It's been a few days since I've seen an update on my PC monitor and decide what needs to be reverse hooked. I took two photos with different settings. If you tap on either they will enlarge but the first photo is the one with more pixels.
Sadly I've not yet started hooking the trainer since there is more border and background to make it to the halfway mark. Would like to save fun for the other half of the rug so will wait.
Checking the progress now as I had a concern with a few border blocks ~ those would be the yellow at the top, orange and blue to the right side near bottom. Yet, looking on the PC it doesn't bother me so will continue. HA, have still been known to rip out wool at the last minute.
Plans are to have red at all four corners to sort of anchor the design.
Rose of Three Sheep Studio wondered what my background wool was. For those of you who missed my post about that you can read about it HERE and see the wool used for the holding lines of border. But for a quick view here is the background wool.
We are just a couple days away from a brand new year. My goal BEFORE 2017 is to have my last two rugs bound and label attached. You all know how binding is NOT my favorite task but want to start the new year with NO rugs left to bind. Thankfully I've only two to do.
So you guys and gals out there.... how's about gathering your unbound rugs and start now. You could watch the ball come down New Year's eve and bind your rugs. Would love it if you'd send me your finished pieces and I'd be happy to post them on my blog.
Saundra
I'm not making much of a great showing at the start up on the Chicken Challenge rug. My friend "Little Miss Smarty Pants" Lauren of Rugs and Pugs is WAY ahead of me. She says I'M a fast hooker yet she is the one working overtime at her day job while I'm retired and have accomplished less. Good for you gal, glad you had a great time at the hook in. So here is my minor contribution to the CC (Chicken Challenge) endeavor.
Tomorrow I'll show a more accomplished update (I hope) and will explain why mine is going in the direction I've chosen. But of course gal pal Lauren might have hers done by then.
And Rose of Three Sheep Studio asked the dimensions of my geometric rug. Uh, Lauren, I cannot believe YOU didn't ask. This is how the UFO GEO was left and IF it is hooked as it is drawn the dimensions will be 21 x 35. For sure it will be 21" wide. How long will it be? Even I don't know yet.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Saundra
I'm getting ready to whip the edges of my Big Dog Hollow rug and commented to Rose, a fellow hooker follower of Three Sheep Studio, that I dreaded the prep of the rug before the whipping with the stitching and zig zag around the perimeter. With my best interest at heart she asked me if I'd ever read this article by Cindi Gay http://cindigayrughooking.com/finishing-hooked-rug-zig-zag/. Actually I had read it several months ago and went with my gut and personal preferences so continue the stitching and zig zag. No I don't think that I know more than Cindi, it is just my personal preference to do this to protect the edges from unraveling.
Sometimes I do the straight stitch and zig zag stitch before hooking to make it easier to manipulate the rug without all the weight of the hooking. That is what I did with the Red Bird of Pennsylvania rug, and if you look closely can see the stitching in white thread.
Since I wasn't sure if I'd make changes to Big Dog Hollow I chose to not do the stitching until after I was done hooking. And, it so happened that I did extend the right hand side by two rows of hooking so it was wise that I held off until the rug was done.
So I drew a line 1 1/2" away from the last row of hooking and did two rows of straight stitching and then one row all the way around of the zig zag to connect the stitch lines together. Note that I shortened the corner to make the corner less bulky.
And then I cut away the excess foundation so it can be rolled forward.
After having read Cindi's tutorial and what others may have done, realized that I would never cut my backing away without the edges being secure first. And even tho the ends will be rolled forward and tucked inside do not want teasing to occur over the years. And I have purchased rug patterns from people who use the fray check on the ends (vs. serging) and that makes the ends stiff and non flexible so don't want a rigid chunk along the perimeter of my rug tucked in or not. I believe that would be more abrasive on the linen fibers than having sewn the edges.
The article mentions the needles penetrating the foundation and perhaps weakening the fibers. Frankly, before having read this article wondered just how secure my rugs were even with the precautions I was taking with the straight stitch and zig zag. I mean, how likely is it that a thin sewing machine needle would penetrate the middle of a thread of linen? My concern was that the stitches were going in the hole between the linen weave and how secure is that?
Additionally, the stitches and zig zag are 1 1/2" away from the main rug itself so just how is the penetration of a single linen thread (or rug warp, or monks cloth) going to jeopardize the strength of the hooked rug at that distance? Those fibers are flexible and not like a piece of glass that will shatter across the distance.
And I know first hand how not protecting edge of rugs are important. I was given a beautiful rug from a departed friend and hooker. On occasion I would lift the rug off the floor (from it's out of the way location) and air it out. Because she had not secured her edges of linen in any way noticed it starting to tease away.
So, take this as food for thought on whether you think you should or should not zig zag your rugs. But for certain you should do something to the ends to protect all the hard work that went into your heirloom piece.
Have a great evening everyone and enjoy this Holy holiday with family and friends.
Saundra
