primitivebettys: ~*How I Did It*~

Monday, June 30, 2014

~How I Did It~

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Monday!

Switching gears a little... and finishing some hooked projects. I still worked on some cross stitch at the bait shop (my silly summer job) this morning, but last evening and tonight I'm finishing some hooked goodies that were started a few months back... some candle mats and mug rugs.

In the hooking world... I'm sure I have broken a ton of rules. However, these little things are NOT floor rugs. They are just for sitting here and there to add a little prim charm around the home. I will be marking the price on them ~ not too high ~ and putting them in our booth at ReRun Consignments... and maybe offering a few online.

My first rug hooking NO~NO... I hooked on burlap. Yes, the cheap stuff you can get in the fabric departments. It is itchy to work on and won't last a 100 years. It will be just fine for these projects though.

I did hook with wool strips... cut to anywhere between 8-9... 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so.

I hooked several on a large piece of burlap at one time... using scraps from my big ol' scrap tin.

Circles and squares are drawn on the burlap with a black marker... about 7 inch circles and about 5 inch squares.

After the hooking was complete... a quick roll with the lint brush and a hot steam from the iron... and then some glue. Yes, another hooking NO~NO! (At least when making a floor rug... but I am not with this project.)

Yes, glue... plain Elmer's school glue. I drizzled a fat bead as close to the last row of hooking as possible. Then let it dry. When it is dry, carefully cut close to the dried bead of glue. The glue will keep the burlap from unraveling. You can use craft glue... but Elmer's is fine and less expensive. (I learned this from Frank Bielec at the Happy Trails Rug camp hosted by my dear friend Ginger.)

Next, I grabbed a wool blanket from my stash. This wool is thicker than I prefer for hooking. However, it is great for this part of my projects. I cut pieces for the backs of the candle mats and mug rugs to fit. Simply lay the hooked pieces on the wool and cut around. A little larger or a teeny bit smaller won't hurt anything... just try to get them about the same size. This is a backing method that would never pass for a floor rug! Again... it is great for this kind of project though!

I then grabbed my Elmer's again... and drizzled a small amount along the last row of hooking. It doesnt need to be as thick as the first glued row. This is just to help hold that last row comfortably while you stitch the trimming on. You will see in a minute. Set the backing pieces in place... and put a few heavy books on top while the glue dries.

Using the same blanket wool... I cut some 9 strips... long enough to go around the mats and rugs. I then used my linen thread to stitch the wool strip to the outer edge... covering the outside edge of the burlap, last row of hooking, and wool backing. I used a blanket stitch.

This wool strip is standing 'upright' sort of... when the mat is set on the table, the hooking strip is on the very edge. And this... is yet another rug hooking NO~No. This would never be a strong finish with foot steps.