#littlebitsmugrugswapcheckin

Today is the big day that all of the participants of the Little Bits Mug Rug Swap checkin! Are you excited? I am!!

Have you received your partner information? Emails were sent out in December. Have you made contact with your partner? Have you started making your templates and choosing fabrics? Or are you already finished and shipped your mug rug and goodies to your partner?

When you check in, you are put on a list for a drawing. If your name is drawn (my daughter will draw one of the names on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016), then you will receive a sewing goody package from Green Bee Design and Patterns and other surprises sent by me from Germany. Thank you again, Alexia for the awesome package you put together to share with us! (I haven't received the package from Alexia yet, but it is on its way. : ) So get those pictures posted on Instagram with the hashtag #littlebitsmugrugswapcheckin and tag @easypatchwork. If you are not on Instagram, you are welcome to send them to me via email with a small sized photo of your status so far. : )

I have already received a few emails from your creations. They look pretty HOT too! I hope to see plenty more beautiful creations using Ms. Alexia Marcelle Abegg's - Green Bee Pattern - the Little Bits Mug Rug.

What I have been hearing from almost everyone is how challenging it is to sew such tiny circles. Yes, it is true, they are a little tricky. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Use a smaller stitch length. I used 2.0 instead of 2.5 (normal length)
2. Do not iron but fingerpress until you have the entire circle together sewn together or just don't use steam when ironing.
3. Make sure your seam allowances flips backwards when sewing so they don't hang under the presser foot and make a pleat.
4. Use lots of pins; I used almost 20 for sewing the inner three inch quarter circle.
5. Take your time. Drink a cup of coffee or tea.
6. Don't be afraid to use your seam ripper!
7. Feel free to let off some steam. I don't mind if you use my name a few times. ; )

The Little Bits Mug Rug below is going out to MY partner. I think she will like it. She already gave me a her approval which makes me very happy. I have been wanting to make a quilt with these fabrics for almost two years now. I thought it was time to get them out and put them to use. I love the gray and yellow combo. Don't you?

I added the loop and rounded the corners to accentuate the curved shapes. Let me tell you, you can quilt those creases out of the little bits too. It worked for me. I found the more you quilt that thing, the better it will look, so knock yourself out! : )

So, for all of the participants, please check in. Just send me an email or tag me on Instagram with a photo of your progress. All of us are so very curious to see what you've done with this challenging but awesome pattern! Thanks, Alexia for creating such a beauty!

Thanks for participating and reading up about all our fun!

Susanne Schreiber was the winner of the GIVEAWAY! Congratulations!!!