Patchwork Floral is a prime example of why you can’t effectively stamp patterns. In a time when corners are cut and quality isn’t the main objective, stamping is a quick and easy way to go, but it doesn’t always serve the customer.
If patterns don’t have any straight lines such as ovals and round florals, stamping is perfectly fine, but any time straight lines come in to play, they need to be hand done. When you’re paying a decent price to purchase patterns it should give you the very best hooking experience...your dollar should be purchasing quality, not compromise.
When I first started the rug hooking supply business I ordered patterns from various wholesale companies. Although I stressed that I wanted them to be straight on the grain and was assured they were, when the orders arrived that was not the case. Sometimes they were out only a line or two while others were out up to two inches. One company was rather annoyed with me when I returned a dozen oriental patterns. Their promise that they were straight on the grain was a misrepresentation, so I’m not sure why my discontent was a shock to them. It was hinted, ever-so-nicely, that future business wasn’t welcomed from my studio. C'est la vie!
I tried another company, in Canada this time and placed a sizable order. I was assured their patterns were plumb line straight. The order arrived, the patterns were stamped off grain and half of it went back. One pattern in particular was a Sampler with all kinds of straight lines between the motifs; I’d ordered 6 of these to run a workshop and all would have been a nightmare to hook. I am not in the business of fixing other suppliers copyrighted patterns, that’s their nightmare to deal with. So another supplier was upset with me and at that rate I’d be out of business before I got started.
I learned early what poorly drawn or stamped patterns meant to all the savvy, knowledgeable rug hookers. My first year in business, another rug shop owner took me under her wing and unloaded a bunch of so called ‘popular patterns’ for me to sell. “Must haves” she called them. They were all off grain patterns she’d purchased years before and couldn’t unload until she took advantage of my inexperience. How she must have laughed all the way to the bank to cash my cheque? Two years later and those pattern were still hanging on the my racks, I couldn’t sell them even when I marked them down for less than I paid for them, so in the end I used them as scraps to draw designs on the back for my own use. Very expensive recycling and a lesson learned! So, that’s when I decided to design all my own patterns, the only way to guarantee the quality my customers deserved.
Anyone who hooks oriental style patterns will attest to the fact that it is imperative they are drawn straight on the grain. Orientals are generally hooked with a #3 cut strip and in straight lines so when the holes on the backing don’t line up you are continually correcting and compensating for the meandering.
We are very proud of the fact that at Encompassing Designs we hand-draw every pattern. Every straight line on the borders and in the interior of the design is hand done by pulling a pencil down the channel and then filling in with a marker. The holes line up sweetly so when you hook rows they look straight as a ruler. This process is labour intensive and time consuming but we take pleasure in knowing our valued customers are having the very best hooking experience.
I have noticed that patterns that are stamped are in the same price range of the ones hand-drawn. Something that takes minutes as opposed to hours to manufacture. I suppose that means our prices are too low or maybe it means the stamped prices are too high? All I know is that Patchwork Floral took me four hours from start to finish, from cutting the linen, transferring the pattern, darkening the lines and sewing the edge. I’m no slug, I work at a decent pace and have experience behind me and it still took a long time to do. Some of the larger William Morris patterns can take up to two days to draw, with all kinds of lines and motifs and I see stamped patterns a quarter of the size selling for similar prices. Stamping would be wonderful if all the lines came out straight, if only someone would invent a system to do this, I’d be the first in line to buy it.
On the Patchwork Floral design, with all the many straight lines throughout the main body of the pattern it was tricky as each box had to be drawn first and then the motif on the red dot had to be pinned over each segment and drawn in. Checking and checking again to make sure everything is lined up...like the carpenter, measure twice and cut once. One booboo and I’m back to the drawing board, starting over on a new piece of linen. I’m anal so I don’t like black marker mistakes visually assaulting one of our patterns.
