My three siblings are all good cooks. The cooking gene missed me all together. In fact, I think my kitchen is a waste of space. I would like to remodel it into a third sewing room.😁
My brother, Joseph, is an excellent chef. He is self-taught, and has taken lessons and training. On his last trip to Spain, he took a class and learned how to make paella…my favorite dish!  I will be visiting him soon, and I am looking forward to some great meals. I do not want to go empty-handed, so I made him some fabric-rope place mats. I used the remaining material from the plates to make some coordinating mug rugs.

It’s a Wrap, by Susan Breier, has directions for making the coiled plates. I have made these before, but each time I have learned new tricks to improve the process. I used to wrap the fabric around the rope all in one sitting. I thought this would be better in order to not have to stop while sewing. However, it was tedious to wrap 15 yards (X4) of the clothesline. Also, the clothesline tended to twist. Now, I wrap as I go along, and I find this is much better. When I stop to wrap more fabric, I also take the opportunity to see if I missed any of the zig-zag stitches. It is easier to fix a section as I go along, instead of waiting to the very end. This book has so many wonderful patterns for baskets, purses, and different shaped bowls. I hope to make one of the purses one day.

The mug rugs are from All People Quilts. There is a Coffee Time Quilt block pattern on this site that is very easy to make. I added a heart on one of the mugs to make it special for my brother.


Now, we will have some pretty place mats to use for that delicious meal he will be making!