Rugs

I always think rugs are one of the hardest things to find for your project.  I know you can buy fuzzy paper and clip photo images from the web and print the rugs yourself but I think you need a pretty good printer to get a decent result.  That's what I am telling myself as I didn't do very well at it.

I decided to take a break from actual 'building' work and messed about with the rugs I have for this project.  Since buying them - the historical period has changed, the room usages have changed, the colours of rooms have changed etc etc etc, so I actually don't really have the rugs I need for this project any more!!

I began by fiddling around with a small rug for the library.  It is one of those easily found woven 'Turkish' dolls house carpets.  I never like the fringe on them so the first thing to do is get rid of that.

This is as easy as painting the reverse side with a generous amount of Fray Stop along the line where you want to cut it and gently pressing (rather than rubbing) it into the fabric.  Let it dry well (overnight is best) and snip away.  

I am pretty sure Fray Stop is just a clear drying white PVA glue.  Used judiciously on most fabrics it won't show (too much) on the other side so you can 'hem' with it and 'join' with it and just use it for its intended purpose of making an edge that you can cut and leave because it wont fray. This really useful when making fabric items at this scale as sewing isn't always the answer.  I am pretty sure you don't need Fray Stop per se - there are other clear drying glues out there that I am sure will do.  So give what you have a try - test it on scrap fabric if you can.  Obviously silk may not take kindly to it - but again it will depend on the silk and how much glue is needed for what you are doing.  It is always worth a go. My logic for having some actual Fray Stop is that I have to buy more glue ow and then, so one of them might as well be this one (no more expensive than any other) and I have a 'dedicated' glue for the job.

One rug sorted

On to the music room.

I did have two matching rugs whose colours ought to go 'quietly' into the proposed yellow music room. 

 Using just one of them seemed too small for the space:

..... using two just looked weird with a gap down the centre

.... just as with Goldilocks... the third overlapping solution made the size of the rug (sans fringes)  'just right'

The answer was to cut off two of the edges and join up the rugs.  This time I didn't use fray stop before cutting as I sort of wanted the edges to 'fray' into each other when they joined up.

I lay the first cut edge half way across the sticky side of a paper-thin piece of double sided carpet tape and pressed it down carefully taking care not to stretch or crumple it in any way. I then did the same with the second rug, taking care to match the pattern.

The two cut edges matched very well until it 'ran out a little on both outside edges.  The rug's fault, not mine!  I am certain that when the room is furnished it will never be noticed.

I then did the Fray Stop fringe removal trick  - et voila - one large rug.  It needs some more judicious trimming I think but so far so good.

The off-cuts may very well make pelmets over the curtains and some trims for the blinds in this room - we shall see.

Finally I used the last of my all time favourite RL place mats to make a rug for the mud room - probably not very practical - and one for the Rec room in case I never find one I like for in there.  I simply used Fray Stop down each side and pulled some thread to make a fringe.

I know ......... I cut them off ones I buy and add them on to the ones I make.....  what can I say.

Mud room

Rec room - no fringe - want to tape the edges of this one

(24/07/16)