Whipping an edge with wool strips~A little tutorial

First make sure you have serged or zig-zagged the edge about 1/2" from your hooking.

1.  Fold your linen (backing) towards the front of the rug and insert the needle that is threaded with a wool strip of whatever size you hooked the rug with.  I usually start at the middle bottom.  No specific reason.  Leave a little "tail" that you will cover up in a minute.

2. Pull the wool strip through to the back. 

3. Bring your needle back to the top and insert it in 1 or 2 holes next to the first one.

   

4. Make sure your wool doesn't twist before you pull it down.  I think this is the hardest part of the job~keeping it from twisting.

  

5. Pull this loop through to the back too, covering the little tail you had left.

6. Just continue inserting the needle one or two holes over and whipping from top to bottom.

 

7. When you run out of wool strip leave another little tail.  (You will cover it up like before)

 

8. I start the new strip in the same hole as the last one.

9. Showing here with a different color of strip.  Again, leave a tail on the top (new) strip too. 

10.  It's hard to see, but I'm holding both the tails.  One on top and one on bottom.

11.  Then just start the whipping process again.  Covering the tails.

 

Here's a finished corner.

1. I kind of pinch the linen together to form a corner and work with it to make the turn.

2. Whip just like before (while holding the linen corner together)  Kind of difficult!

3. Many times on the corner you'll have to stick the needle in the same hole as before in able to make the turn.  You'll move the wool strips around with your fingers too.

 

When you get to the end of the piece OR you can do this when starting a new piece.  Insert the needle on the back Through three or four previous loops (that are laying flat)

2.  Pull the strip through all three loops.

 

3. Snip off this piece of wool to hide the ends.

This is the piece I was working on.  This is the FIRST rug I ever hooked.  STILL HAD NOT FINISHED WITH THE HOOKING!!!   It only needed a few strips hooked on the right side!  I took the class from Tammy in 2004 or 5.  Last night I did finish the hooking and I will finish whipping the edge.  It WILL be on my table this fall!!!

And here's a picture of how I do a piece of wool to insert a cafe rod.  I simply cut a piece of wool to fit and hand stitch it on the top and bottom.  Easy Peasy!!   

I hope you could understand my tutorial.  And I hope you can do it now too!  If you have any questions feel free to email me!

One more note,  I've started adding small bundle packages of wool at my shop!

ShabbySheepWool

Peace,

Sheri