Sunday, 23 April 2023

The Patchsmith's Summer Fun Pattern Book

The Patchsmith's Summer Fun Paperback 

There is a new Patchsmith mug rug pattern book available - Summer Fun Mug Rug Patterns.  Included are ten fun patterns to help you bring summer home.  Six of the mug rug patterns are from my most popular summer patterns available individually on Etsy. Such as:

Butterfly Pocket Mug Rug


Watermelon Mug Rug


Beach Huts Mug Rug

All of these patterns are available in my Etsy store (just click on the photos above to go through to the individual pattern).

However, there are four patterns in the Summer Fun book that are unique to this book:

Flower Garden Mug Rug 


Ticker Tape Mug Rug


Topiary Trees Mug Rug

Harbourside Mug Rug

The Summer Fun pattern book is currently only available in paperback via Amazon but I am finalizing the PDF version and will let you know as soon as it is up and ready in my Etsy store.

Thursday, 2 March 2023

St Patrick's Day Mug Rugs

 

St Patrick's Day version of Nordic Gnomes Mug Rug 

Sometimes all it takes is an additional free pattern sheet to turn a mug rug into a season special.  So it is with my Nordic Gnomes Mug Rug pattern.

Nordic Gnomes Mug Rug Pattern

With every purchase you receive an additional pattern sheet to turn the Nordic Gnomes into St Patrick's Day gnomes.  

Of course, you may just prefer to celebrate St Patrick's Day with a shamrock.

St Patrick's Day Mug Rug pattern

I love celebrating special days using a few scraps and an hour or two in my sewing room, don't you?

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Chinese New Year of the Rabbit

 

The Patchsmith's Black Water Rabbit Mug Rug

For many the New Year celebrations are behind us.  For others they are about to begin with the Chinese New Year of the rabbit – the black water rabbit to be precise.    And I have just the thing to help you celebrate:

a FREE ‘Chinese Good Fortune’ applique template

You can use this template alongside my Bunny Hop mug rug pattern.  Alternatively, you could create a coaster using just the Chinese Good Fortune templates.

The Patchsmith's Bunny Hop Mug Rug Pattern

If you wish to create your own Black Water Rabbit mug rug you will need my Bunny Hop mug rug pattern.  Follow the instructions in the pattern to applique one black rabbit, the circle and the ‘Good Fortune’ pieces from the FREE Chinese Good Fortune templates onto your mug rug background.

You could create a water background using strips of fabric

If however, you wish to create a smaller coaster using just the Good Fortune template, you can find instructions on quick-fuse applique HERE.

I added two waves from my Swimmer pattern to the background but much of it is covered by the applique.

I  recommend using felt for the calligraphy templates as they are small and a little fiddly. I would also recommend reading through my article on Quick Fuse Applique for hints and tips.  

Felt hides a multitude of sins
Use a small pair of sharp scissors for cutting out the shapes and, if your cutting isn’t very neat, consider securing the pieces using a blanket stitch, either by hand or machine.  This will hide many imperfections.  If your cutting is smooth however, you can use a simple straight stitch on top of the applique shapes to secure them to your mug rug/coaster.

This version is also included in my Bunny Hop Mug Rug Pattern

Which just leaves me to wish you all a 

VERY HAPPY 2023

FULL OF FUN, FABRIC AND GOOD FORTUNE