Wouldn’t it look pretty if a mug rug coaster was shaped like a maple leaf? When that idea popped into my head, I searched the internet for a pattern and could not find one. So I told myself “Lara, Step Away From the Computer”, went for a walk outside in the sunshine, got a real maple leaf and made up my own pattern. I found some fabrics that would hide stains and wash up well and then made up a few maple leaf mug rugs for our family room. My DH even said he loves them!

So I am now posting this for anyone else who would also like to make them. Seems like an Autumn-y thing to do. If any of you do make one, I would Love to see your pictures and see how they come out in different fabrics.

Please bear with me while I post the directions and pictures, as I’m going to post them one step at a time to keep them in the right order.

Love your fabric choices. Very pretty.

So here it is, a Fun & Easy Project! A Pictorial Tutorial (LOL - say that ten times fast!) for Making a Maple Leaf Mug Rug

1. Print out the Maple Leaf Pattern on regular printer paper. Size it to one page, with borders of 1.0 The Pattern should be about 6 inches.

2. Choose your fabric (or fabrics) and make a layered sandwich in this order:
Bottom - Quilt batting / Middle - fabric square, face up / Top - fabric square, face down

3. Pin the Pattern to the top layer of fabric.

4. Set your sewing machine for a very small straight stitch. Sew around the outside edge of the leaf pattern, starting and stopping at the arrows on the pattern. Reinforce the first and last corners with backstitching along the way.

5. Trim the batting very close to the outside of the stitching, including the v-shaped indent at the base of the leaf pattern.

6. Flip the leaf over. Pull off the paper around the Outside of the leaf. Leave on the paper within the leaf pattern. Keeping it in place will help you to see the stitching line as you trim the fabric, especially if your thread matches your fabric.

7. Cut away the excess fabric, leaving a 1/8 inch seam allowance. Please note: where the v- shaped opening is left, leave a 1/4" seam allowance and snip into the tip of the "V" as illustrated in the picture below. This helps when it comes time to turn that edge under.

8. Trim the corners and clip the curves all around the outside edge of the leaf, being very careful not to cut into your stitching. (This is where leaving on the paper really helps!)