Christmas Mug Rugs

I realize it's a little strange talking about Christmas when I just posted a Halloween post two days ago. But if you're making your Christmas gifts this year, you know the importance of starting early.  I bet some of you even started working on gifts in July.  So today I'm going to share a little bit about what I'm sewing for Christmas with some fabric I was sent to review by Modes4u.com.

I've worked with Modes4u before and one of the things I like about their store is their fabric selection.  Specifically, they have an amazing selection of Japanese fabric.  My only problem with the fabric is trying to decide what I'm going to make with it.  I don't want to squander it on any old project.
  

So, I finally settled on a project that's worthy of my designer fabric, mug rugs.  Mug rugs are like a glorified coaster.  They're a little bigger.  Sometimes they have pockets for snacks or a circle for your cup.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  They're also the perfect project for fabrics sold in .5meter units.

For this mug rug I used the tutorial from the blog Fashioned by Meg.

For the roof I chose to use "Large Pretty Petals" by Michael Miller.  The shape of the flowers worked out perfect for the roof.  One flower cut in half was the perfect size for the roof template.  And I love how the fabric looks like an ornate roof top.

For the doors I used a coordinating fabric by Michael Miller called "Nordic Holiday".  I chose this print so it would match the roof and made a nice focal point for the doors.  I also liked having the variety of trees and reindeer.

 

Why should the front get all the cute fabrics, right?  I always like the surprise of turning something over to find it looks just as pretty as the front. That said, I went with a fabric called Snowflakes by Timeless Treasures for the back of the mug rug.

Have you started creating gifts for Christmas yet?  What are you making?