Mug Mats

I hate it when my hot coffee gets cold before I get to drink it. And with freezing temperatures outside, and cold counters inside, that happens a lot in the winter (also that I rarely get an uninterrupted moment to enjoy a full cup of hot coffee). I've had my eye on these little coasters since last year when I saw this project by Joelle Hoverson on Martha Stewart's website and today seemed like the perfect day to test it out.

The project is fairly simple, even for someone who's quilting level would be considered "pre-beginner". Really, I don't even think "beginner" describes my skill set at quilting. But as you can see, I made my way through these and really enjoyed the process. I did, however, find another tutorial that I prefer to the one prepared by Joelle Hoverson (though it should be said that I'm a huge fan of Joelle's work). Check out this one at Adelaide Lemonade. I found her technique and instructions even easier to follow and she made me feel just fine about my inadequate quilting skills. I even enjoyed practicing making quilted concentric squares. What makes the method at Adelaide Lemonade easier is the use of fusible fleece, so you aren't fussing with trying to get your batting to fit just right. When I ran out of fusible fleece (I only had enough for 2 coasters on hand), I resorted to using the method described by Joelle. Finished measurements are 4x4 inches for all. (I started with 4.5x4.5 inch squares for all.) Overall, both were easy and I am happy with the imperfection that is my quilted coasters. Of course I used more Bliss fabric and had a great time mixing and matching the coaster tops and bottoms. The two pictures above show the two different sides of the coasters. I made each one different and I think I'll make a bunch more because it really was a fun project to make and they go together so quickly.

Aaahhhh, hot coffee...

Happy Crafting!

Kate