This Scrappy Mug Rug Is Bound to Be the Apple of Your Eye

By Diane Knott

apple mug rug

Mug rugs may not grow on trees, but they can come out of fabric scraps. This quick and easy project is perfect for summer or fall, and — bonus! — makes an A+ gift for any teacher.

Apple Mug Rug

Level: Easy

What You Need

  • Red and green fabrics
  • Background fabric
  • Batting
  • Binding strip
  • Thread
  • Cutting mat
  • Rotary cutter
  • Ruler
  • Iron

    • Cutting instructions

  • Six 1½” x 5½” red fabric strips
  • Three 1½” green fabric squares
  • One 1½” x 8½” background fabric strip
  • Three 1½” x 5½” background fabric strips
  • One 1½” x 3½” background fabric strips
  • Five 1½” background fabric squares
  • 8½” x 9½” backing unit
  • 34″ binding strip
  • 8″ x 9″ batting unit

    • Instructions

    1. Cut and Arrange the Pieces

    apple mug rug fabric strips

    Cut your fabric and line up the six red strips side by side. Continue building the foundation of your block as pictured above. Stagger the green fabric and place the background squares on top of the red strips, then place the background fabric as such:

  • The 1½” x 8½” strip across the bottom.
  • Two 1½” x 5½” strips on each side, and on the top left.
  • The 1½” x 3½” strip on the top right.

    • 2. Sew

    apple mug rug sewn squares

    When you have all your fabric pieces cut out and placed, arrange them as shown above. The background and green squares should be right sides together with the red fabric and the vertical strips should all line up evenly. The other two green squares should be right-sides together with the top two background strips.

    Sew diagonal lines, from corner to corner, joining the squares to the strips.

    Good to Know: This tutorial uses dark thread to demonstrate the sewing lines. When you’re making your block, choose a thread that matches the background fabric.

    3. Trim

    putting together apple mug rug

    Use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim away a corner on each square ¼” away from the sewing line.

    4. Open and Press

    sewn strips of apple mug rug

    Fold open each square and press the seams away from the background fabric. The red strip with the fabric leaf should be pressed toward the green fabric.

    Good to Know: This pressing will make piecing the strips easier, as the seams will nest together.

    5. Sew the Strips

    putting together apple mug rug

    Sew all the vertical strips together lengthwise with a ¼” seam allowance. Then sew the top strips together into one unit. Sew the top and bottom strips to the apple unit, joining the block together.

    6. Layer the Mug Rug

    quilt top apple mug rug

    Lay the quilt top on your batting and trim the batting to be ¼” larger than the top. Layer the batting and fabrics into a quilt sandwich: backing fabric (wrong side up), batting and quilt top (right side up). Trim the backing to be ¼” larger than the batting.

    7. Sew It Together

    Choose coordinating threads for the red apple, green leaf and background fabrics. Use a simple straight stitch to outline each shape.

    8. Bind It

    apple mug rug

    Cut a binding strip at least 34″ long and bind the mug rug . Then you’re done!

    Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.

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    14 Responses to “This Scrappy Mug Rug Is Bound to Be the Apple of Your Eye”

    1. Lynette

      Sweet design for a mug rug.

    2. Lynne

      Would make a great teacher's gift

    3. Sharon Mohler

      Very cute

    4. Kay

      Really cute…

    5. elw

      What a cute idea.

    6. Cheryl Harris

      Cute!

    7. rcaldrich19285644

      So cute!

    8. na

      Love mug rugs

    9. Nancy K Eldridge

      Cute!

    10. Iva Kinney

      This looks really fun to make