I agree. I've had someone ask me for one of my charity quilts so that she could give it as a wedding gift! (Compliment to me, but I was a bit taken back! I said, "No, I think not.")

Couldn't the kids make them out of felt? You could make the patterns and they could cut and glue them together.

Why not do a ten minute block for each mug. You will end up with 4 triangular pockets for the children to fill. Hope you understand what I mean as my head not working this morning.
Are you being paid as it willwork out financially very expensive plus time consuming. Don't be a doormat go and chat with the head about your concerns. A few for friends and so many and it could snowball from their. Ask how I know I was a teacher but also the head and only sewer in a school slightly larger than yours. I would cost using charm packs when you see the head and that the cost is only one side still need batting and backing. Small schools usually short of money . Another quick make just thought about is just a square but fill with bit of smelly stuff so that when heat placed on you get the aroma. These could be bagged put with one side not sewn for filling and how about a quick loop.

How "finished" do they have to be? Do you bind them, or just sew around the edges, turn inside out, and then stitch a quarter inch in? Seems like you could let the kids bring them to you as you sew three sides, let the kid turn it inside out, and then sew the last side. You could have all the pieces precut, and I agree with having the kids decorate one side. I do get that kids that age may or may not want to draw anything, but having a hand outline is always nice for the parent when it becomes hard to remember that they were ever that small...

Your boss has a lot of "hutzpah" in my opinion.

You could always pinking shear the edges.

I understand all points of view. It would be VERY generous of you to do this. I hope they don't expect one every year. If that happens, are you ok with it? Most do not understand what goes into this craft. It could also turn into a side business for you if anyone wants to learn how to make them. I do agree however, for it to be from their child, their child should be responsible for some part of it. What that is, depends on you. I've never been a fan of lying. I couldn't send something home and say it was from _____(fill in child's name). Unless they took part in the making of it, that would not be true.

I totally agree with the hand outline on the material. One year 2 other moms and I made a rag quilt for a K teacher with all the children's hands outlined in permanent marker and their names! Why not a rag type of mug rug with the same?

I would be interested in hearing what your final decision is though. If you'd be willing to pm me, I'd appreciate it. Good luck.

This is a time that a serger would come in handy. Some sergers do a really nice stitch plus trimming at the same time.

You could do up a lot of muslin sandwiches in minutes this way then let the kids at them with fabric markers. Have an adult nearby with a hot iron to heat set the designs.

Hand prints, simple poems, flowers, stick figures of family.

When my youngest was in second grade, I was home room mother. I bought two packages of napkins - one red the other white and spent an evening watching TV and folding the paper napkins into roses. Bought matching construction paper and let the kids design their own mother day cards. Put several sayings on the chalk board that they could use.

I remember one youngster asking what to do with the card since she did not have a mother. I asked her who took care of her and she said her Grandmother so I wrote on the board sayings for a grandmother, aunt, father or other relative in case some of the other children had the same worry.

The children had fun and got very creative.

This sounds totally wrong for you to be doing something like this? Why would a school or a teacher be giving the parents gifts? Are they paying you?

Just make "blanks" and let the kids paint their own with fabric paint/permanent markers.