Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Braided Homespun ~

Good Wednesday Morning 
~ Friends & Folk ~

and oh! what a beautiful *sparkling* morning it is!
high & dry with a beautiful October-like sky.
my kind of morning….

Joan & I will be heading out to our local quilt shop, 
Cottonwood Quilt Shop
 in Charlottesville VA. to pick up some MORE fabric.
{yes I carry fabric in my own shop. Yes I NEED more fabric.}

Cottonwood has a great selection of beautiful homespun fabrics,
~ which at the moment I am working with…

I finished hooking this white Jack rug and now am in the process of adding a thin braided edge of a great black/orange homespun plaid that I have…



gathered together...


I am not a 'fussy' finisher by any means.
and tend to lean towards a more simple look…
 and by simply turning back the linen edge and stitching it down,
I can achieve that simple look.
BUT
I do like to add a little character to everything I do ~
so I am adding the braid.




I know most of you out there know how to braid, 
{{it is super easy to do}}
and some of you have even made braided rugs, mats & runners...
I love that look so I like to incorporate it with my hooked projects.

using Valdani pearl cotton #8 "H209" {Khaki Black}
I begin stitching the braid to the very edge of my tacked down linen on the back of my rug:


needful-things



it goes quickly, is fun to do and really does make for a neat finish.

~ here's how it looks from the front {below}
where I initially began stitching on the braid 
… at the bottom/center of my finished rug.



simple but elegant finished edge


here you can see how I place the braided edge to the edge of the linen ~
just the edges touching…
and working up and around the corner of the top of the rug.


large-eye needle & Valdani pearl cotton



I'll show you how I'll 'hide' that beginning frayed end of the braid
~ in my next posting ;)


need to tidy-up that end!



You will soon see me working in many different mediums 
as the show-season commences upon us ~

my hands will be painting, punching, hooking, appliqué-ing…
making jewelry & a few of my primitive dolls too.

I LOVE this time of the year, 
… when I am so very productive 
and the creative juices {read: caffeine!} are flowing readily ~
and I can entertain my own primsical muses when they visit time & again...

Hoping you all have a wonderfully creative day my friends!!


~ Blessings from the Farm ~
 Lori

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the lesson, Lori! I am cross stitching small "memento" pillows of the places my sister and I will be visiting this September (Salem, Ipswich, and Lowell), with little motifs of witches, stitches, and lace. Each will be stuffed with wool, dried herbs, and a bit of the stuff from each place we go. I was wondering how to finish them out (I want them to be entirely hand done), and you have just solved that little dilemma for me! Can't wait for the lesson in braiding! Thank you for sharing your artistry!

old crow said...

Thank you for sharing Lori, you always inspire me!! Love your new header too!!

Unknown said...

Blessings sweetie! You make me day with your blog

Silent Stitches said...

Good afternoon Lori... I luv the way you used the braid to finish the edge. The colors you selected are the perfect combination! Gorgeous!
Best wishes, ~C

Kim said...

Lori~ Just love the braid finishing. Also love your new Blog Header, it is so prim delicious!!! All made by your hands, just awesome!!
I am making a pot of pinto beans today!! And some hooking!!
Enjoy ~
Kim

Shuttle, Hook and Needle said...

The Shakers were well known for using braided finishes on their rugs and other items.
Your new header reflects a wonderful Fall feeling!

Saundra said...

That was very inspiring and think I'll try that on Hester that I'm hooking now.

Susie H said...

Love that look! I will be trying it out (hopefully) soon! Thanks for the tutorial and I look forward to how you neaten it up at the end!

The Eveningstitcher said...

Love the edging, Lori!! It gives a finished piece so much character! I've never tried it but now I will...I can't wait to see the next part! Always so creative...your mind must be twirling constantly...for which we all so grateful!

acorn hollow said...

I just love this look and did you use cotton for your little braid?
Cathy

Jacqueline said...

Love the braided look. I need to try this. Thanks for sharing.

marly said...

What a neat idea!