Binding a Rug with Cotton Binding 101 part 1

To me, this mat called for a cotton rug binding rather than whipping with wool or yarn.  Sounds like a piece of cake but there really is more to it, particularly if you are hooking a round chair pad or rounded corners.  Today's demonstration will be with the circle mat just hooked.  This is what it looks like at this posting ~ not finished with the binding but want to show you the whole process. 

LESSON #1.
Newbies there are revelations here which you may want to learn.  For instance cotton rug binding WILL bleed and if you have put a lot of hard work into hooking a project it could be compromised if you don't take precautions.  Just think about all the work on a rug and someone comes in out of the rain or snow and gets your rug wet?  Oh, not on the floor so you're safe?  Maybe not.  Suppose someone spills some ice tea or glass of water on a mat on the table?

So I'm using black cotton binding (looks grey with the flash) and unrolled several yards so that I could bleed it out. I poured in a little detergent (NOT with bleach). 

And then I started running warm water into the basin. Hey, I'd just turned on the water at this point and look at the red that is bleeding out of the binding.

A little while after the basin was filled, but before heating, it looked like this.

An idea hit me that since there was all this free dye why not use it to my advantage, right?  So went to my repurposed finds and these pieces of skirt had too much white for my liking so in the pot it went. 

 Here it is being submerged into the dye pot and that yellow you see is a reflection of the light above my range and the flash.

The wool and binding was married for quite some time as I stirred and tugged to move the wool around.  Finally the cotton binding was removed and I put in some white vinegar to set the color in the wool.

Meanwhile, I rinsed the cotton binding and hung it on the clothesline outside.  When I prewashed the WOVEN cotton fabric for the binding on the Chicken Challenge rug it was my plan for the cotton to get knotted, raveled and tangled to add to the primitive look.  But didn't want the regular cotton binding tangled so hung it on the line.

Would you believe there was this much dye left over AFTER?

Alrighty then.... this is what I started with...

 ...and this is what it looked like after being in the cotton dye residue. 

 

I didn't realize how long this would be and by now everyone is getting bored or restless.  So LESSON #2 will continue tomorrow.

Have a great evening everyone.  We had one gloriously warm day today and hope you all had the same.

Saundra