Project designed by Phyllis Hause.
Materials:
44-inch strip of fabric
Aunt Philly's toothbrush rug needle
scissors
safety pin
ruler
1. Snip a 44-inch-wide strip of fabric every two inches along the edge.
2. Tear each of the slits down into the fabric about one foot.
3. Pick up every other strip and gather all of them in one hand (figure A). Gather the other strips together in the other hand. Pull the strips in opposite directions to create individual long strips of fabric.
4. Gather all of the strips together and cut them to measure about the length from your left shoulder to your right hand.
5. Fold each strip so that the ends meet. Fold the ends in about an inch and make a small slit at the fold.
6. Line up the slits of two different strips. Slide the opposite end of the strip through both slits from underneath the fabric. Pull the strip all the way through the slits to create a knot (figure B).
7. Place a safety pin through the outside edge of the knot and secure it to a surface such as a sofa arm or rug (figure C) to free both hands.
8. Pinch one end of the fabric strip and thread it through the toothbrush rug needle.
9. Hold the end of the fabric without the needle with your pinky, ring finger and middle finger. This end of the fabric is called the "runner." The end of the fabric with the needle is called the "worker."
10. Place the needle under the runner near the knot (figure D) and pull out. Hold your index finger near the knot. Extend the fabric until your index finger stops the extension, creating a small loop near the knot (figure E). Pull the needle back through that loop to create the first stitch. Continue this stitch three times down the length of the runner.
11. Unpin the original knot and turn it over to rotate it to the opposite side of the fabric strip. Pin down again. To make a turning stitch, place the needle under the loop of the last stitch (figure F) and then under the runner. Continue to the left with the same stitch from step 10.
12. Next, create an "increase" stitch (to begin making the rug larger) by placing the needle between the next two knots (figure G). Place the needle under the runner and then create a regular stitch.
13. Continue alternating between regular stitches and increase stitches until the rug is the desired size (figure H).
14. To finish off the rug, run the needle through several loops on the back of the rug. Once you have finished running the worker through the loops, run the runner through the same set of loops. Cut off the ends of the strips and tuck them in to the rug.
Resources Aunt Philly's toothbrush rug needle, video
Aunt Philly's Toothbrush Rugs
Denver, CO
US
Phone: 303-280-2373
Email:
myrugs@auntphillys.com
URL:
www.auntphillys.com
Guests Phyllis Hause
Artist and owner of Aunt Philly's Toothbrush Rugs
Denver, CO
Phone: 303-280-2373
Email:
myrugs@auntphillys.com
URL:
www.auntphillys.com
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