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Preparing contours on rugs for finishing

12/9/2016

12 Comments

 
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Hooking an odd shaped rug leads to the challenge of finishing those edges.  Not all rugs are cookie cutter flat sided, squares or rectangles  The simple circle with its lack of corners is easy to whip but some shy away because people tell them it’s more difficult, therefore missing out on the opportunity to experience a lovely round rug that fits in any space of the home and is never askew. 

Recently my aunt finished hooking three Christmas stocking for her grandchildren who live in London, England.  She’ll soon be flying to spend the holidays with them and those stockings will be hung with care in hopes that Santa will soon be there.  What a beautiful gift of a grandmother's love, a gift that will keep on giving well into adulthood as part of their tradition.   Who is too old to not appreciate a stocking full of goodies?

When it comes to working on a stocking the easiest and fasted part is the hooking.  The sewing that follows is all hand work, tedious and finger pricking.  It’s one of those bleed projects, a good one for quick testing of blood sugar levels. Everything has to be done by hand, no cutting corners or stitching around with a machine.  Oh the dreaded needle….my worst nemesis. 

First I sew the zig zag using the machine.  I leave  an excess of 1 ¼” all around the finished rug for working with.  That’s the easy part.  Once the stabilizing stitch is around the rug it can be cut out. 

The changing shape of the stocking holds all the challenges of finishing.  Straight sides turning into inside corners and then following around the toe.   Folding over the 1 ¼ selvage on an inside corner takes a bit of ingenuity and the best practice I’ve found is to sew in V’s in these areas and then snip them in close to the row of loops  and then it is easier to pull it toward the inside of the stocking.   

I like to simplify jobs when possible so instead of using a needle and thread to sew this excess to the back of the rug to keep it in position while I sew on the backings, I use an iron, a wet towel and steam it down. Quick as a bunny!  The stocking has to be lined or when Santa puts toys in and children take toys out, they could snag a loose loop or that wonderful curly mohair hooked into the piece for accents, and pull the entire length of it out.
 
I prefer doing the lining separately from the backing so that it is engaged before I attempt to put on the back pocket.   I think it’s the simplest way for me but I’m open to suggestions if someone has a faster way!  That backing pocket needs more work, with a hem on the top of an 1 ¼ high to make it sturdy enough to accept a hanger.   That can be done on the machine before it's hand stitched on.

So this is how to prepare the stocking for the liner and the backing pocket. 



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Finished all the hooking, trimmed all the strings and then steamed to perfection!
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I've zig-zagged all around the stocking then add the V's to the areas that curve inward. Cut right into the V as close to the edge as possible leaving several strands of linen before the edge of the loop so the rug edge isn't compromised.   
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The V makes the outside edge of the excess agreeable for positioning on top of the back and once streamed it will lie perfectly flat to the back.  The toe area needs to have a fold here and there to deal with the extra linen as I lay it down around the curve.
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I position the excess edge with my fingers then lay on the wet towel and steam flat. 
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All steamed and zig-zagged. The excess is now flat to the back of the rug.  Quick and easy and in my book, better than having to hand stitch it there. 
12 Comments
Patsy
12/9/2016 03:00:48 pm

This is great! I love the use of the blog to share tips and tricks. I've not yet made a stocking but now I know how! Thanks !

Reply
Janet
12/9/2016 05:34:48 pm

Great tips on how to do these wonderful stocking patterns.I have done three of them before and wished I had known this.Thanks for the info.

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joyce
12/9/2016 07:28:05 pm

Thanks for the info on the xmas stocking

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Claudia
12/10/2016 02:59:17 am

wow, love it. . . wish I had seen this before I started to finish the first stocking. . I tried a new method but I don't like and and not very happy. I'll try this on the second one. . . thanks for the info. Very helpful! :)

Reply
Mary hines
12/10/2016 06:44:57 am

Reply
Starr
12/13/2016 09:09:37 pm

Great article. I do it that way too when going around curves .

Reply
Claudia
12/13/2016 09:10:07 pm

got going on one of the two stockings that I did. . one I used the new method of whipping with the woollen strips you hook with. . I didn't like it at first but persisted. . after pressing I was happier. Then along came your instructions on your blog! So today I used your method. . wow, what a difference. . not only that, I had to teach myself how to use the sewing machine that I hadn't used yet! OMG. .End result! Love it and it was so much better. . nice and flat and no bulky sections! :) Thanks for the help! I'll post a pic when I'm done.

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Audrey John
12/13/2016 09:10:48 pm

Nicely taught!

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Robin
12/13/2016 09:11:30 pm

Thanks for the tips. I am close to finishing five of your stockings! You are right......the difficult part is the finishing! I will send pictures one of these days!

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Sherry
12/13/2016 09:12:03 pm

Thanks for showing this!

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Adena
12/13/2016 09:12:38 pm

Me too. Love the stockings.....

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Trish Johnson link
1/4/2018 08:06:02 pm

Thanks for posting this. I am thinking of finishing an odd shaped rug and the sewn edge over the v's then cut close to the hooking answers one of my dilemma's.

Reply



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