I think mug rugs are a super fun way to work on new techniques and try out different things with quilting, in a small, practically no commitment needed kind of way.  When Erin first asked me to join in, I was completely idea-less.  Until one fateful day at Wal-Mart, when I came across a copy of Nintendo Power magazine in their magazine section.  I had no idea they were even still publishing that magazine, but I hadn't seen one since I was a kid.  Naturally, given that I hardly play video games these days, it reminded me of the good old days of video games, back when the Nintendo NES system was the coolest thing on the block.

I was the last kid I knew to get a Nintendo, but from having played at my friends' houses, I'd gotten pretty good at several games.  I loved playing the Mario games, especially Super Mario 3, but my most favorite game was Tetris.  From the music to the colorful blocks to the way the game was like an interactive puzzle, I loved every minute of it.  My mother would sit and watch, and kind of act like a sportscaster behind me, narrating what I was doing and interjecting her two cents as to where I should put a block or how I should flip it.  I spent many hours of my childhood with that game, and quilting has always kind of reminded me of Tetris.

At first, I thought about using my Tetris idea in the For the Love of Solids swap, but my partner didn't seem to enthused about it.  No problem, I transferred the idea over to Mug Rug Madness, and an adorable little mug rug was born.


This mug rug is super easy to put together, and if you were as big of a fan of Tetris as I was, you'll be able to come up with your own interpretation, using the basic blocks of Tetris.  Here's a super simple way to make one just like mine.

Tetris Mug Rug
You'll need:
Scraps of 10 different fabrics
~ 36" of binding
6" x 9" scrap of batting
6" x 9" fabric scrap for backing

1. Cut four 1.5" squares from each of your fabrics.  Each Tetris block is made from four smaller blocks, arranged in a certain way.

2. Layout your squares in a way to match the diagram below.


3. Stitch your squares together row by row, left to right, in pairs, until each row is complete, using a scant 1/4" seam.  Press your seams open.


4. Seam your rows together, again using a scant 1/4" seam, and pinning as necessary to ensure your blocks line up.

5. Press all seams open.  Back, quilt, and bind as desired.  Ta da!