BLOG 237

BLOG 237 Sunday March 1^st 2015

Hapus Dewi Sant.

And now for something completely different, as the saying goes. Question: What do you do with a drawer full of large print fabrics when you need a rag rug for your utility room?  Answer: You make one! These fabrics have been left over from my garden gate years when I used to construct large scale gardens which required big floral prints. I don’t want to work on large pieces now so I thought I would shift some of this fabric in a different way. I also need a hand project for the times when I go to various local craft groups. In my life before quilt making, I used to crochet lampshades using balls of dishcloth cotton; here is the only one I have now and that must be all of 30 years old!

                              Crocheted lampshade

 

So it was to crochet that I turned to make use of the fabrics. I hadn’t used a crochet hook for years but it all came back very easily. Here are the first 4 squares.

                                                             4 squares

 

And here are the fabrics they came from. The busy fabrics produce a lovely effect and it doesn’t seem to matter whether the right or wrong side is visible, that just adds interest.

                                                           Fabric 1

                                                                  Fabric 2

                                                               Fabric 3

                                                              Fabric 4

 

I wanted to cut the fabric as efficiently as possible with a rotary cutter and ruler so I removed both of the selvedges first and folded the fabric, placing it on my cutting board with both the trimmed selvedge to my left and the fold of the fabric to the right. (I produced 1 square from an 11” length x 42”wide fabric strip.)

I cut ½” strips across the fabric from right to left, going across the folded edge on the right side but stopping 1” short of the trimmed edges on the left side.

                                                     Across the fold

                                                          Stopping short

I separated the layers (this is important) and started to release the individual strips of fabric cutting the edge where necessary.

                                                         Separated strips

 I rolled up the fabric in a ball for convenience so it is ready to crochet using an 8mm hook.

                                                            Ball of fabric

 In advance, I am already thinking of how to join the squares together. As I have drawers of black off-cuts, again from the wrought iron years, it seemed like a good idea to use that fabric.

 

                                                            Crocheted seam

                                                          Reverse seam

 NOT a good idea! I think the best solution would be to use any left-over strips from the squares to join them together more subtly……..

………..And then I went into a local charity shop and bought this one for £4:00! I will persevere with the crocheted one now that I have started it, and I can swop it over with this one when it needs laundering.

                                                     Charity shop rug