A while back, I wrote
a long post detailing how I applied the twill tape finish to the edges of my rug hooking. It's now a year later, I'm working on binding
Jumbo and I've refined my technique a bit and reordered the steps a little, too. There have been a lot of questions and interest in the 'how-to', so here is what I'm doing now.....
If you have any questions at all, please leave a comment and I will reply there, so that everyone can benefit. Thanks!
1. PREPARE THE TAPE
Wash, dry and press your binding tape, in advance. If you have a big roll, I would just wash the whole thing as once, to reduce waste (over/under estimating quantity) and save time for future projects (since you'll be able to skip this step).
2. PREPARE THE RUG....
Measure an inch out from the last row of hooking (with newer rug warp this is usually 12-13 threads), and pull the next thread from the backing. I use the
stretch zigzag stitch
(marked with a dotted line) and sew (on the hooking side) of the pulled
thread). At the corners, I
do lots of reinforcing, as shown, so that when I later cut away some of
the excess, it's very stable and secure. Trim away the excess backing (cutting in the ditch), and sew all of the way around again, just to be safe (= 2 complete tours around).
Why do I use the stretch zigzag for any sewing around the edges that I do, regardless of the backing?
Because it’s made up of 3 little stitches in each direction instead
of just one, and all of these stitches work to hold the backing together
much better than a regular zig-zag or straight stitch.
3. ATTACH THE TAPE TO THE TOP SIDE....
Begin stitching one side of the tape to the edge of your hooking. With my rug face up, I work in a clockwise direction (starting end of my tape on the right, rest of the roll on the left....and working from right to left) I begin by attaching the tape right next to the hooking, on the top side
of the rug, so that there is no visible backing between the tape and
the last row of hooking. For this step, I use a leather/glover's needle and super strong or upholstery thread that matches the colour of the tape.
I start off with my thread coming up in between two loops on the outside edge of my hooking....
I catch a small amount of tape (directly
across from where my thread came out on my previous stitch), tug it up towards my hooking before going through the backing....
...and bring
up my needle in between my loops of hooking, two loops over (sewing on an angle) or approx. 1/4" over.....
I've
found that if I hold the tape where I want it to end up -- before I pull
the thread tight -- then it usually stays there.
It does take a little bit of practice before it starts feeling less awkward. Placing your thumb on the underside and bending the back over it seems to make it a bit easier (for me, at least).
If you take your time to do it properly (it's not a step to rush....), they you will find that you can get very close to the hooking and no backing will be visible when you fold things around to the underside.....
I sewed a short section in contrasting red thread, to give a better idea of what the stitches in this step really look like. The view underneath....
....and from the top side...
I pin the tape
in place as I work, using just 1-2 pins and moving them over as I come
upon each one. I pull the tape fairly tightly, and pin every 3-4". At
the corners, I simply wrap the tape around -- nothing fancy....
4. FOLD UNDER AND SEW THE BACKING SEAM ALLOWANCE
For this step, I like to use the same super strong or upholstery thread and a long darner (my package reads John James Long Darners, size 1/5), and find that I need to make a conscious effort to just
fold back the rug warp, and not to
pull it back. If you
pull it back, the edge will actually start to roll under and your outer loops will splay....and you don't want that!
As
I sew, I make sure that I am catching more than just the backs of my
loops in my stitches (i.e. there is backing being sewn, too), and I also catch a generous amount of the seam
allowance, as you can see in the following picture....
I like my needle to come up on the other side of the zigzag rows. When finished, the stitches should be about 1/4" long and 1/4" apart and look like this.....
I trim away the excess at each corner - only as I come to it, and quickly stitch in place to secure the miter. (sorry my cut is a little crooked, and I forgot to take a picture of the 'after' until after I'd already sew the tape in place over top...)
5. SEW THE TAPE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RUG...
This is the easiest step of all! I fold the tape over and sew it down on the back of the rug, mitering
the corners as I come upon them (and stitching them down to close up the
fold). I use a small leather/glover's needle and the same thread.....and sometimes find I need a thimble or the protection of a band-aid for this step, if I'm working at the finishing for long stretches of time.
Where the cut edges meet, I fold the ending edge underneath and then overlap both pieces by about 1/2" or so. Again, I stitch this edge
down, all along the fold.
Finito Bambito! You can now sit back and admire your fine handwork... ;-)
Note: I am right handed, so if you're a leftie, you will need to adjust all of the instructions accordingly....
P.S. There are many different ways to finish the edge of a rug. I recommend that you try lots of different methods and use those that work best for you. "Learn to do by doing" is more than just a Guide motto - it actually works! You might discover that you want to combine many different approaches and create your own unique method.....
