A good time was had by all.My friend Pat finished this beautiful Chinese rug a couple of weeks ago. She left it with me to be completed. She does all of the fancy stitching and I get to do the fun part. I stretch it back into a rectangle and dress the edge so that it will lie flat.
I thought that you might like to see the method that I use.
With a piece this small, I start by pressing it from the back with steam. It doesn't really need to be pinned in place unless it is really warped. I use a clean kitchen towel as a pressing cloth. It may take several steaming sessions and letting it dry between each.
When it is square I run a bead of white glue around the edge of the back, making sure that it completely covers the last row of needlepoint and the first row of blank canvas outside. I smear it with my finger to make it lay flat. I used Aileen's Fast Grab. Let it dry. Then I cut between the last line of needlepoint and the blank canvas.
This will leave a raw line of canvas thread ends that are white and quite noticeable. I grabbed a Navy Blue Sharpie fine point. These pens are very permanent. I colored all of the ends with this to match the thread.
When I was finished I gave it one final pressing to make sure it was square and flat.
This method of finishing makes for a thinner, more in scale rug than it does when you turn the edges under.
If you are interested in mini needlepoint and embroidery here are a couple of sites where you will have fun wandering around.
http://www.janetgranger.co.uk/ Janet Granger is in England. She sells kits and writes books for mini needlepoint rugs.
http://micro-stitchery.com/index.html Bobbie Schoonmaker is in the US and has lots of neat kits.
This should keep you occupied a while. I am going to go see how much cherry pie is left.
See you tomorrow.
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