One Down and One to Go

Now that the Lions in the Woods rug is bound it is time for me to start binding Wee Folk.  Here it is all done, and in previous posts neglected to let you know the dimensions.... it measures 19 x 35.

I was asked if I hooked up to the cotton binding so that no backing showed.  I hook up as close to the cotton binding as I can but stay on a straight of the grain.  Since the sewing on of the tape may be a row off in places I still hook on the straight, therefore there may be a narrow area visible.  

When I look at the rug sideways on a table you can see a smidgen of backing but that doesn't bother me because I will be looking at the rug from above (if on the floor) or from the front (if on the wall), not the side.

And, if that were to bother the hooker to have a sliver of backing showing, you could always take a very thin angled paint brush and fill in the backing with acrylic craft paint of the same color.  You can see I filled in with a brown just for this demonstration.  

So you are wondering, is that cheating?  Since this rug is NOT being sent to Celebrations or other juried events I think it is just fine.  Whether this rug was to be on the floor, on a chest or a wall hanging, it will be viewed from the top or front and not viewed with a critical eye at the edges.  And, if you look at the top picture, that is what the person would see and you don't see any backing from that angle.

Today I'm taking a bunch of darks and will be marrying them for a primitive black.  This is what I'm starting with, the flash makes it look brighter than it really is.

Check back to see what kind of results I end up with; if it doesn't turn out dark enough with just these wools I may end up having to put a little dye in to help.

Saundra