Cotton fabric: see instructions
Cotton rope: see instructions
Jeans sewing machine needle
Matching thread
Basic sewing kit
MATERIALS USED
The fabrics used are from Playing
Pop by AGF Studio for Art Gallery
Ref: AGFPOP1281; Sugar Crystals,
Sweet. Ref: AGFPOP1282; Sound
Bubbles, Light. Ref: AGFPOP2288;
Sprinkles Glitch, Rainbow. Ref:
AGFPOP1283.
CUTTING THE FABRIC
We used a 4mm (¼in) diameter cotton rope which you can buy from hardware stores. Our rug is 75cm (30in) in diameter and for this we used 85m (93yds) of rope. The fabric is cut into strips from a full width of 112cm (44in) fabric. On average, we found each strip covered 75cm (30in) of rope once wound. For our rug, we used 3m (3¼yds) of fabric cut from a selection of four different fabrics.
Step one: Start by cutting your chosen fabrics into 2.5cm (1in) strips, cut from the full width of fabric. As the rug gets bigger you will need to use more strips to make one full circle. Experiment with how to alternate the colours and how many rings of each you want.
SETTING UP YOUR MACHINE
Step one: You are going to need a lot of thread to make this rug so make sure that you have a good supply of thread that blends well with your fabric colours before you start.
Step two: You need a strong needle that will withstand stitching through the fabric and rope without breaking. A jeans needle is ideal for this as it has a strong shank and a very sharp point.
Step three: The most important thing when stitching the rug together is to keep it flat. If you don’t, then it will turn into a bowl shape which will be impossible to flatten later. So, the bed of the machine needs to be the same level as the surface beside it. You could put your machine on a table that is lower than your bigger work table or use an ironing board beside your machine which you can
adjust in height to suit your sewing table.
Step four: Set your machine to a zigzag stitch. The stitch needs to be wide enough to reach from the centre of one rope to the centre of another so experiment to get this right.
STARTING OFF
Step one: Fold the end of one fabric strip over the end of the cotton rope by 2cm (¾in) then wrap it around the rope to secure in place. 01
Step two: Wrap the whole strip around the rope so that it overlaps. Keep wrapping, gradually working your way down, and clip in place to stop it unravelling before you stitch.
Step three: Fold the fabric bound end of the rope over by 2cm (¾in) then wind it around into a coil and push a fewpins into it just to start you off – you won’t need them later.
Step four: Stitch the first part of the coil together by working your machine zigzag so it goes from one wrapped rope side to the other, joining them together. 02
Step five: You need to stitch your rug together in an anticlockwise direction so it fits under your sewing machine.
WORKING THE RUG
Step one: When you reach near the end of the wrapped section of rope, join in a new colour. Place one end of a new colour just under the end of the previous colour and continue wrapping the rope in the same way. 03
Step two: When you reach the end of one length of rope, join in another by butting the ends and sticking them together with a strip of thin tape, then binding with fabric. 04
FINISHING OFF
Step one: When you have finished your rug, trim the fabric strip and tuck it under the binding so the end is covered. Machine zigzag into place to hold the end securely
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