I made this wee Baluch rug, design circa 1800, for @Bunny1kenobi to add to one of her miniature scenes. It is on either 22- or 24- count aida cloth. It would be nice to go smaller, but this is as small as I can stitch at this point.
The pattern, and many others, are available for free courtesy of Anna-Carin’s Miniatures. Apparently the rugs she makes are half this size, or smaller! I can’t even imagine, let alone see. There was also a tutorial there for making the fringe at the end of the rug.
Since it was the Use What You Have Swap, I didn’t go out and buy fabric glue, which was what was recommended for finishing the rug. Instead, I covered the back with a heavy fusible web meant for hemming, and poked some Elmer’s glue along the edges that risked fraying.
This is beautiful!! Forgive my ignorance, but how does aida cloth work? Is it a stiff material or do you use a teeny embroidery hoop? The detail you’ve achieved is remarkable with how small the medium is!
Thanks! The cloth is somewhat stiff when you buy it, but it softens after washing. It is woven as a grid, so stitches are always the same size and it isn’t as necessary to use a hoop or frame when stitching. That also helps the eyes! I hold the cloth taut between the fingers of one hand while putting stitches in with the other hand.
However, now that you mention it, using a frame would have kept the finished piece from skewing sideways, as the tension would have been evenly distributed. It goes back to rectangle with tugging, but it likes to be slightly off.
I can’t even imagine, let alone see. There was also a tutorial there for making the fringe at the end of the rug.
