A new mug rug... or is it a pot holder?

Here's a new pattern I came up with to make a mug rug or potholder using a few paper hexagons. (See bottom of this post for how-to)...
This month I have a class at Hearts to Holly teaching English Paper Piecing. Thought this would be an easy project for someone who wants to give it a try but not make a HUGE quilt.
Wouldn't this be a nice baby quilt if maybe a dozen or so of these blocks were joined together? I just might have to make one...
Yeah... so I'm hooked on paper piecing... I really enjoy it... It gives me something portable to work on when Al and I are traveling plus something to take to "chattertime" on Friday mornings. Right now I'm doing Seven Sisters (with diamond paper pieces), a set of dresden circle blocks that are in 30's on aqua background, and a block of the month sample for the quilt shop that has paper pieces in parts of it.

So the past few weeks (when I wasn't sick in bed), I worked on the new block of the month from Moda that the lqs got in. It's going to be a store sample and it's coming along nicely. When I get a little farther along I take a picture. It's all in 30's, which I love, and mostly in primary colors. The challenging part of this quilt will be the scalloped border but it's also one of the things I like best about it.

For the Mug Rug:
I purchased some 1" (I think) hexagon papers (www.paperpieces.com or your local quilt shop).

Stitch 7 together to form the hexagon flower (if you need a how-to on English paper piecing, www.paperpieces.com has one. It's under the tab BASICS). I used dots in the center with solid and gingham alternating around the center.

Cut a square backing piece about an 1-1/2" larger than the largest measurement of the paper pieced flower. This will allow for seam allowance. I used aqua solid.

Applique the flower to the background then flip it over and carefully cut away the background that is UNDER the flower but no closer than 1/4" to your stitching... This will allow you to take out the papers.

Press.

Cut 4 border pieces the length of your background block and 1-1/2" wide. I used my dots again. 
Cut 4 corner pieces 1-1/2" square. I used a 30's repro print.

Attach a border piece to each side of your center.
Attach a corner piece to each short end of the two remaining border pieces, then stitch these on the top and bottom of your center.

Your mug rug FRONT is done.
 
Now all you have to do is find a backing scrap, a batting scrap, quilt it and bind it.

Shipshewana Quilt Show

I'm posting just a few pictures of the many I took on my trip to Shipshewana... these were just outstanding! There were so many well done quilts... such nice handwork. The one below is a dear jane... I've been wanting to start one of these for years. It's just another of 100's on my "someday" list.

This quilt should have had a blue ribbon but didn't and I really don't understand why. She made all those cute little quilts, really mini quilts, that are hanging in this quilt show quilt. The one next to the barn is a yoyo quilt with REAL yoyos... tini tiny ones! And the quilt with the scotty dogs are all VERY tiny scotties pieced or appliqued in. JUST AMAMZING!

This one had me with the hand quilting. The quilt is beautiful but the handquilting is so tiny and straight and CLOSE together.

And here's my favorite of the show (yes, it got some ribbons!). The quilting was PERFECT and so pretty... someone has a great eye for color.

There were many more but I'm trying to post this in a hurry (my computer is about to die and I'm running out of time). Enjoy!