Day 1200 Border Design Finalized on Room Sized Rug
3 years, 3 months and 12 days. When I did the calculations I was horrified to find out that it has been 1200 days since I started this rug. The past two years have not seen much progress for many reasons, but partly because I was not completely satisfied with any of my possible border designs.
Inspiration for rug hooking, especially borders can be found anywhere. I found this carving at one of the museums in New York City. Unfortunately, I did not document it. It is one of those designs that keeps pulling me back. I decided to see if I could modify it as a border for this rug.
One of the problems is that the two sides are different sizes. I needed to redraw the pattern twice, once to fit the long side and another to fit the short side. Then I had to figure out a way to make the corners mesh. Some experimentation with a lot of taping and cutting finally reveled a solution. Luckily after doing some testing by printing out full sized patterns, I was able to bend and stretch the design enough so it fit perfectly on both sides. Next I had to transfer the pattern to the backing. This took three days of tugging and pulling and back breaking tracing. Because the design is complicated, I needed to color in some of the areas so I could keep the shapes straight. I left some of the corner area blank. I’ll figure that out later.
I still have a lot of excess backing so I’ll roll up the sides and stitch them in place with yarn. I did this in the beginning but I had to undo them in order to transfer the pattern. By stitching up the sides, I will not have to struggle with the excess fabric getting in my way while I am hooking. This method has worked better for me than clamps. I’ll roll it once, stitch it down, roll it again and stitch again. This way I can just rip out one pass and unroll the backing but the rest of it will still be stitched up. It is one of those things that will take longer now, but will make the hooking more pleasant later.
Now I can finally answer the most asked question:
How big will this rug be? 8′ x 10’4″
Here’s the rug in place. It is obvious that I have less than 1/2 of it hooked, but I feel like I’ve made huge progress. Settling on the final border design was more difficult than the hooking will be. I just had to give it time. Who knew it would take almost 2 years to figure that out. Now let’s see how fast I can get it hooked.
Day 1207 First Shot at the Final Border
I started adding color to the new border. I wanted to add more red so I made the large scroll red with just a touch of gold to outline it on one side. I thought it would look like the roses in the rug. It does a bit. I think part of the problem is that I put the gold on the wrong side. When I hooked it, I thought the red was going where the background is. When I discovered my mistake, I didn’t think about the gold being on the wrong side.
Since I try to do as I say, I will not rip it out yet. I will keep hooking, using this information to adjust the placement of colors. I am way to early in the hooking process to make a decision. I need to hook more loops to earn the right to not like what I’ve done so far.
Day 1223 Hooked Rug Border Evaluation
When I am hooking something new for the first time, I just jump in and try a few things. With this rug’s border, I wanted to hook in some more red. So I added red to the largest element, the big scroll like motif. I added a line of gold around the outside similar to what I did with the large scroll, except I only put it on one side.
When I hooked the second one, I noticed how closely it resembled the roses in the rug. What if I hooked that part of the scroll like my roses? I needed to change the gold to the other side, the outside, of the scroll.
But am I missing the opportunity to bring in the green and gold that I used in the large scroll? So I hooked the rest of the scroll using that combination.
This is a closeup of where I changed from red to green. The secret is to keep the values similar and textures also help to smooth the transition.
I decided to make the background around the small inner scrolls red. This will give the dose of red I am looking for, but now do I have too much red? My goal now is to hook the next one with the red and green changing closer to to rose so that the scroll is more green.
Day 1232 Hit and Miss Corner on the Room Sized Rug
The past two days at Sauder Village have exhausted me but I sure got a lot done- about 24 hours of hooking over two days. I hooked all the hit and miss on the left hand side and the corner. The little bit of empty area is now filled in. I took this picture earlier in the day yesterday. I’m glad I did because by the end of the day, I did not have the energy to spread the rug out one more time. I also hooked three rows around the entire rug. This set up the entire hit and miss area so it can be hooked at any time.
I hooked the corner on the right some time ago without any planning. I didn’t want to hook a typical mitered corner. What if I did a sort of woven corner? The idea was good, the execution was not so good. I’ve learned in the past that I need to just jump in and try an idea even if it is not perfect. Often during the execution, I figure out a better way. If nothing else, I figure out what does not work and this corner did not work for me.
