Double Sided Mug Rug gift

This 2 sided mug rug is a gift to Mary the Curious Quilter who hosts the Charm Swap. She does a lot of work to sort all the quilters who want to trade charm squares. I'm trading 800 charm squares with 8 quilters (100 each) and I sent 2 newbie gifts of 50 squares each to new quilters. Mary has a tutorial for making a mug rug on her site.

Find 5 faces in this mug rug. 

See the Grinch acting like a leaf?--"Leaf me alone!"

This side was fun!! Note the newsprint fabric at the bottom. Under the STOP sign is part of the weather map. I used the part of the map where Mary lives. :)

This mug rug was made from 1 1/2" squares of fabric set 7 x 10.

To make this mug rug I arranged all the squares on my cutting mat.

Then sewed all the vertical seams while chain piecing.

(Alternate the seams, pressed in then out.)

All the squares are hooked together. 

This is what Bonnie Hunter calls "webbing" the quilt.

Now I sew the horizontal rows.

I used a cardboard template to fussy cut some parts of the design.

Yes this makes my fabric look like swiss cheese!

This is the flip side before sewing.

Webbed.

Front and back ready to layer with batting and quilt it.

Easy and quick project--not to mention FUN.

This is what I did Saturday morning before company came....instead of cleaning house.:)

These are the 100 fabrics I cut up for the charm swap. Each of my 8 swap partners got a set of these.

I have my project in mind already for the charms I will be receiving. Stay tuned...

Scrap Happy Purse

This Scrap Happy Purse was designed by Amanda Jean Nyberg.

Her Crazy Mom Quilts blog is amazing. 

To begin this purse project I cut little pieces from all the fabrics I pulled out for

Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt that will begin late November.

Quilting straight lines 1/4" to 1/2" apart.

Side 1.

Side 2.

A fun fabric peeking out.

The handles were purchased at Joann Fabrics.

I also put 2 magnetic closures instead of just one.

This green lining fabric is leftover from the back of my Celtic Solstice quilt.

The remaining scraps went into this small project. 

It's just a court house steps block with flowers cut free form with pinking sheers.

These 2 projects are a test to see if the fabrics chosen for the mystery quilt will play nicely together.

I'd say the answer is yes!

2014 License Plate Quilt

2014 License Plate Quilt

35" x 58"

These are the 34 participating states plus one Canadian province in the

 2014 Row By Row Experience.

I collected one from each state either by:

1. going into the store

2. calling the store on the phone

3. buying at the online store

4. trading with out of state friends

5. having my sweet relatives get them for me

and

6. the "ROW X ROW GAL" plate was purchased on eBay

I personally went to shops in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario.

Suzzie's Quilt Shop was the first shop I visited on July 1st when the row by row began.

Most of the fabrics in the quilt were purchased this summer at various shops while I was collecting free row patterns and purchasing the license plates.

Thank you to all my friends and relatives that did some extra driving to visit some amazing quilt shops this summer and help me collect patterns and plates. I've been having so much fun sewing the rows together. Rumor has it that next summer all 50 states will be participating in the Row by Row!

The back of the quilt has a large version of the 

"Polkadot Garden" by the Cloth & Bobbin, Narberth, PA.

This quilt is an original design. The houses and trees are foundation pieced.

It can be made in different sizes really easily.

I'm thinking about writing the pattern and selling it on Etsy.... Stay tuned.

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