Get Your Craft On! It's Tea Time ..... A New Tutorial + 2 Giveaways!

Hi everyone, I am super excited to show you this new tutorial that I created for the tea party going on over at Wild Olive.  It's called the "Tea Time Mug Rug". 

And, if you are stopping over from Wild Olive, I want to say "hello" and give you a big warm "welcome".  Grab your cup of tea and stay a while ... here on the split stitch I share lots of crafty goodness related to embroidery, sewing, cross stitch, paper crafts and occasionally crochet. 

Let me tell you about this mug rug. I had so much fun designing this and putting it together.  Here is the front:

I used fabric by Tanya Whelan from her Delilah collection for most of the patchwork insert and the applique.  The red with white polka dots is a calico print I picked up from JoAnn's, and the green gingham is fabric reclaimed from a Pottery Barn Kids nursery panel.  The side panel with the cute tea bag is Kona Cotton in ash.

And speaking of the tea bag ... isn't he the cutest thing ever?  This tea bag is an original design by Mollie from Wild Olive, that she created especially for this project.  She is just so stinking talented it kills me! It does! I mean look at this guy .....

I really just cannot say enough nice things about Mollie ... not only as a person, but as a designer.  Mollie actually designed this guy as an embroidery pattern (which you can get for free on her blog), which I did embroider, but also turned into some fun applique with some fabric scraps and Steam-A-Seam 2 permanent fusible adhesive.

Here is the back of the mug rug ...

I used a reclaimed flat sheet, and made an applique with Tanya Whelan's fabric.  I gotta admit, I love this mug rug.

And if you are new to mug rugs, and wondering what they are, they are bigger than a coaster, but smaller than a place mat ... the perfect size for your cup of tea and a snack.  And here at the split stitch we are making them all the time, I have other mug rug tutorials for you HERE and HERE. 

Get the original tea time mug rug tutorial HERE!

Update (7/14/2011): Want to make and sell mug rugs in your shop, or want a PDF version of the tutorial with more styling options and additional instruction?  Buy it HERE.

Oh wait, you heard rumors of a give away didn't you?  I got one  two of those for you too!

GIVEAWAY!

For the Tea Party Week at Wild Olive, I will be giving away the completed mug rug I made for this tutorial to one lucky reader...

AND another lucky reader will win a pre-cut set of the fabrics I used to create the finished example ...

Please note, the fabric you receive will NOT have the applique rose or tea bag on it ... after all you want to make it your own, right?  The side panel of fabric will be cut larger than called for in the tutorial, so you can embellish it as you choose before stitching up the mug rug.

So, to recap -- 2 lucky readers will be chosen, one will receive the mug rug, and the other will receive a set of pre-cut fabrics to make their very own mug rug.

Here is how to enter:  (UPDATE: Comments are closed, and winners have been announced for this giveaway, become a follower so you do not miss out on future giveaways )

1. Go check out my Tutorials/Patterns section (found near the top right of the page), and let me know in the comments section which pattern, project, or how-to you like the best.

2. For a Bonus Entry, become a blog follower using google or blog lovin' and come back and tell me in the comments section that you did (and if you are already a follower that is okay too, just say so!).

3. And for a third Bonus entry, go check out my patterns in my Etsy shop, and come back here and tell me in the comments which one you like best.

So ... you can enter the giveaway up to 3 times by leaving 3 separate comments!  In any of the comments, feel free to indicate if you would rather win the mug rug or the fabric.

IMPORTANT: Please provide an email address with each entry so I know how to contact you ... providing your email in this format -- thesplitstitch (at) live (dot) com is perfectly fine. 

  The giveaway will remain open until Monday, May 30 at Noon EST, after which 2 winners will be chosen at random and announced here.

UPDATE:  Please see THIS POST announcing the winners.

ANOTER UPDATE: This tutorial is now also available as a PDF that comes with full size pattern pieces, and free applique templates.  Includes terms of use allowing the sale of completed mug rugs.  Get it in my shop HERE.