Materials:

" 1 piece fabric 6" X 16.5" for outside

" 1 piece fabric 6" X 16.5" for lining

" 1 piece fleece 5.5" X 16.5"

" 1 5" circle of each fabric and fleece

" 2 pieces fabric 3" X 9" for casing

" 2 pieces fabric 26" X 1" for ties

" 1 plastic lid about 5" in diameter

" Circle Maker (if you have one)

" Smallest Fasturn Tube Turner™ or other turner

Procedure:

1. Baste the fleece circle to the wrong side of the outside fabric circle, about 1/2" from the edge.
2. Sew the short ends of the outside fabric strip with 1/4" seam, right sides together, and sew the circle from #1 at the end of it, also right sides together. Turn it right side out and put the plastic lid inside.
3. Sew the fleece to the lining strip with decorative stitching, free hand quilting, or just three straight lines to hold the layers together. Sew the short ends and the lining circle as you did the outside, in step 2. Leave it wrong side out.
4. Put the lining inside the other and set aside.
5. Turn under 1/4" on each of the short ends of the casing strips and top stitch (or fuse) in place. Press them in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.
6. You have two choices for attaching the casings. The fastest is to sew the casings to the outside of the mug tote through all the layers, matching raw edges, using a serger or a stitch to make the seam and overcast the edge. The other alternative is to press under 1/4" on one long raw edge of each of the pieces, attach the other to the tote, turn the pressed edge of the casing to the inside and slip stitch. In both cases, butt the edges of the casings together.
7. Turn under 1/4" on each short end of the fabric tie strips and top stitch (or fuse) in place. Fold right sides together the long way and sew with about 1/8" seam. Turn tight side out.
8. Insert the ties so each goes through both casings, but the knots are at opposite edges as in the drawing.

Use your mug tote to showcase your embroidery, decorative stitching, texture techniques, anything you choose. Just make it part of the outside strip, having the whole piece 16.5" x 6".