Pattern Description:
Create a festive Christmas Tree Mug Rug with this easy quilted pattern! Using green, brown, and cream fabrics, assemble half-square triangles and small fabric pieces to form a charming tree block measuring 5½” x 5½”.
Add cream borders to reach a finished size of about 7” x 10”. Perfect for beginners, this cozy handmade project makes a lovely holiday gift.
Materials Needed & Measurements:
The construction requires the following pieces:
1½” x 1½” Squares:
- 1 – brown 1½” x 1½” square
- 5 – dark green 1½” x 1½” squares
- 4 – light green 1½” x 1½” squares
- 5 – dark green 1½” x 1½” squares
- 10 – cream 1½” x 1½” squares
Other Cutting:
- 2 cream – 1″ x 1½” squares
- 2 cream – 1½” x 2″ rectangles
- 2 cream – 1½” x 2½” rectangles
- 1 light green – 1½” x 2½” rectangle
- 1 dark green – 1½” x 3½” rectangle
Materials for Assembly/Finishing:
- 1 – 1½” x 5½” strip of cream (added to the left side of the Christmas tree block)
- 1 – 4″ x 5½” cream block (added on the left side)
- 2 – 1½” x 10″ strips of cream (added after the previous strips)
- Batting: Warm & Natural batting was used
- Binding: A 2½ inch binding was used, folded in half and stitched
Instructions for Making the Christmas Tree Mug Rug Pattern:
Creating Half-Square Triangles (HSTs)
The construction of the tree pattern relies on creating Half-Square Triangles (HSTs). These units are formed using the designated tree fabric and background fabric.
- Placement: Begin by placing the tree fabric piece right side up. Then, place the background fabric (which is the cream fabric in this case) right side down on top of the tree fabric.
- Marking and Stitching: Draw a line diagonally across the layered fabrics; this marked line will serve as the stitching line. Proceed to stitch the seam along this line.
- Pressing and Trimming: Once stitched, press the seam allowance toward the tree print fabric. Finally, trim off the two back pieces to complete the HST unit. Once completed, these HSTs are used within the overall block design.
Assembling the Christmas Tree Block
The various cut squares, rectangles, and completed HSTs are sewn together row by row to form the central Christmas tree design. The finished size of this completed Christmas tree block, before adding the borders for the mug rug, is 5½” x 5½” square.
Sizing and Adding Cream Borders
The final size of the mug rug is flexible and can be made bigger or smaller by altering the size of the cream strips added to the block. To achieve the finished size of approximately 7 inches x 10 inches, several cream pieces are added to the 5½” x 5½” tree block.
Follow these steps for the border assembly:
- Add a 1½” x 5½” strip of cream to the left side of the completed Christmas tree block.
- Next, add a 4″ x 5½” cream block on the left side.
- Finally, incorporate two 1½” x 10″ strips of cream.
Alternatively, the tree can be placed on the right, or a different sizing can be chosen depending on the scraps of quilt fabric available.
Quilting and Finishing
Once the top of the mug rug is assembled with the borders, it is ready for quilting.
- Batting: Warm & Natural batting was used in the project example.
- Quilting: The finished top can be quilted as desired; swirly free motion quilting was used in the original tutorial example.
- Trimming: After quilting, the piece is trimmed to the desired size, which in the example was about 7 inches x 10 inches.
- Binding: The edges are finished using binding. For the tutorial project, a 2½ inch binding strip was used, folded in half, and then stitched to secure the edges.
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