The mug rug rage

Mug rugs have become the latest rage in the crafting world.  If you do a search for a mug rug you will find an abundance of tutorials, and swaps.   I'm sure some people have no clue what a mug rung is, but all in all it is just a fun name for a coaster.  They are a bit larger than a coaster but smaller than a place-mat for your table, they range in size from 4"x4" to where your imagination leads you.  

 I have never joined in any online swaps before so a few weeks ago I took the plunge and signed up over at Sew Happy Geek.  This swap has already been paired up but,  Jenna will be doing another swap later in the year if you want to get involved.

So far I have made this simple project way more difficult than it should ever be.   I have emailed back and forth with my partner on what colors they like and so forth, but I still managed to stress over finding that perfect pattern.   I'm hoping she likes what I decided on, if not, well I guess she can put it under the dog's water bowl to catch the drips. :)  

I finally picked a pattern you could say, and have made my first attempt at paper/foundation piecing.  It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be once I figured out how to do that first seam.   I decided a few blocks were fun to do, but I don't think I would want to do a whole quilt like that.  The pattern I decided on can be found here.

Now If I arranged the pattern the way it is shown here, then  my finished block would look something like this only in different colors.  




I think the colors the person used when making this pictured block looks like something straight from the late 80's to mid 90's, and well it is giving me some flashbacks of my high school years and I want to run screaming.

Now I may or may not have made my block to have the same funky star appearance.   I think by setting 3 of the 4 blocks on point  would make some very cool and funky looking tulips, then by leaving the final block blank and appliquéd some green stems and leaves on would be a great finishing touch.  But again, I may or may not have done that.

Once I know my person has received their new rug mug I will post a picture, and will also include a picture of the one I received in return.   Now I need to get to work on this project and add some boarders quilt it and get bound so I can get it in the mail.