Add in an hourly rate for the drawing and sewing, plus the piece of linen slightly over a yard, plus the two markers it took to draw everything it came to a total of $98.50, I think we are hovering close to the drain on this one because this pattern sells for $102.95.
In the case of this intricate pattern, I certainly see the merits of taking shortcuts and stamping a design. Most people are in business to make a living so it only makes sense to do what you have to do to stay afloat, but where does quality fit in? It’s unfortunate that is the way the world is going and why so many businesses outsource to China for cheap labour.
Let’s face it, we all buy products that lack quality and care. Only recently I purchased a lovely blouse from Northern Reflections and two buttons didn’t survive putting it on the very first time. They popped off and rolled on the floor as I was buttoning up. I bought it without trying it on so my bad, but nothing is more irksome than paying a good price for something that doesn’t stand up. In this case, the blue coloured thread was unique so I find myself asking friends to check their sewing supplies or else I would have to buy a spool that would then lie in my own sewing basket for all eternity. Luckily I secured some but in the meantime I couldn’t wear the blouse without buttons, I’d bought it at Christmas time and didn’t get it on my back until March. I was more than annoyed.
If you are purchasing patterns ask if they are straight on the grain, insist that they are. Ask if they are stamped and if so, with care? Do a visual before you purchase it. At times I see lovely patterns posted on FB and I zoom in and can tell from the screen that they are crooked as all get out.
I believe if you hook a rug that is straight on the grain, your piece will keep the corner shape perfectly. When you hook rows that aren’t straight and you try to correct it as best as you can, the warp and the weft that should be 90* to one another are off kilter, it puts pressure on the corner and rows push on one other making it uneven. I see rugs that don’t have misshapen corners and I’ll bet this is why. One side seems to drift a bit. Making sure the outside border line is straight on the grain ensures that when the rows of loops put equal pressure on the warp and weft the corner will stay in place. My theory and I’m sticking to it.
So I was drawing this design and thinking about straight of grain and figured it was time for another little lesson on the merits of a well-drawn pattern. I think we have bragging rights…..”If you want the best, put us to the test!”
If patterns don’t have any straight lines such as ovals and round florals, stamping is perfectly fine, but any time straight lines come in to play, they need to be hand done. When you’re paying a decent price to purchase patterns it should give you the very best hooking experience...your dollar should be purchasing quality, not compromise.
When I first started the rug hooking supply business I ordered patterns from various wholesale companies. Although I stressed that I wanted them to be straight on the grain and was assured they were, when the orders arrived that was not the case. Sometimes they were out only a line or two while others were out up to two inches. One company was rather annoyed with me when I returned a dozen oriental patterns. Their promise that they were straight on the grain was a misrepresentation, so I’m not sure why my discontent was a shock to them. It was hinted, ever-so-nicely, that future business wasn’t welcomed from my studio. C'est la vie!
I tried another company, in Canada this time and placed a sizable order. I was assured their patterns were plumb line straight. The order arrived, the patterns were stamped off grain and half of it went back. One pattern in particular was a Sampler with all kinds of straight lines between the motifs; I’d ordered 6 of these to run a workshop and all would have been a nightmare to hook. I am not in the business of fixing other suppliers copyrighted patterns, that’s their nightmare to deal with. So another supplier was upset with me and at that rate I’d be out of business before I got started.
I learned early what poorly drawn or stamped patterns meant to all the savvy, knowledgeable rug hookers. My first year in business, another rug shop owner took me under her wing and unloaded a bunch of so called ‘popular patterns’ for me to sell. “Must haves” she called them. They were all off grain patterns she’d purchased years before and couldn’t unload until she took advantage of my inexperience. How she must have laughed all the way to the bank to cash my cheque? Two years later and those pattern were still hanging on the my racks, I couldn’t sell them even when I marked them down for less than I paid for them, so in the end I used them as scraps to draw designs on the back for my own use. Very expensive recycling and a lesson learned! So, that’s when I decided to design all my own patterns, the only way to guarantee the quality my customers deserved.
