We will be at the Shepards Sheep and Wool Festival at Lake Elmo, MN on MAY 10 & 11, 2008.  We will have a booth and be doing a 2 day workshop. Check out the details under venders and workshops with fibers at

www.shepardsharvestfestival.org

In order to get a great looking rug one must whip stitch the edges with the same color yarn as the punched yarn in that area.  The best way to whip stitch is by threading the tapestry needle with a doubled section of colored yarn. This will fill the area better and conceal the off white backing. 

Sometimes the hemmed edge will only have 2-3 holes in which case it is better to whip stitch the three holes and make a nice even whip stitch concealing the whole hem.  When the hemmed edge is 4-5 holes then only whip stitch  1-2 holes.  Whip stitch the rug from the top side so you can be sure to take the same amount along the whole side making it very neat.

Sometimes the hemmed area can become a problem if you accidently cut the thread used in hemming.  This may cause the hem to unravel.  It is important that you sew the area as if mending a hem on a dress.  It is usually easier to mend  with a needle and cotton thread.  The integrity of this repair is critical to your finished rug.

The last issue that is worth discussing is whether or not to punch into the hole that you  whipped stitched.  I find it looks neater if you punch the whip stitched hole.  Punching this hole will make steaming  the edges when finished more important to getting the rug to lay flat.

What happens when you are punching the hemmed edge and a section of the cotton string backing rears its ugly head and shows itself.  Initially it seems real obvious but when the entire area is punched and the finished rug is steamed flat it will probably disappear.  If not , using a colored marker to match the yarn color , color the string to help hide it from view.  You can also use a marker to color the backing on the whipped stitched edges if the yarn separates allowing the backing to peak through. 

Thanks for reading and keep checking back . Julie

This is an email from a traditional rug hooker. 

Subject: Inquiry from Oriental Rug Designs
>
> Hi there,
>
> I am a traditional rug hooker who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
> I discovered your website and have enjoyed my visit very much. I am interested in finding out whether or not your rugs are suitable for traditional hooking in a #3 or #4 cut wool strip, or whether they are strictly for punch needle.
>
> The patterns are lovely, as are the colours shown.
>
> Congratulations.
>
> I look forward to hearing from you and to my next visit.
>
> Wendie
ORD <orientalrugdesigns@alltel.net> wrote:

Hi Wendie, To be honest I have never done the traditional rug hooking so I am not sure if it will work. If you register on my web site I will mail a pamphlet and a scrap piece of my backing for you to try it. I have this backing specially done for this technique but if I can open the door for other rug makers to use it with their technique that would be great for business. Thanks, julie
ORD Question

This is what Wendie wrote on her blog.  Check out her blog website www.theruggedmoose.blogspot.com

As I approach the finish line on my little Oriental, I have found, much to my surprise, that I am already thinking about my next one. With that in mind, I did a search on the Internet last week for "Oriental Rug Patterns" and found this website www.orientalrugsdesigns.com.
It's a punch needle site with a very large inventory of authentic Oriental rug designs which have been lovingly reproduced with historic authenticity. The patterns are available in kits, or on their own. There is a great variety of styles - something for every taste. There are traditional prayer rugs and some contemporary pieces as well. Many are quite large, which is what I am looking for in my next rug.
They use a backing that allows rug makers to punch without a frame, so their rugs are very portable. The kits include the wool yarn required to complete the designs, and although they offer the palettes shown in the patterns, you can create your own combination.
There is a very comprehensive "how to" section on the site, which is wisely protected from being copied by every person who visits. Everything from learning to hook with a punch needle to creating the crocheted edge and fringe for your rug.
I like quite a few of the patterns on the site, so I decided to contact them and find out if you could hook them in the traditional style. Julie, who responded to my email, said that she had only done punch needle hooking, so she wasn't sure. But, by joining the site, I was entitled to a sample of the backing, which I would be able to try to hook with wool strips.
It arrived within 2 days of my signing up, along with a handwritten note from Julie and a catalogue of the rugs I had seen on the website. She had punched the small area you can see in the top of the picture, leaving the bottom row untrimmed so I could see what the yarn loops looked like before shearing.
The backing easily permitted a 4 cut, so I tried a 5 and you can see that both worked well. The backing feels like a heavy rug warp to me, but has a really nice heft to it and you can see why a punch needle hooker wouldn't need a frame. I sent a note back to Julie to let her know how I made out, and she told me that she had quite a few people ask, so this was good information for her to be able to pass on.
Several aspects of the punch needle hooking appeal to me. I like the "no frame" part. I also like the fact that the patterns come hemmed so that you can hook right out to the edge and then just put your masterpiece on the floor when you are done. I guess my next decisions are which pattern to choose and whether to use wool strips on a frame, wool strips not on a frame or yarn as per the punch needle kits.
Once again, the Internet has provided me with a delightful surprise. I feel like Forrest Gump with his "life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get". This search was a delicious suprise. A new site for my favourites. A bevvy of patterns. Another nudge towards punch needle hooking (more inspiration to try the hook I bought nearly two years ago) and a new e-pal in Julie.
Go visit her site if you have time. You won't be disappointed.

 

Posted by Wendie Scott Davis at 6:07 AM 0 comments

 

 

The ORD Punches come in 3 sizes which corespond to only to the length of the loop that is created when you punch into your backing.  We sell two versions of each size, a metal handle and wooden handle.  The length of the loops are as follows for each size of punch.  

