BERNINA Corporate Blog -
Hey everyone! Today, I have a lovely, quick project for you – and, in my opinion, a great gift idea as well. I’ll show you how to easily and quickly sew a mug rug out of cords or ropes. I’ve also added a bit of subtle sparkle to mine.
Sew and Embroider a Mug Rug from Cords/Ropes
I’m Stephi from Frollein Tausendschön, and I love all things sewing, embroidery, and crafting. You can find more on my Instagram or on my YouTube channel.
Mug rugs are everywhere lately, and they’re incredibly versatile: perfect for your coffee cup or as a stylish wine glass coaster. I just love them – they add such a special flair to the table decor.
Today, we’ll make our mug rugs from ropes or cords. I chose simple cotton cords in soft rose and curry colors for their beautiful matte look. If you choose polyester cords (like paracord), the result will be shinier.
Sewing these lovely coasters is really easy and even a bit meditative. I used contrasting thread with the zigzag stitch, but you can also sew them tone-on-tone.
A small faux leather or SnapPap label cleverly hides the end of the cord and gives it a personalized touch.
If you have an embroidery machine at home, you can add a cool touch by embroidering the cord mug rugs. I chose metallic embroidery thread.
When it comes to embroidery designs, less is more. The simpler, the easier it is to embroider on the corded surface. I used a design from the Inspiration Kit in the new BERNINA Crystal Edition. The kits are special accessories for the BERNINA 790 PLUS Crystal Edition and the BERNINA 590 Crystal Edition BERNINA.
Sewing and Embroidering a Mug Rug – Materials:
Although I used matte cotton cords, the coasters still have a certain bling factor. I used metallic faux leather for the labels and shiny metallic embroidery thread.
For stitching with metallic thread, I recommend high-quality thread and the Thread-lubrication Unit to avoid thread breakage.
For today’s project, you’ll need:
- Cord/rope, about 6-7 mm diameter: approximately 4 m per mug rug
- Sewing thread in the color of your choice
- Scrap faux leather, SnapPap, or similar (non-fraying material)
- (Metallic) embroidery thread (such as Mettler’s Poly Sheen Metallic)
- tear-away stabilizer
- Embroidery film (like Avalon)
- Tape or washi tape
- Embroidery hoop
Sewing the Mug Rugs:
First, wind the bobbin with your chosen thread color. We’ll use the zigzag stitch to sew the mug rugs, which uses quite a bit of thread. I’m sewing the mug rugs on my BERNINA 570 QE (NEW)
1. Creating the Center Coil for the Mug Rugs
Sewing mug rugs is easy and almost meditative. Essentially, you’ll be sewing in a circle. For the center, we’ll start a bit differently.
Each mug rug requires around 3-4 m of cord, depending on the final diameter and thickness of the rope. I recommend not pre-cutting the cord, just keep it rolled up and decide the size as you sew.
If using polyester rope, you can seal the end with a lighter. For cotton cord, just start wrapping.
First, wrap a small, tight coil about 4 cm in diameter and secure it with four pins.
Then set a tight zigzag stitch on your sewing machine and sew a cross over the center of the coil, securing the start and end. This will anchor the middle of the mug rug.
2. Wrapping the Mug Rugs
Now, for the meditative part… the center is secured, and we start wrapping the mug rug. Place the coil under your machine, so you can guide the cord from the right side, feeding it close to the edge of the coil.
Set a zigzag stitch with a shorter stitch length and ensure the stitch hits both sides of the cord transition. Test stitch width based on your cord diameter. For my 7 mm cord, these settings were perfect:
Begin sewing and lock the stitch. Keep wrapping and sewing the cord tightly against the coil, sewing one round after another.
3. Loop at the End
When your mug rugs reach the desired size, secure the stitch and trim the cord, forming a small loop to finish.
And you’re done! Enjoy your new sparkly mug rugs!
I’ve been making these rope bowls and trivets. Fun and great gifts.