I'm busy busy busy this week with the kids starting school and Montessori and with all the swaps I've got going on. Not to mention the Quiltalong!! Most pressing is the For the Love of Solids Swap which I need to finish and get in the post at the beginning of next week at latest.
Today I finished up the small item for my secret partner. I came up with and discarded quite a few ideas before remembering a lovely stitch-along I had seen a couple of months ago over on Rachel's blog Contented which I thought would be perfect for a small size like a mug rug, and would work great with the array of Kona blues I had for the swap items.
I had a fat quarter of Kona Ash grey (a colour I have totally fallen in love with, to my complete surprise. It has such a lovely natural tone!) which was my starting point, and I played around with the varying shades of blue before arriving at my combination. This was a very straightforward make - I appliqued on the circles using Bondaweb and then handstitched around the edges of each circle, varying between running stitch and backstitch, and matching or contrasting threads.
Then I basted it with a few small stitches in a variety of places, and started to hand quilt it. In the original, Rachel used a variegated thread, which I didn't have. I also had quite a variety of tones in my blues, so none of the flosses I had was quite right for the whole thing. So I decided to make my own 3-tone thread, taking a strand from each of 3 colours. I really really love how the colours change throughout the quilting and how the thread picks up the colour of the circle it is closest too.
This is the first time I've hand quilted and I really enjoyed it, even if it was a little hard on the hands and fingers. I tried to vary the stitch length in different rows of quilting for interest. I love, love the effect of the stitching rippling out from the circles, I think this is an inspired pattern to be honest! So simple, so effective. It reminds me of stones dropping into a lake.
Lastly, I bound it in the same Kona Ash fabric to keep it simple. I'm slightly in love with this mug rug. I hope my partner will like it, I'll find it hard to let it go! If you want to make it, check out this great tutorial series over at Contented.
Linking up with Fabric Tuesday on Quilt Story and Sew Cute Tuesday on Creative Itch:
39 comments:
I'm more than slightly in love with your mug rug! It's beautiful!
Flipping stunning!!
What a lovely mug rug Sarah. Love the linen type look to it with the cool blues.
Love how you've done the quilting on this, very clever
OOoo clever you for mixing the threads...! It looks really lovely, there's a lucky swapper out there :)
I love the circles and the quilting on your mug rug. The colour is pretty too.
I've Been drooling over this on Flickr! Fantastic, and I love the combining thread idea.
This might be one of my favorite things you've ever made. Really beautiful.
Wow, that's just so pretty! Love the hand quilting. :)
Love this :) Beautiful stitching!
This is so pretty, Sarah! What a beautiful job!
I LOVE the mug rug! It turned out just perfectly!!!
Definitely looks like ripples on the water :)
Sarah, this is wonderful! Your partner is really going to love it. :D
Sarah:) I want one too!!! I think it's just wonderful!! I'm sure she'll love it:D
xoxo
Oh, it is beautiful. You have a very lucky partner!
Hi! I just love this! Circles and round stitching is really beautiful! Great colours, too!
Surprised to read tis was your first stab at hand quilting - it's super.
Yes, the longer stitches further out is genius! It looks like rippling water. So peaceful! Can't wait to try my hand at hand quilting.
Love the simplicity of it, the way you stuck to those colours, even with the binding.
Gosh, what a lot of work for a little mug rug! No wonder you don't want to give it away! I hope your partner appreciates it and loves it as much as you do!
This is beautiful. Your secert partner is going to LOVE it!
That is stunning Sarah! I really love it! Such beautiful colours and swirls!
Love that! So modern!
Sarah, this is fabulous! I think you are spot on about the rippling water. Love it!
Sarah, this is so beautiful! The embroidery really makes it special.
I can see why you don't want to part with it! I wouldn't have known it's the first time for hand quilting - it's very even and neat!
Teresa x
I love the hand quilting, colors are wonderful.
What a neat mug rug! Your hand stitching really sets off the design!
I do love this mugrug, your partner is going to be so lucky!
love this! the simplicity is fantastic
So simple and sweet! I love it. Thanks for telling us the details.
Your mug rug is beautiful! I really like the hand quilting :) I bet your partner will love it!
Lovely, my friend!
This is lovely! Great job!
Man do I wish I was your partner and I'm not even in this swap!! I absolutely love it. It IS just like waves rippling and it's so calming. I am pinning this for future copycatting for sure!!
Rippling water was exactly the effect I was going for when I came up with this idea and you have nailed it! Once again, thanks for the mention, you did an amazing job - your partner is very lucky!
this is gorgeous! i don't know how you can bear to give it up!
Love it. Love the design, colours and quilting.
I am soooooo tempted to make one just like it!
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