How to Sew a Mug Rug

Learn how to sew a mug rug with scraps of fabric. Use a beautiful print or combine different colors for a unique handmade gift.

Who else loves a warm drink in a mug during the cold winter months? One of my favorite treats is hot chocolate and a cheese sandwich. I have some Canadian ancestors, and the Canadian coffee and toast snack was passed down and morphed into hot chocolate and a cheese sandwich.

It’s fun to think about eating this snack as a child as I sit down and share the same snack with my kids. One thing about hot chocolat is that it can get pretty messy. I needed something my kids could rest their mugs on that would catch crumbs and drips. I made some mug rugs for my whole family that is easy to sew and easy to wash!

What fabric should I use to make a mug rug?

The best fabric to use to make a mug rug is quilting cotton or cotton canvas. Quilting cotton is easier to find, but it would need to be interfaced to get it extra durability. Cotton canvas is just as easy to sew, and it doesn’t need to be interfaced.

Should I prewash the fabric?

The mug rug will be washed over and over and over again so the fabric definitely needs to be washed before you use it.

Do you love to sew? Try one of these sewing projects:

Supplies

Small piece of quilting cotton fabric or cotton canvas fabric
Optional: lightweight interfacing (use if you are using quilting cotton)
Small piece of fusible fleece
Sewing tools
Sewing machine

You can choose to have the same fabric for the top and the bottom, or you can choose one fabric for the top and a different fabric for the bottom.

Cut two rectangles of fabric that measure 11 inches wide and 7 inches tall. Cut one rectangle of fusible fleece the same size.

Fuse the fusible fleece to the back of the bottom fabric rectangle with an iron.

Pin the fabric rectangles right sides together matching up all the corners.

Sew around the edges and leave a 2 inch hole for turning. Backstitch when you start and when you stop and pivot at the corners.

Trim the corners to reduce the bulk.

Turn the mug rugs right side out. Use a point turner to poke out the corners. Press the mug rug flat with the seam allowance of the hole tucked inside.