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lmgervais

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  1. lmgervais
    By request, I have been asked to create a tutorial for how to make a braided dh rug. The basis of the rug is from a book by Reader's Digest called "Complete Guide to Needlework", I just adapted it to what I thought would be dh proportions.

    First of all, decide what shape of rug you would like and the approximate dimensions. What follows is for an oval rug, but I'll add a note about circular rugs at the bottom.

    Start with three colours of embroidery thread, the usual 6 strands each that it comes in. Cut a piece of each colour to about the length from fingertip to fingertip. Don't worry if this turns out to not be enough, because it is easy to add more.

    Make a knot at the end of the threads.


    Attach ends to a firm surface in order to provide some tension.


    Start braiding (left over centre, right over centre, left over centre, etc.), trying to maintain an even tension.


    Continue braiding until you have a lenght of braid just longer than (lenght-width) of the final size.

    Then do three 'round turns' as shown in the attached diagram. Note that the turn may not be very visible since the thread is so thin.


    Continue braiding until you are back to the location of the knot, then do 3 more round turns.

    Then continue braiding until you have at least 6" of braid done. At this point, you can start to sew the braid into a rug, or just continue braiding until you reach the ends of the threads.

    To start sewing the rug together, start from the knot, then gently bend the braid where you did your 3 turns. Taking a needle and thread, start sewing the two sides together with small stitches, making sure to keep the braid flat. (If done properly, you will not see the thread from the front side.)

    Before going very far, we will have to deal with the knot. I put a small amount of white glue on my finger and rub it over the knot and the beginning of the braid, then leave it to dry. Once dry, cut the knot off and the end threads should remain together. If you are worried about the ends unravelling, you can always add another dot of white glue once you have sewn more of the rug together.

    Continue sewing the sides together, bending around the end where you did your second set of 3 turns. Then just continue sewing around and around, making sure to keep the braid flat. The right side will look like the next photo (note that the yellow thread should not show - I was doing this quickly and didn't notice it until after I had taken the picture.)

    Continue braiding and sewing until you have a rug of the desired size. When finished, just make a knot, add some glue, and cut off the knot once the glue dries, then sew in or tuck the ends under the rug.

    Here are pictures of the front and back of the first rug I did. Note that the shape may not be perfect, but you can get it to the right shape with a bit of tugging.

    If you run out of thread before you reach the size you want, or just want to change to another colour, just use a dab of white glue to join the two ends together, making the smallest bump possible. If you have to add more thread to all three strands, just stagger them so that the bumps are not all at the same place. They will not be very noticable anyway.

    Note, if you want a thicker rug, just use three strands of something a bit thicker than 6-thread embroidery thread.

    For a circular rug, although I have not done one myself yet, start the same way with the knot, then do enough 'round turns' so that the braid turns in on itself to form a small circle (the book suggests 6-12, depending on the thickness of the strands). Glue and cut at the knot, then continue with the normal straight braid until the desired size is achieved, sewing in a circular form instead of an oval.

    Good luck and happy braiding! ;)
  2. lmgervais
    I have had the glencroft for many years. After starting the basic shell all those years ago, having 3 kids and moving multiple times, it seems that the basic shell has gone missing. However, having a willing husband and most of the templates still, I will finally be able to put it together.

    To make things more complicated, instead of just re-creating the pieces we are missing, I've decided to try and 'bash' the kit. The family that will live there consists on the parents, two boys, a baby girl, a dog, two cats, and a bird. And they insisted on having a bathroom - hence the bashing.

    I am trying to make it symetrical about the main peak in the roof (yes, this will give me two pieces to curve). This will give me two additional rooms - which is what I really want! In addition, we are planning on moving the side walls out a bit to make the rooms a bit bigger. Ambitious, I know ;) ! This will then allow us to centre the front door (hubby made it bigger) and add extra windows. There should be bay windows on both sides, top and bottom, similar to the original left side of the Glencroft, and the window over the front door should end up as a bay.

    The plans are to keep the interior similar to the original layout, sort of. The smaller bedroom will be pushed out to accommodate the larger window and to make it bigger. This will also be more-or-less mirrored on the other side. The only major plans for changing the inside involve the staircase. As the additional room upstairs will be a bathroom, I hope to have the stairs go up as intended, then split in two up to a door on either side, so the hallway will be wider at the top and both rooms will be closed off from the stairs.

    I really liked the finished project shown on the Glencroft community blog that was finished in paperclay stones, so my house is begging for the same sort of look.

    My problem was access to the additional room on the first floor. I was hoping to replace the bookcase with a doorway, but it turns out that I will not have enough height. My solution - use the original front door on the side wall, so that the only access to the library is from outside. Not ideal, but keeps the little ones out!

    I saw the idea elsewhere on this site and liked it so much that I have even started a small story about the family. And, given that I already have my sites set on another, larger house, the story includes a rumor that there are plans for a house to be built next door!
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