Applying the binding:
1. Fold one of the short ends of the 2 3/4” x 44” strip of fabric 1/4” to the wrong side and iron in place. Fold the entire length of fabric in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together, and iron.
2. Beginning at the center front, along the bottom edge of the mug rug, and using the edge that you ironed in at 1/4″, pin the binding to the mug rug with the raw edges of the binding even with the raw edges of the mug rug.
3. Before you do the remaining edges, you will stitch this section in place using a 3/8” seam allowance. Begin your stitching at the folded end of your binding, and stop your stitching 3/8″ from the corner. I like to run a couple of back stitches at the beginning and end of my stitching to secure seam in place. Remove the project from the machine.
4. Flip your binding piece up forming a fold at a 45-degree angle. Then bring the binding back down so that the fold in your binding will be even with the raw edge at the top. Your raw edges of the binding will be even with the raw edges of the mug rug.
5. Secure with pins and stitch in place just as you did with the first edge stopping 3/8″ from the end. Repeat these steps with remaining corners. With the remaining corners, you will also be starting your stitching 3/8” from the corner too. When you get to the end, leave an overlap of at least an inch and trim off the excess binding before stitching that final section down.
6. Trim off excess threads and remove basting stitches that might have been left behind or exposed. Flip the folded edges of the binding to the back and pin in place. Hand stitch binding to the backing.
Finishing:
If you will be using fabric paint or glue for any embellishments, do that now and let dry. If mug rugs are your thing, as well as other fun sewing projects, stop by my new and improved website, Sher’s Creative Space for LOTS of patterns and tutorials.
Thank you so much for the mug rug patterns. Always look forward to receiving notices from So Sew Easy in my email.
Do you have PDFs your instructions? Printing from the website produces so many pages, also I have sometimes missed that I have to continue to a second page so I don’t get all the instructions. on the first go.
Hi Meiko, try using PrintFriendly from the sharing buttons on the left of the screen. You’ll see three dots, click to expand sharing options, choose PrintFriendly. This will make a nicely formatted .pdf file that you can print. Hope that helps and happy sewing!
I love your mug rug monthly patterns, how can I get all of them?
Hi Carol, you can search our site if you like and you’ll find them all. I will also do a summary of this whole seasonal series when it is finished. Thanks for your comment!
I think I am frustrated because am unable to download any of the free patterns!!!
Hi Evelyn, what seems to be the issue? We do several thousand downloads a day so the system is working fine. Please let me know what issues you seem to be encountering and we’ll try to help.
I got the template download but link to directions comes up ” page can’t be found “.
How do I download a pdf – I can’t see it anywhere?
Love the colors & the flowers. Thanks so much for these mug rug patterns.
Really appreciate the monthly free mug rug patters! They are nice & as easy or difficult as you want (by detailing or not). Thank you.
Thank you for the pattern! I alter mug rug patterns for postcards too.
just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful mug rugs. I love them! directions were very easy to follow.
where can i find the flower shapes to download that part of the project?
Hi Ginger, the link to the template/pattern download is on the second page of the tutorial. Just click on the link in the orange box.
I love your site,you are very good at every thing you do,and thank you for all of your freebies