Hexagon Mug Rug

Another month has flown by, and it’s already May! The days are getting warmer, and you can finally take your stitching outside. To celebrate this lovely time of year, I designed a slow-stitching project for the Quilt Calendar with @pfaff-suomi for May.

English paper piecing (EPP) is one of my favorite techniques. For those who are not familiar with EPP, it’s a hand-sewing method where fabric is wrapped around paper templates to hold its shape, and the pieces are sewn together by hand.

EPP shapes are wonderfully versatile - hexagons, honeycombs, pentagons, triangles, squares, octagons, kites, jewels, clamshells, and more. But nothing can beat the humble hexagon! It’s an easy shape to start with thanks to its straight edges, and it comes in a wide range of sizes, from tiny 1/4" (0.6 cm) to large 2" and beyond. This project uses 1" (2.5 cm) hexagons, the most common size.

Let’s start!

Finished size: 6 1/4" x 6 1/4" (15.9 x 15.9cm)

Note: For quilting hexagons by machine, I highly recommend using a stitch-in-the-ditch sewing machine foot. The Pfaff stitch-in-the-ditch foot is made from clear plastic, which helps you see exactly where you’re going, and it has a small metal guide at the bottom that helps keep the stitching perfectly aligned in the seam.

Materials and cutting instructions

(all measurements are width × height)

• (20) 1″ (2.5cm) hexagon paper templates

• (20) assorted fabric scraps to cut 1" hexagons with 1/4" (0.6cm) seam allowance

• (1) 7 1/4" x 7 1/2" (18.4 x 19.1cm) backing fabric

• (1) 8 1/2" x 8" (21.8 x 20.3cm) batting

• (1) 2" (5.1cm) long ribbon for the tag

Download the templates HERE. Make sure the printer is set to “actual size” and not to “fit to page” when you print the templates. Check the 1” (2.5cm)  square to ensure the right final size.

Ohjeet suomeksi löytyy täältä 

1. Prepare (20) 1” (2.5cm) hexagons using either the glue or thread basting method:

   glue basting video

   thread basting video

   
   

   If you’re new to EPP, you can find a helpful tutorial here - it covers in detail how to cut the shapes and how to thread baste them. Don’t forget to punch a hole in the templates - it will help you remove the papers later.

   
   

2. Arrange your basted hexagons as shown in the photo below.

   

   Note that layouts A and B have different hexagon orientations, and the layouts are also mirrored. You can choose one or make two mug rugs.

   
   

3. First, sew the hexagons in rows (for layout A, use vertical rows; for layout B, use horizontal rows). Then, sew the rows together. You can find a hand-sewing video on my Instagram account here. If you need more guidance on hand sewing, you can also check this blog post.

   
   

4. Once the panel is sewn, press it with a warm iron on both sides and remove the paper templates. Press the panel once again with a warm iron.

   
   

5. Center the template on the panel and pin it in place. Trace around the template using a water-soluble marker.

   
   

   

   
   

6. Place the patchwork panel right side up on the batting and pin in place.

   You can choose whether to quilt the panel by hand or by machine. If you decide to quilt by hand, I recommend reading this blog post, which offers three different hand-quilting designs for hexagons. Hand quilting should be done only inside the traced template.

   
   

7. For machine quilting: Start at the top center (the numbers and yellow arrows indicate the quilting order for the first vertical row). Stitch directly on the seam (Line 1).

   

   
   

   Lines 2 and 3 are quilted on the same line: (2) Stitch along the seam between the hexagons, stopping at the end of the seam with the needle down.(3) Pivot the piece and stitch back along the same line to the hexagon tip. Stitch along two sides of the hexagon till the next seam between the hexagons.

   Continue quilting in this manner all the way to the bottom of the first row. Repeat the same steps for each remaining row. Use a stitch length of 2.5 and stitch-in-the-ditch sewing machine foot.

   
   

8. Reduce the stitch length to 2.0 and machine stitch inside the marked template at 1/8" (0.3 cm) from the line, to secure the stitching. Carefully cut out the mug rug along the marked line using scissors, taking extra care around the curves.

   
   

   

9. Fold the ribbon for the tag in half lengthwise and baste it to the curve at 3/4" (1.9 cm) from the bottom.

   
   

10. Place the backing fabric and the quilted panel right sides together and pin. Stitch around the mug rug with a 1/4" (0.6 cm) seam allowance, leaving a 2" (5.1 cm) opening in the middle of one straight side.

    
    

    

    
    

    Trim the corners diagonally to reduce bulk and trim away excess fabric from the backing around the rug except for the opening.

    
    

    

11. Turn the mug rug right side out through the opening and gently push out the corners using a pointy tool. Press with a warm iron from the back side. Finally, close the opening by hand using a ladder stitch.

Your Mug Rug is ready to use!

If you decide to make a Hexagon Mug Rug using this tutorial and share it on Instagram, please tag me @nordiccrafter and @pfaff_suomi so we can admire your work!

Happy Stitching!❤