Rug Rescue and Repair

Recently PJ (Porcupine Needle) and I have been corresponding about rescued old rugs.  She was quite lucky to have purchased a rug which was repaired early on.  So I told her about the find in my local thrift shop a few years ago.  There was a damaged hooked rug and I grabbed it up even tho it was pastel and hooked with probably Aunt Lydia's cotton rug yarn.  I didn't care about any of that because it was having a rug with a little age in my possession.

This rug has been here at least 10 years and I never did repair this one spot, (a view from the front).  I placed that injured corner in a spot which would receive even less use to protect it.

And a view from the back.  It is obvious there is a lot of missing yarn as what you see will not fill the void in the rug.

PJ's blog inspired me to finally repair the rug.  While I hook with wool strips did once hook a wool yarn rug that was purchased on ebay.....maybe I've wool yarn left.  

First thing was to find a piece of foundation close to the backing on the rug.  The rug seemed to be hooked on a monks cloth/rug warp type of foundation.  So I found a small piece of a soft loosely woven linen.

That was to be placed on the back of the rug and I pulled the loose yarn thru the back in the location it was on the front.  My first thought was to use thread and stitch the new linen onto the rug and contain that area.  Then wondered if I'd want to lift that linen foundation to have access under the old rug.  So didn't stitch around the new linen.

I did have some wool yarn but it wasn't the same color pink, it was either too light, too bright or this.  But isn't that what folks did....use what they had...make do?

This is what it looks like from the back.  Do I wish I'd stitched all around the healthy part of the rug to contain the area?  Yes.  You can see with it having freedom of movement the area has expanded with my loops.  More so from this picture below. But at least it won't fray any more and it is repaired. 

Thanks PJ for the cattle prod to get me to repair my rug.  You've a lovely rug in that Fern.

OH!!!!!  I do not and will not do rug repairs for anyone.  Not that anyone would want me to after reading my blog.  But no way no how.  This is my rug and I wasn't afraid to experiment and do wish I'd contained the area first.  Yet live and learn. 

Saundra