For the second corner I planned it a bit more. Still no measuring, just eyeballing. I divided the area into bands and them wove them together. Sounds simple? It took me over an hour of fiddling with scraps of paper to get the overlaps to line up just right on the miter. Thanks for the tape idea, Chris. What added to the complexity of the layout is the fact that the two edges are not the same size but I still wanted a 45 degree angle. More a problem of concentration than anything else. Once I got the layout, the hooking fell into place. I like this corner.
The hook-in was a welcome relief from the winter. Seeing old friends and making new ones was even better. This is Pam, my long-time roommate for all events at Sauder Village. We had a great time, but that’s not unusual. I always enjoy the time we spend together.
Day 2491 Room Sized Rug in the New House
Yes, Day 2491. Completing a room sized hooked rug is a huge undertaking and I haven’t hooked on this rug in years. My teaching schedule became very heavy and my personal hooking suffered. I decided to cut back on my teaching schedule to make life simpler.
Then last year, just as I was finishing out some of my teaching commitments, we bought a farm house in the country. I had no plans to move but my husband found the perfect location. The house needed a complete remodel and we’ve been working on it for about a year. The best feature will be the rug hooking studio on the first floor! No more lugging wool up and down the stairs. You can see our remodeling progress at justneedsalittlework.com. We put Main St. on the market last week and part of clearing out the “stuff” included moving this large rug to the new house. Rather than simply stashing it away – I won’t have time to hook on it for a while – I decided to spread it out on the newly laid floor in one of the rooms.
I think I will leave it here until I need to move something else into this room. I still love it even though I started it in October 2007.
Update October 2019:
The last section in the border was scraped.
Thanks to Toni Jette for commenting. Your comment inspired this post.
Read all the posts about my Room sized Rug (Updated 2019)
- Day 1-35 of rug hooking: Putting the pattern on the backing & hooking a rose
- Day 36 My temporary rug hooking set up – How to hook a large rug
- Day 38 – 94 Resolving the Large Leaves & Hooking the Border
- Day 94 How to hook crooked rows not straight ones
- Day 99-275 Circle Border on Room-sized Rug
- How to Hook the Circle Border
- Day 276 – 425 Progress on Room-sized Rug
- Day 426 – 659 Progress on Room-sized rug
- New Border Ideas for Room-Sized Hooked Rug
- Day 660 – 902 progress on Room-sized Rug
- Day 903 – 2491 Progress on Room Sized Rug
Cindi Gay Rug Hooking Newsletter
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Hi Cindi! WOW it is beautiful! Don’t feel bad about starting it in 2007, as I’m completing one only 4×6, but started it in 1987! I still love it too! Just put it away and did other things or rugs instead of working on it..life does get in the way! I pulled it out a couple years back and I’m going to finish it! We also bought another house in April and have had things done and still not moved. The rug is on hold again! Soooo I know how that goes! Keep us posted on everything! Enjoy reading your news. Merry Christmas!
Cindi,
I thoroughly enjoyed the garage tear down with subtext. I know you’re excited and I’m excited for you. Your room sized rug looks great.
My research continues on the houses for my 5×8 rug. I have a picture of an 1860 vintage Italianate manse at Elm Spring Farm in Bourbon County. Immediately across the paved drive up the slowly rising hill to the house is this three story high building that looks like a school. I asked about it at the county library and the lady working with me said what I thought was a school was a distillery and warehouse. The resident farmer was also a whiskey distiller! The warehouse was About 75 feet from the house.
It will take awhile before I start hooking. The journey has been entertaining.
Cindi ~ it is going to be a spectacular addition to your new home! I love everything about it!
WOW, what an undertaking! It is truly beautiful! I’m looking forward to seeing it finished.
As a newbie in rug hooking I am in awe of you making a room size rug. Even though not finished it is fabulous. Do you have the wool for this rug set aside, especially the background? Hope you post pictures of your studio when finished. Having the rug in sight will inspire you to finish.
I do not have the wool set aside. I’ve given myself permission to use new wools as they come up and drop out wools that I run out of. The different quadrants of the center are slightly different.
The secret to making this work is to use a LOT of different wools. For instance, if you have a dinner party with 50 people and one leaves, you probably don’t even notice. If you only have 4 people at the party and one leaves, it is a totally different experience. This is one time where more is less work. I used about 20 different golds in the two outline rows of the scroll. The background I used is sold on my site. It is different every time. The results depend on what I wools I start out with.
Cindi,
I am finished with all the chemo and radiation as of last Friday and am looking forward to camp in a couple of weeks.
