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.
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.
Finished all the hooking, trimmed all the strings and then steamed to perfection!
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.
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.
I position the excess edge with my fingers then lay on the wet towel and steam flat.
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.
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