need for This Heart Mug Rug Tutorial
- Heart template (download below)
- 9″ x 9″ background fabric, Cloud9 Organic Solid in Ash
- 7″ x 7″ fabric for the heart, Honey Garden organic fabric by Cloud9
- 9″ x 9″ fabric for the backing
- 2 1/2″ x 42″ binding fabric
- 9″ x 9″ cotton batting
- 6 3/4″ x 6 3/4″ fusible webbing
- Sewing supplies: iron, basting pins, pencil, scissors, rotary cutter, large square ruler (optional), cutting mat, sewing machine with walking foot
Step 1: Prepare the Heart Template
First, print the heart template. Next, cut out the template, and then trace it onto the paper side of the fusible webbing. Once it’s traced, you’re ready to move on to the next step!
Step 2: Fuse the Heart to the Fabric
Now that the template is ready, press the fusible webbing onto the wrong side of the heart fabric square.
Step 3: Cut Out the Heart Shape
After pressing, cut out the heart using the trace lines.
Step 4: Sew the Heart to the Mug Rug Background
Once the heart is cut out, remove the paper backing. Then, center the heart onto the background square and press it into place. For added security, you can sew around the heart with a straight stitch, zigzag stitch, or satin stitch.
Step 5: Add the Quilting and Binding
Now that the heart is attached, layer the backing wrong side up, followed by the batting, and then the heart square right side up. Baste the layers together and quilt as desired. I used the walking foot on my sewing machine to sew lines spaced 1/2” apart.
After quilting, trim the quilted mug rug to 8” x 8” square. Using a 12 1/2” x 12 1/2” quilting ruler helps me center the design when trimming.
Next, prepare the binding strip by folding the 2 1/2” x 42” strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and pressing it.
Now, leaving 7″ of the binding strip free, sew the strip to the front of the mug rug 1” from the bottom edge. Stop sewing when you get 1/4” away from the end, and backstitch.
Remove the mug rug from the machine. Fold the strip at a 45° angle, then back down over itself, aligning the raw edges to make a mitered corner. Continue sewing, beginning at the top edge, and repeat this step all the way around the mug rug.
When you reach the last corner, stop sewing and backstitch 1 inch after turning the corner to leave enough room to join the ends of the binding.
Step 6: Join the Binding Ends
Lay the mug rug flat, then cut the ends of the binding so they overlap 2 1/2”. A tip: Use a 2 1/2” square as your guide.
Open the binding and place the strips at right angles, right sides together. Pin the ends together, then draw a diagonal line from the corner of the intersections. Sew on the line.
Tip: It helps to clip the mug rug in half to give yourself more working room. Then, trim the seam allowance to 1/4” and press open. Finish sewing the binding to the mug rug.
Step 7: Attach the Binding to the Back
Finally, turn the binding to the back of the mug rug. Hand stitch or machine stitch the binding to finish. Your heart mug rug is complete!
Enjoy Your Finished Mug Rug!
I hope you enjoyed making this mini quilt project. If you’ve got a list of quilt ideas piling up (like me!), grab my Quilt Project Tracker. It’s a simple tool that helps you keep track of what you’ve started—and finally finish those projects!