Progress on Hamadan Rug

 Keeping the rug taught so the warps did not hang loose and the knots come undone was a problem. I used a board behind and stapled the warps to it so I could apply tension.

This is the stage I have reached. The new wool is in place and I don't think the colour match is too bad.  I had to do a row of plain navy then a row of red and beige dots and then another row of navy with a final row of red. I have tied in and sewn in the wefts all apart from the last one. I now need to concentrate on the fringe. This is the difficult bit next as this is what will hold the repair and the rug together.

Mending Hamadan rugs

This is not my rug but belongs to a friend with a holiday cottage.  She knows I can repair things so asked if I would look at this.  Well its not embroidery or quilting but I have dabbled with weaving and darning in the past.  Rugs like this one can be repaired by professionals but as its a small area I thought I would give it a go.  Basically, I think it has been caught in a vacuum cleaner and tugged and then the tear on the fringe has become worn and extended over time.  I needed to check what type of rug I was dealing with first and found out from the back of it that its a single weft, Hamadan rug, which means Turkish knots and rough, strong wool and also some camel hair.  The rug smells of very old incense too so it was probably made in a tent or similar. If you look at the dyes most of them are vegetable but I suspect the bright orange is a chemical one, so it's not that old but it is good quality.

You can see that I needed to weave some new warps and wefts into the edge and I also had to stabilise the end warps which were broken so that the knots of wool would not slide off, this required a sort of blanket stitch. I have not quite finished replacing the warps in this photo. I find the rug very heavy to pull onto my lap whilst working so only do half an hour at a time as its quite a strain and also the rug covers me in fine gritty sand.  I will need to give it a good bashing outside with a broom handle and then vacuum it carefully when I am done. All being well I will post again when it progresses. I think a challenge on this scale does depend on a certain degree of luck, and I hope the repair works, time will tell.

Sashiko workshop - October 24th Cumbria Patchworkers

Sashiko workshop at Just Sew, Penrith

 We delved into this technique at our monthly meeting in October, but I must admit it was not for me.  I do like the idea behind the examples below but hated sewing the small white stitches onto the fabric by hand, it seemed to me that I unpicked more than I sewed. But not everyone likes the same obstacles in sewing, at least I gave it a go and I still have my square which might just become something in the future.  I also bought some of the fabric which was on sale downstairs in the shop; some pretty blue with little owls on it, I think it was also one of the fabrics in the design below.

Examples of Sashiko included in a work in progress

Threlkeld show continued

My wool wadding winter quilt, usually on my bed.....

I was pleased with the hanging arrangements at Threlkeld, especially with one of my quilts which they had hung infront of a window which gave it a jewel like quality.  I must admit I thought seeing the construction seams through it would have been a problem but no I quite like the effect.

Gloria's appliqué
quilt

Val Osborn

Maureen Rushton

Liz Beresford

A Baltimore by Gloria Walker - took over 3 years to make

I cannot find any information on these quilts at the moment because we did not produce a catalogue for the show which, with hindsight, is a shame.  It's always good to have a keepsake and it comes in handy for the typist when she is doing her blog update  .........

There are more quilts, embroideries and knitting to see at Threlkeld and tomorrow is the last day, so if this small display has wetted your appetite go along before it is too late. I think the show closes at 4pm.

Threlkeld in stitches

Today was day one of a three day show of quilts, embroidery and knitting at Threlkeld, a small village which nestles under the mighty hill Blencathra. As I arrived this morning the rain was falling but the forecast was good so I quickly attached my banner to the wall and made a dash for the dry hall.

 

The place is a typical village hall and the exhibition was organised to raise funds to keep it from falling into disrepair.  Like so many public buildings in Cumbria the local people have to do a lot of work to raise money if they want to keep their facilities going.  Threlkeld village hall is no exception to this rule and a lot of hard work and enthusiasm from a few had gone into organising and staging the exhibits.  Whilst I am on the subject, that means that the ladies have to ask their husbands to hang the quilts and to help with the lifting and carrying and in this case even taking the money on the door.  So before I forget, well done chaps! We could not do it without you.

Once inside it was not long before I too was given a few jobs to do, but it was all for a worthy cause so I was happy to oblige. There was a good atmosphere even though in the early stages we had to wait for the customers to appear. But by lunchtime the place was buzzing. One of the events organised by the ladies was to help make a Linus quilt and in the photo below you can just see the quilt pieces on the left pinned up prior to assembly.  Members of the public were invited to sew a square (quick cathedral window) and this was where they were placed ready for making into the finished quilt.





I was stewarding all morning and I am back again on Monday, if you are in the area, why don't you call into the exhibition, it is well staged and the exhibits are lovely.  I will show you some of them in my next posting hopefully tomorrow.

I have been busy all week

Busy as a bee, but no sewing for me, instead I have been nursing my DH who had a nasty viral infection which knocked him off his feet! He is better now; I don't know what we would do without antibiotics. So I have been doing all sorts of running around jobs but not one of them was scheduled a week ago...

Meanwhile, I have been looking around for a few items which might brighten up my kitchen dresser where I keep all sorts of crockery confections and this might just be what I need. Of course it comes with a ladybird chocolate too....