Tips & Techniques
On this page you will find tips and advice from our members and helpful information from the Websites we love!
Oriental Carpets
By The Textile Museum and The Math Forum
Symmetry and Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets
Would you like to create an oriental rug? Hook a border with a repeated pattern?
The Website "Symmetry and Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets", will provide you with very valuable information. Among other interesting facts, you will learn about 4 types of symmetry: translation, reflection, glide reflection and rotation. Follow the link.
Higgledy-piggledy
Sylvia Solomon
Non-directional Hooking
For a textured and dynamic background, I prefer a non-directional hooking (or higgledy-piggledy) instead of the traditional straight lines. With a three colour palette you can obtain interest and contrast.
Whipping
Brenda Ticehurst
How to mitre an edge that is being whipped
Step 1 : The edge should be machine stitched close to the edge on all sides with a zigzag stitch. Then draw a diagonal line with a pencil from one corner to the other.
Step 2 : Whip up to the line coming down from the other side .
Step 3 : Start to follow the pencil diagonal line, then make three stitches at the bottom and start the other half and going up to the diagonal in the new direction.
Step 4 : When even, continue to whip as usual.
Proddy
Louise G. de Tonnancour
About Proddy
This very old technique is still well used by ruggers in England especially the Yorkshire where Heather Richie lives.
Step 1: You will need a plyer (a: to pull) or a sharp (b: to push).
Step 2: Cut the strips.
Step 3: On the right side of the rug consists in pulling, with a plyer, short strips of fabrics (about 6 cm long x 1.5 cm wide) through the canvas.
Step 4: On the back side of the rug, the technique consists in pushing, with a sharp tool, the short strips of fabric through the canvas.
The canvas must be stretched on the frame. You can roll the strips to obtain curly and volumetric effects.
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