Monday 19 September 2016

latch hook rug

In the spirit of finishing things off, I finally finished a project I'd almost finished in June 2014 - see this post.  I'd then done a little bit more and put the photos into a blog post ready, it's been sitting in my dashboard since then!  Well, I finally finished it.



It was my latch hook rug.  The following two photos are the ones that have been hanging around for 2 years.


I was very pleased that the kit contained the right amount of wool, I even had some left overs.  They are sitting on a shelf in my craft room, I have no idea what I thought I would do with them!


This is where I'd left the project.  Completely hooked, but not finished off.  I know I'd spent a lot of time researching how to do it and only found posts about hooked rugs on hessian fabrics, not this kind on a canvas.  When I picked this up again a few weeks ago, I decided to just go for it.  I'd bought some herringbone tape which somewhere had recommended I use, and a very thick needle and some waxed linen thread.


I cut around the canvas, leaving 3 threads.  I folded this over to the back and whip stitched it to the canvas, making sure it wasn't showing through on the front.


Look at the size of that needle!  You don't want to know how many times I stabbed myself with the damn thing!  It was a lot...  When it was all secured down, I sewed the herringbone tape over the top to neaten it.  I genuinely had no idea what I was doing!


I stitched using a running stitch, wow did that heavy thread and that massive needle hurt my hands!


The whole time I was making this, I was trying to think of somewhere to put it.  Mr CA asked me a few times and I just said I didn't know.  When I'd finished sewing on the tape, I plonked it down in front of the fire to get it off the sofa.  Yep, that'll do, I can live there!  And yes, that is an Easter egg.  Mr CA's.  He's not bothered about chocolate so he won't eat it, but I'm not allowed to eat it either!

12 comments:

Rachel said...

As far as I'm aware (and my grandmama made several rugs in different techniques) you've done exactly the right thing with the tape. So good to have it finished!

Pamela said...

Great finish and perfect place for it! I did several latch hook projects before coming to Japan. The repetition was kind of relaxing.

Bethany said...

That's really cute! I got a kit like that for Christmas one year, and was very gung-ho at first. Then it seemed to take forever so I stopped. I have no idea what happened to it, but it'd definitely be a good thing to do while I'm Netflixing.

Cath said...

Looks great. Well done on finishing it off. I had to finish off a rug for my daughter and I think I did the same as you.

Anonymous said...

That has come out really well and I don't think it matters whether you do the 'right' technique or not, as long as it's neat and it works and your obviously does!!

Jane said...

that needle looks lethal. I think the one I did for the boys, I just folded the edges over and stitched them, I did a cross stitch one and backed it with fabric as they used it as a game mat.

margaret said...

this brongs back memories of readicut rug kits that I made back in the 60`s, none of mine left but have one Mum made way back, yours looks great

Celtic Thistle said...

The rug looks perfect where you have put it Wendy, and for a made up finish I think you nailed it!

Sasha said...

Awesome job! I have a couple of latch-hook projects, myself, that I need to finish up. I was in the same boat that I just couldn't find much out there. I will definitely look into your method for mine!

Sarah in Stitches said...

Great job! That looks awesome. I did some latch hook projects as a kid but my grandmother always finished them off. I'd love to find a good design to do now, actually! It's been so long...

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

It looks great! I did the same as you - made a rug (cross stitch, and bigger than yours) - and then had no idea what to do to finish it off. Left it several years, occasionally looking into backing fabrics and so on. In the end I just stitched the edges under - I didn't think of tape, and it works fine. Yours does look very professional with the tape though. That's another one you can tick off the list! :)

Cut&Alter said...

Oh Wendy this is just gorgeous ...... I would love to make something like this one day.