Your posting today reminded me of a friend who named one of her quilts “10 years and 3 Bernina’s later” You could name yours “7 years, one massive move and house remodel, and one broken kneecap later”.
Hope to see you at camp. Have a great day!!!
Cindi, your determination and persistence are admirable and inspiring! Love the novel way you’ve complicated/layered these borders with hit or miss color and simple geometrics! It’s a beauty!
Cindy, I’ve been hearing about your move from Pat M. It all sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to see it all for myself. I only live in Catawba but have not made it to see you…looking forward to seeing you at Sauder. I’m overdyeing some wool I bought from you today.
Your rug is beautiful and should be in your new home. Just beautiful!
Cindi, so glad you brought the rug back out, it is absolutely gorgeous and what a keepsake for the family.
Your massive undertaking looks fantastic!!! Can’t wait to see your new studio.
Wow!!! I’m glad I inspired you to post this! I think I said what an undertaking and it certainly is and will be spectacular! I have heard of you but our paths have not crossed, would like to meet you someday. Your house remodel and move sound daunting! We are trying to decide where we want to land for the reast of our lives, the place we are in is too big, and I have created a monster outside with many gardens! It is getting to be too much. So, I admire you for your busy life and wish you all the best.
Toni
You are correct that this is the last post. Combine a heavy workshop schedule with my husband’s heart attack, a few surgeries and other various family crises and you have little time left for hooking. Lately I’ve spent all my time with the website, teaching and doing paperwork. My schedule for the next two years is much lighter. I’ll post as soon as I make some progress.
If nothing else, I am registered for the 2012 Hook-in at Sauder Village in February. Last year I hooked for about 24 hours over the two days.
I have bee looking at your room size rug Chalfont trying to decide on a design for my own large rug.
Have you finished it yet? the last photo was day 1232
Regards
Leah
I just recently found your blog and have skimmed through some of your “Days” of this rug’s creation. It is magnificent! I am so glad to be a new fan of yours.
Trisha, The video is only seconds long. Not much sound. I didn’t want to intrude on those attending, just give you an idea of what it was like.
Cindi,
Too bad I can’t hear more than a couple seconds on the video. Looks like a fun time was had by all. Thanks for the close-up detail on the rug corners. Better you hook it than me.
Trisha
Cindi, I am sure enjoying this process with you. I like your hit and miss and kitty paws with the pattern. It would go into any room decor and be be perfect ! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the next post.
Cindy, this rug is absolutely beautiful. I just finished my “lion” rug last night with the wool yarn over cording for the binding and my hands hurt soooooo much, but he looks so wonderful. I cannot imagine the weight and hours you have in yours, but what a keepsake for years to come. Thanks for sharing the process with us.
Betty
This is beautiful Cindy, I like the rose effect in the border. The change to some of the border having red and green changing to rose sounds perfect.
Thanks to everyone for your comments.
@DeEtta, yes, I will bring the rug to Manistee in June. I’ll also have it at Cedar Lakes in Ripley, West Virginia in May. These are the only two locations where I know I have enough room to lay it out.
Hi Cindi,
I really like the progress on your rug. Walking through it with us is a great learning tool. I love the movement the boarder gives to the whole piece. Will I see it at Manistee in June?
Keep those blogs a comin! DeEtta
What a great idea. I never thought to do something like that. You got the gears turning. . . .
Cindi,
It is a treat watching the progression of this rug. I know I will never tackle anything like it. What a family heirloom you are creating. Plus generations to come can have a reference to its entire history through your writings. Have you figured out how to save your entries for posterity? Maybe a booklet?
Love your work,
Trisha
Cindi, This rug is worth the 1207 days (so far) that you have put into it. It already looks fabulous.
Sondra
So-I’ll be looking forward to seeing this rug at the Sauder show when it’s finished! What a beauty! I’ll even buy you a peach pie to celebrate!
This big rug did not happen overnight. It’s been 3 years already. I had the backing for 3 years before I got the inspiration for the center. Be open and the ideas and inspiration will find you.
I am impressed. I thought my 3’by6′ was big……..forget. Your rug is going to be beatiful
This rug is truly inspiring. I’ve always wanted to hook a LARGE rug and maybe now I will bite the bullet and start the serious thought process of planning.
This is truly a work of love and art – which is why you have been willing to put so much of yourself into it! Congratulations on your creation
It will be TOTALLY awesome! I’ve enjoyed watching this rug progress and will love seeing it finished too!