Patternmaking Can Be Fun.

If you hear a scream it's just me. I just lost a whole entry on how to finish rugs. I guess that I should not have pushed whatever button I pushed. GRRRRRRRRRR. I will try again.

First of all, the program that I use to do the cross stitch patterns is from Hobbyware. http://www.hobbyware.com/ The version that I have is an old one. I got it at Michael's with a 40% off coupon. I don't think that they carry it anymore. You might want to look around to see if you can get a better price than the one on Hobbyware. The one that I have it the regular version, but you can get the "professional" version too.

The only thing that mine doesn't have it a way to get the finished pattern into a file other than the program file. If I want to put a pattern in the blog I have to print it, scan it into the computer and then put it in the blog. Most of the time I just want to print the pattern out for my own use anyway. It has all of the DMC colors on file and you can put in the colors that you want to use for your project. You can choose the count that you will be using on the finished rug. I usually set mine up for #22. If you have difficulty working that small, you can enlarge the working size. It does cross stitch, half cross stitch and back stitching. I think that there are other options, but those are the ones that I use.

As for designing, you just have to play with it until you get something that you like. When you are first starting out, you might want to get one of the Dover books of cross stitch borders and try adapting one of those for the borders.

Now for the finishing. No matter what the rug is worked on, be it hardanger, congress cloth or canvas, the first step is blocking it with steam. Most of the time you can just do this with your iron without pinning if it isn't too warped.

Next run a line of white glue around the edge, making sure that you cover the stitches and the fabric outside the edge. Let it dry.

Here's the right side of the rug. As you can see, the glue doesn't bleed through. When the glue is dry, cut around the edge of the rug between the last row of stitches and the first row of plain fabric.

The next step is using a Sharpie that is close to the color of the edge and color all of the ends of the cut off threads of the canvas.

The rug on the right of the photo is an early one. You can see the uncolored ends sticking out above the fringe. On the side I used a Sharpie this morning so that you could see the difference. It definitely looks more finished.

I never turn the edges under because it makes the rugs too thick and out of scale. If you measure, some of the ones that are turned under would be two or three inches thick in real life. Have you ever tried setting a chair or table partially on and partially off of a rug that thick? Trust me. Things roll off of the table and the chair is wobbly. It's most annoying.

The last step is the fringe if you want it. You can leave the rug without if you like.

There are several ways to do the fringe. Left to right.......The first one is just a strip of plain cotton broadcloth or muslin. I cut it about 1/2" wide. I fringed it as much as I wanted and then glued a piece to each end of the rug. The second one is completely covered on the back. I used fine linen on that one. The third one is self fringed. This only works with the hardanger, not with congress cloth or canvas. You have to be a bit more careful with the glue. Cut the fabric off as long as you want the fringe and simply remove the cross threads.

Tessie tired of the yo yo. She also informed me that she was NOT working with glue. To quote her, "I don't want my fingers and toes glued together." I guess I am in charge of finishing the rugs.

She is sitting with her feet up on the table in front of her cottage. She and Esmirelda have witched two of the mini phones so that they can talk to each other. With the phone in one hand and a drink in the other, I don't think that she is going to be much trouble today.

I am going to go clean the real house and cross stitch on breaks.

See you tomorrow.