Mug-cover desktop organizer

by Linda Theil

I saw this really cute desk organizer online this spring and could not be happy until I had tracked down the pattern and checked it out! I was curious about the construction method and when I got the pattern my curiosity was satisfied, but I was not immediately inclined to try it out. The pattern is Simplicity 2450 by Georgia Manning Lewis published in 2010. Simplicity, among the Big Four sewing pattern brands. has recently been sold to a liquidator. I found my pattern on eBay.

Having satisfied my curiosity, and not being enamored of the bulky construction method, I put the pattern aside. Alisa noticed it when she visited last week, and she asked me to make one for her. So, of course, I did. And, of course, it's cute!

Here is a picture of the mug cover -- made with scraps of quilting cotton -- in its finished state before fitting to a mug. The hook-and-loop tape on each side secures the cover to most mugs.

This photo shows the position of the folded mug cover before it is inserted over the edge of the mug and secured with the hook-and-loop tape.

Unfortunately, the construction was just as hard on my usually stalwart Janome HD1000 as I anticipated, so I am looking into non-woven alternate materials that may need less layers of material to fabricate the mug cover.

Stay tuned!

Update July 31, 2025

Proof of concept

This mug cover was sewn on one layer of cork with a layer each of interior and exterior pocket. All pieces were cut raw-edged with zig-zag stitching reinforcement around the perimeter of the cover. I made an initial error in my assessment of the size of the base layer, necessitating a cut and seam to the middle of the base; that seam is visible at top of mug cover in this photo, and would not recur in subsequent iterations. The disadvantage of using cork is that cork is not as flexible as the woven-fabric version. I'm guessing that woven fabrics could be used in this method if one did not mind fraying on the edges. I think this clever pattern has lots of opportunity for exploration.

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