ORD #8 Punch Needle- 1/2" loop

ORD #9 Punch Needle-7/16" loop

ORD #10 Punch Needle- 1/4" loop

The frameless ORD Punch Needle Rug Hooking technique uses two sizes the #8 and #9.  The #8 is used to outline designs and punch the hemmed edges.  The #9 is used for the rest of the rug.  The #10 is used in the traditional punch needle techniques where a frame is used and the loops are generally not cut.  Since this punch has a relatively narrow track for the yarn to be pulled through a 3 ply tapestry wool is the primary wool that will fit through the eye and not get stuck in the track. Heavy weight rug wool will not work with these punches.

Some punchers like to use the same punch when making their rugs but since it is not adjustable like a craftsman punch a rubber grommet can be placed at the hub of the handle in order to shorten the loop.  The ORD #8 is ideal for wanting to have options to punch all three loop lengths.  One grommet will punch a loop leength of #9 and two grommets will punch the length of a #10. 

In the past the grommet has to be removed prior to threading the punch but just this weekend I decided to cut the grommet and found that even with the grommet cut the punch can be threaded without removing the grommet.  This actually makes this punch adjustable with no interefence with threading the punch.  I will attatch pictures to show the placement of the grommet and how the punch is threaded. 

Thanks for reading and I hope this new discovery will be a benefit to you.  You can find the grommets for sale in the New Item section and the Tools section.  Julie 

We have many customers that purchase a Chinese Rug Kit, Southwestern Rug Kit,or Modern Rug Kit and punch them, shear them flat and never sculpt them.  The main reason is that they fear they will ruin their hard work.  Let me assure you, that as daunting as it may seem, it makes the difference between a good Oriental Rug Designs rug and an absolutely marvelous Oriental Rug Designs rug.  Scultping allows for a perfectly defined design.  If the rug is only sheared flat the lines are not clean but fuzzy, sculpting the designs make them pop.  Another word for sculpting is embossing a oriental rug.  The Picture above is scultped.

We sell a Try It Kit for those that want to learn the frameless punch needle rug hooking technique as seen with the ORD collection.  We sold one to an online customer who was a member of a Yahoo group for Punch Needle Rug Making.  She was so impressed that she wrote the following testimonial located under the picture.  Thanks for reading and keep coming back, Julie

Hi all,
I'm April. I have been lurking and reading through the archives. I
have mostly done a lot of punchneedle embroidery (smaller pieces), but
have recently become interested in rug sized punching. I have had the
Oxford needles for a while (both the #10 and the newer #14). In all
honesty, I haven't done much with them, but started to punch with some
yarn on monk's cloth. I did notice that Amy Oxford recommended
washing Monk's Cloth in hot water before using it with the smaller
needle. I did a sample with both unwashed and washed monk's cloth.
There was a remarkable difference. I'm wondering if it is too tight
washed. I certainly got heavy packing.

I was intrigued by the ORD (Oriental Rug Designs) needle and rug
photos that I found in the albums here. I found the website and
called on Saturday to talk to the owner (Julie). She was so nice and
patient in answering my questions. It was clear that the technique
was different than what I was used to with the berber type punching.
I decided to order the try-it kit, but upgraded to the new oak handle
needle. This was on Saturday.

On Monday, a priority mail package arrived at my house. I could not
believe it! The package was wonderful. She even included a nice
handled paper bag w/ the logo on it to carry my supplies. She had
worked a bit on the sample to show me what it is "supposed" to look
like. This was very helpful since I was not familiar with this type
of punching.

The backing fabric was hemmed, and was unlike anything I have ever
seen. It is really thick with several strands of cotton in each
weave. If you look at Monk's cloth, you can see the strands of
cotton...looks to be maybe 2 x 2. This stuff is more like 4 x 4 or
even 6 x 6. I can't really be sure.

The yarn was really pretty fine. I am not familiar with crewel wool
or tapestry wool, but this is would be more along those lines in terms
of weight. It is 3 fine strands that would be easily divisible. She
also included a color card with all the colors available.

Now for the needle....this is SOME needle. It came in a nice plastic
reusable tube. The needle itself is butter smooth. It glides through
the special backing fabric as well as through monk's cloth. The metal
channel is continuous, and it is easy for the yarn to almost "click"
in place, and stay in the channel. I would think this would prevent
any yarn from getting worn or frayed. She has two models in various
sizes...one with a metal handle that she mentioned was heavier, and a
newer one that has a polished oak handle that her husband made. I got
the oak needle, and find it to be really smooth and nicely balanced.
I love this needle. Unfortunately, it is not adjustable in any way
that I could see. I imagine I could put washers on it, but I'm unsure
as to how to do that and still thread the needle.

The specific needle I got would be primarily used for a cut pile
technique in which you cut the loops after making them (she has
instructions and a handy pointed needle to aid with this). She
mentioned that she has another needle that has a shorter point that
would be used for non-cut pile punching. I can't comment on that one
since I haven't tried it...YET.

I tried to continue what she had started on my sample. So far, I
really like it. One thing that was "new" to me was the fact that she
suggests anchoring your stitches, almost like a backstitch. The other
thing that was new was the fact that I didn't need the backing to be
tight or in any type of frame or hoop. This was really nice. I'm
sure part of the reason for that is the length of the loops. It sure
made it nice though.

I have no affiliation, and had never corresponded or communicated with
ORD before Saturday, but I thought I would add a review in case others
were interested.

I'd love to hear from others who have experience with the ORD needles,
and also with washing monk's cloth.

April