mug rug?

 I saw this sign driving home. The entire base is knitted! The light turned green so this was the best shot I could get.

 Here's my first attempt at a mug rug. What is a mug rug anyway? I read a ton of quilting blogs daily and they are all way into these. It's basically a mix between a coaster and a placemat. It's a mini quilt to hold your coffee/tea and possibly a pastry or piece of toast. It can also be a giant condensation soaker upper for your desk. The picture above is where I was short about a centimeter of bias tape to finish (oops) and my bobbin ran out on the home stretch. UGH. Moving on. Here's the initial post that inspired me.

 So since this was my first mug rug, I was pretty hasty with my sewing and fabric selection. I wanted to make it boyish since I am mailing this one to Hank to use at his desk. Hence the cowboy. I tried a new method (new to me) of sewing each strip directly to the batting and backing as I went. Kind of like quilting as you go. 

I think it turned out okay considering I ran out of tape. Can you see? and my craftsmanship on my edges is below average. Bias tape and I don't get along. I have a better idea for my next one.