Whew, I struggled to come up with an angle for this week’s Project Quilting 17.3 prompt, Year of the Horse. At first, I was so focused on “horse” that I couldn’t come up with any ideas. Then, Monday morning, I thought to go back and read the “rule one” prompt again because it usually offers a more expansive view of the prompt:
Rule One: find your inspiration from the turn of the year, in the animal, in our hopes and desires for the near future.
I’m so glad I re-read the prompt. I immediately gravitated to the very end: “our hopes and desires for the near future.” That, coupled with the fact that the Highland quilt was due to be delivered to me Monday evening after being quilted by Sew Shabby Quilting, and I had some research to do. Specifically, I wanted to know how color, specifically green, might influence emotions. I found an article called The Psychology of Green For Mood and Interior Spaces. My takeaways are that green:
- is linked to relaxation, balance, and renewal,
- helps lower stress levels and promotes calmness, and
- enhances mental clarity and concentration.
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug
If there is anything that I hope and desire for the near future for everyone, it’s for relaxation, balance, renewal, lower stress, calm, and concentration. So, I decided to make a green mug rug for my husband to take to use at work using the same prints and double orange peel block I used in the Highland quilt, which I’m making for his parents.
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug
It took me roughly the same amount of time to cut the fabric as it did to piece the 6″ finished block. I opted to mark a ½” grid using my Hera marker for quick straight line quilting.
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug
I trimmed the mug rug a bit larger to 6¾” square to preserve the points of the block when I applied the binding (tutorial for binding mini mini quilts).
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug
It’s obvious from the back of the mug rug that my grid and quilting is slightly wonky. Ah, well, it’s certainly good enough to use as a mug rug!
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug
As the last light was filtering into my studio, I snapped this photo with the mug rug on my sewing table right as my door bell rang.
Green Double Orange Peel Mug Rug with the Highland Quilt
The Highland quilt is here and ready to be trimmed and bound! I am thrilled with the quilting by Sew Shabby Quilting, but more about that in a later post.
Linking up with Project Quilting 17.3 Year of the Horse.
I love how you get that transparency look with your fabric choices. Your curved pieced is master level, wonderfully done.
LOVE the progression of this prompt for you AND that your Highland quilt arrived just as you were finishing. What fun to be able to photograph them together! (It looks gorgeous btw!) Glad you were able to fit in responding to the prompt before the quilt arrived home for binding. And as an extra, I’d just read this related article about green…. https://carolinaoneto.com/the-power-of-green-balance-renewal-and-life-in-textile-art/.
A great interpretation of the prompt! Those greens are so pretty and the quilting looks great. Thank you for talking about using a hera marker. I finally bought one for myself (only one of the ladies at the quilt shop knew what one was). It’s been really helpful in my learning to quilt journey.
What lovely serendipity to be able to photograph the mug-rug with the beautiful quilt (and with beautiful quilting). I always love reading your process, and appreciated the story about the inspiration. It’s perfectly wonderful!
A beautiful mug rug with your signature transparency thanks to those tonal prints! I actually got a little glimmer of warmth in my heart when you showed the back and commented that your grid was a little bit wonky. We are all perfectly imperfect beings and that just kind of gives a nod to it imho, along with a little grin. I, too, am leaning into the extra meanings associated with the horse, and the new year in order to find a direction…still haven’t started!
Your mug rug is gorgeous and fun to have a little memory piece of the big quilt. I loved that the quilted quilt arrived in time for a picture for this week’s prompt. I had to look to see how the grid was off, but I do like the imperfect piece of quilting…I always find some comfort in that.
I love the use of color and the focus on green. I might give a Hera maker a try. Thank you for sharing your post on Binding Mini Mini Quilts that will come in handy with PQ future challenges.
Love your mug rug and how you incorporated your Highland Quilt left overs into this prompt. I was going to try the project this year, but I was stumped at this one. I enjoyed reading your thought process and how you worked through it. And I love the green! That is one of my twin grandson’s favorite color, so this would definitely have the D-man’s approval! LOL I love your Highland quilt too! That motif would look great with your SAHRR this year!