It’s getting on for that time of year when we’re looking for small gifts and stocking stuffers. How’s about a “mug rug”? It’s a great way to show off your hooking skills, and use up bits and bobs you may have laying around.
For those folks newer to hooking here’s a quick how-to....
First of all, find a mug with a suitably simple design to copy. Check your cupboards - is it time to cull the herd? Mugs have a way of multiplying in my house. If no candidates are available, check out thrift stores (ie someone has culled their own herd for your benefit). The mug pictured above came from one of Cobourg’s many thrift shops and was a stocking stuffer for the hubster last year. Note: while Xmas mugs are popular, think outside the box and go for a different theme, if you want.
Copy the design, or an approximation of it on to a small piece of foundation fabric. You don’t have to make an exact replica....just a suggestion of the mug’s design is fine. (Inside joke: the mug rug above depicts a calm day on the water - the kind I prefer, while the mug actually portrays a more blustery day - which is hubby’s favourite.). If you don’t have any scraps of linen or burlap, dollarama has sheets of burlap in the craft section. Make the rug big enough to fit under the mug - 4 inches across or so.
Use up your scraps from other projects, or pick up yarn or tshirts from the thrift store. Anything goes! Give it a good steaming with your iron when you’re finished hooking.
To finish it off, consider trying out one of the techniques Karen taught us. It’s great to practise on something small. I opted for a simple finish: I coated the back with silicone sealant (couldn’t find clear, so this is the bathtub stuff!). You can use white glue, tacky glue, etc, too. Make sure your glue/whatever extends about an inch beyond the edge of your hooking. Let it dry and then trim as close the hooking as you can.
And with that.....you’re done!
