Quilted Mug Rugs

This post for Quilted Mug Rugs has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TeaProudly #CollectiveBias

These quilted mug rugs were made with fall in mind...fun, coordinating fabrics all come together to make some pretty spiffy mats for your mugs. They also double as steeping toppers, too.

I think you guys already know that I'm a diehard Bigelow Tea fan. I have been for years. Remember that time I got to tour their headquarters and immerse myself in all things Bigelow? Now that was a good time, y'all. 

You know what else is a good time? Fall. Fall is a good time. Especially in Texas. I'm switching my iced Bigelow tea that I've made all summer for some cozy, comfortable hot mugs of deliciousness for the cooler months. Nothing beats a hot cup of Bigelow (keep the Constant Comment coming, y'all). Now that my kids are getting older, we all enjoy cups of hot tea. I made these fun Quilted Mug Rugs to not only serve as mats under our cups, but they also double as a quick topper to steep a mug full of tea when you're in a hurry.

A few of my favorite varieties of Bigelow Tea include their original Constant Comment flavor, their Green Tea, and Earl Grey, which I always have a mug of before bedtime. You can actually click on the above photo to grab some Bigelow goodness for yourself.

And as I mentioned above, these quilted mug rugs actually double as toppers when steeping tea. A few years back, some genius person out there invented ceramic mugs that had toppers that fit right onto them for steeping. I, naturally, broke every one of them I ever owned. So, I went back to the way my mom steeped tea...with a square oven mitt (this may just be a southern thing, y'all). I made these new quilted mug rugs so they are large enough to cover the top of your mug and steep your tea if you're in a hurry (like we are now that school has started back up and fall is officially underway). Plus, these are way cuter than some crusty old oven mitt, amiright?

I also included free printable gift tags for you to use when gifting anything tea-riffic...like, say, a set of these awesomesauce quilted mug rugs? You can find that download at the bottom of this post.

Again, these are significantly larger than coasters. Typically mug rugs are made for tea...and are large enough to also hold your spoon while it's resting, along with a nibble or two of something yummy.

To make these quilted mug rugs, you'll need the following:

• Coordinating Fabrics (my mugs are patchwork and quilted, so I just used a big fat quarter bundle of fall fabrics). You could also use a jelly roll set if you're doing the patchwork look, too). This is a budget-friendly sewing tutorial...feel free to raid your scrap pile.
• Coordinating Threads
• Felt Sheets or Batting (I like the felt sheets on this, since they're smaller and easier to cut than a large roll of batting.)
• You'll also need the standard sewing accoutrements (sewing machine, pins, scissors or rotary cutter, quilting ruler)

I cut my strips into 2.5" strips. 
I left the length alone and trimmed later.

I just did a simple little piecework on this strips. Lay the first two right sides together and do a basic stitch with a quarter inch seam allowance on one side to sew the two pieces together.

Be sure to add a backstitch at each end.
Then attach your third piece in the same manner.

After all three strips are sewn together, press open your seams. I'm not really a quilter, so I just pressed them open like I do for all of my sewing projects. Quilters would press to one side. Pressing the seams open just came more naturally to me.

Duplicate with another set of your strips. Trim the length to 7". The width came to 6.5". You want to end up with two "almost squares" of 7"x6.5". 

Lay them right sides together. Do a basic stitch around three sides of the edges (leaving a slight seam allowance). You'll leave one of the smaller sides open.

Be sure to clip your two corners so when you turn it right side out, they make nice points.

Go ahead and turn it the right side out and use a blunt object to push those corners out nicely. I like to press the mug rug at this time, so everything is laying out well. I use two pieces of my felt for batting here...I wanted these to be thicker and fluffier than your average fabric coaster. I added a dab of glue to the felt and glued the pieces together (truly, I just used a dot of the glue...just so they wouldn't slide around inside the mug rug). After they're adhered together, slide them into the mug rug.

This is kind of "cheater binding" for those of us who don't quilt. You'll tuck those two open ends inside on top of the felt squares that you just slipped inside your mug rug (one on each side of the felt, about a half an inch, so you now have a perfect 6.5" mug rug square). Press this to where those turns stay in place. Then head back to your sewing machine. 

You'll do a basic stitch (in a fun thread since it will show), all around the perimeter of your mug rug. No need to do a backstitch. As pictured above, tie your two ends together on both sides, then clip the ends. You can either leave this mug rug as is, or quilt it even more (as pictured below).

I did several different quilting patterns on these mug rugs. I think my favorite is the squares inside squares. I just used my presser foot on my machine as a spacing guide to create square after square of stitches.

Who is ready for a hot mug of Bigelow tea, now? Drinking tea is so much more fun...you can sip it all day long (especially as the weather gets chilly)! It’s warm and cozy and it soothes the soul. Tea connects people, strikes up conversations, and makes memories. I love that my entire family enjoys tea these days.There's nothing like a hot cup of tea to warm both your hands and your heart, y'all.

Don't forget that the size of these quilted mug rugs makes them perfect for steeping, too.

And of course, I tea proudly with my Bigelow tea. Bigelow is truly the only choice for me and my family. They have so many varieties and that foil pouch, alone, is a game changer for freshness. Bigelow is a 3-generation, family owned company with US manufacturing (I've seen this first hand at their headquarters in Connecticut). They are a quality tea with quality ingredients that can't be beat. If I drink Bigelow, I know I will TEA PROUDLY!

It's the perfect tea to share and snack with...
I love having friends over for a spot of it!

It's definitely tea time, somewhere, right?

Don't forget to grab your free printable tea gifting tags below.

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THESE TAGS.
They work best printed on card stock.

Grab your Bigelow Tea at your local Walmart.
Or click here for more information.

How do you tea proudly?

For more fun ways to incorporate Bigelow in your life,

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