If you’ve spent time recently deep cleaning your closet, why not turn your old jeans into some adorable rustic mug rugs? A dream project for thrifters, this upcycled sewing project from Dana Rebmann shows readers how to combine denim with fabric doilies to create country cottage mug rugs. Dana is also sharing some of her favorite ideas for upcycling doilies, so get ready to raid Granny’s attic for your next sewing project.
Skill Level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours
Finished Size: 6” x 6”
Seam Allowance: 1/4”
Materials:
- Fabric:
- Denim – Cut 2 – 6” x 6″ – A
- Cotton batting low loft (optional) – Cut 1 – 6” x 6” – B
- Doily – 5 1/2” or smaller
- Thread: Color to match doily – C, Color desired for denim seam – D
- Straight pins
- Scissors
PATTERN NOTES:
- Denim sourced from old stretch jeans. Doilies sourced from secondhand store.
- Backstitch at the start and finish of each section and corners.
- White thread was used on white doilies, the tan thread was used for cream doilies, and as accent thread for sewing coasters together.
- Mug Rugs can be made with or without a layer of batting between. Use a firm stabilizer if a stiffer mug rug is desired.
Sewing Instructions:
- Wash, dry, and iron fabric.
- Cut fabric.
- Place doily in the center of right side of 1 square of Fabric A and pin in place.
- Sew the doily to Fabric A using C to sew a 3” circle in the center of the doily. (Do not sew more than 1 1/2” from the center point.) The edges of the doily will not be sewn down.
- Sandwich Fabric B between both Fabric As with wrong sides together (right sides out). Fold the edges of the doily toward the center and pin through all layers. This will expose the edges of the denim as well as the corners.
- With D, sew all layers together with 1/4” seam allowance around all four sides.
- With D, sew layers together from the corner toward the center for approximately 1 1/2” or to where the doily is sewn to Fabric A. Repeat for each corner.
- Remove pins. The doily may cover some of the seams from Step 7.
- Fray the edges. If using stretch jeans fabric, you may need to make mini cuts around the project first.