Anyone who hooks oriental style patterns will attest to the fact that it is imperative they are drawn straight on the grain. Orientals are generally hooked with a #3 cut strip and in straight lines so when the holes on the backing don’t line up you are continually correcting and compensating for the meandering.
We are very proud of the fact that at Encompassing Designs we hand-draw every pattern. Every straight line on the borders and in the interior of the design is hand done by pulling a pencil down the channel and then filling in with a marker. The holes line up sweetly so when you hook rows they look straight as a ruler. This process is labour intensive and time consuming but we take pleasure in knowing our valued customers are having the very best hooking experience.
I have noticed that patterns that are stamped are in the same price range of the ones hand-drawn. Something that takes minutes as opposed to hours to manufacture. I suppose that means our prices are too low or maybe it means the stamped prices are too high? All I know is that Patchwork Floral took me four hours from start to finish, from cutting the linen, transferring the pattern, darkening the lines and sewing the edge. I’m no slug, I work at a decent pace and have experience behind me and it still took a long time to do. Some of the larger William Morris patterns can take up to two days to draw, with all kinds of lines and motifs and I see stamped patterns a quarter of the size selling for similar prices. Stamping would be wonderful if all the lines came out straight, if only someone would invent a system to do this, I’d be the first in line to buy it.
On the Patchwork Floral design, with all the many straight lines throughout the main body of the pattern it was tricky as each box had to be drawn first and then the motif on the red dot had to be pinned over each segment and drawn in. Checking and checking again to make sure everything is lined up...like the carpenter, measure twice and cut once. One booboo and I’m back to the drawing board, starting over on a new piece of linen. I’m anal so I don’t like black marker mistakes visually assaulting one of our patterns.
Add in an hourly rate for the drawing and sewing, plus the piece of linen slightly over a yard, plus the two markers it took to draw everything it came to a total of $98.50, I think we are hovering close to the drain on this one because this pattern sells for $102.95.
In the case of this intricate pattern, I certainly see the merits of taking shortcuts and stamping a design. Most people are in business to make a living so it only makes sense to do what you have to do to stay afloat, but where does quality fit in? It’s unfortunate that is the way the world is going and why so many businesses outsource to China for cheap labour.
Let’s face it, we all buy products that lack quality and care. Only recently I purchased a lovely blouse from Northern Reflections and two buttons didn’t survive putting it on the very first time. They popped off and rolled on the floor as I was buttoning up. I bought it without trying it on so my bad, but nothing is more irksome than paying a good price for something that doesn’t stand up. In this case, the blue coloured thread was unique so I find myself asking friends to check their sewing supplies or else I would have to buy a spool that would then lie in my own sewing basket for all eternity. Luckily I secured some but in the meantime I couldn’t wear the blouse without buttons, I’d bought it at Christmas time and didn’t get it on my back until March. I was more than annoyed.
If you are purchasing patterns ask if they are straight on the grain, insist that they are. Ask if they are stamped and if so, with care? Do a visual before you purchase it. At times I see lovely patterns posted on FB and I zoom in and can tell from the screen that they are crooked as all get out.
I believe if you hook a rug that is straight on the grain, your piece will keep the corner shape perfectly. When you hook rows that aren’t straight and you try to correct it as best as you can, the warp and the weft that should be 90* to one another are off kilter, it puts pressure on the corner and rows push on one other making it uneven. I see rugs that don’t have misshapen corners and I’ll bet this is why. One side seems to drift a bit. Making sure the outside border line is straight on the grain ensures that when the rows of loops put equal pressure on the warp and weft the corner will stay in place. My theory and I’m sticking to it.
So I was drawing this design and thinking about straight of grain and figured it was time for another little lesson on the merits of a well-drawn pattern. I think we have bragging rights…..”If you want the best, put us to the test!”
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PATCHWORK FLORAL hooked by Diane Krys
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