The choice of materials depends on how you want to use the finished article. For a rug, you would need and easy-to-clean material such as cotton, but if you wanted to adapt the idea for a wallhanging or cushion cover, it would be fun ton experiment with different kinds of material such as lurex, netting, organza and other speciality fabrics. For the base fabric, choose grey polyester or any other even-weave material which is not too closely woven.
75 x 62 cm (29.5 x 24.5 in)
Materials and Equipment
- 87 x 71 cm (34.25 x 28 in) grey polyester
- 2 x 86 cm (34 in) and 2 x 71 cm (28 in) artist’s stretchers
- Fine felt-tip pen
- Compass
- Soft pencils
- Strong card
- Scissors
- Assortment of cotton material (have plenty)
- Wooden knitting needle
- Plastic knife
- Latex/PVA glue
- Piece of thin foam to size of finished rug
- 79 x 66 cm (31 x 26 in) backing material (can be same material as rug)
- Cotton thread
- Needle
- Thimble
Assemble the artist’s stretchers and staple or pin the grey polyester to the frame, pulling it taut and keeping the threads straight.
Draw the outline of the rug by running a felt-tip pen between two threads of grey polyester (or use a ruler).
Set your compass to mark a 9 cm (3.5 in0 diameter circle on strong card. Cut around the circle to make a template.
Place the template on your material, and draw around it with a fine-tipped soft pencil or fine waterproof pen. You can fold the material and cut out two circles at once.
As a large quantity of material is needed for this project, cut out quite a few cotton circles at a time. (Keep the different colours and designs separate, perhaps in bags). To use, you will need to fold each circle in half and then into.
Work with the frame leaning at right angles to a table. Push a wooden knitting needle gently into the folded centre of a circle. Do not allow it to pierce the material.
Working from front to back and beginning in a corner, push the knitting needle and the tip of the circle about 1 cm (0.5 in) through the grey polyester.
On the reverse side, you will see little modules of material.
Continue placing your circles about 2 cm (0.75 in) apart, staggering them so that they slot snugly into each other. You do not have to work across – you can build up wherever you want your colours to go.
When you have completed a session, turn the frame over. Dip a plastic knife carefully into the latex – you only need to smear – and dab around each nodule to prevent them falling out. Be very meticulous in doing this. Then, just shake the frame gently to ensure all the nodules have been latexed.
When you have completely covered the rug with cotton circles, remove from the frame. Place the finished rug right-side down on a table. Trim the material to about 7.5 cm (3 in) all around the rug. Place a piece of thin foam, the same size as the completed rug, on the reverse of the rug. This is to prevent the nodules from wearing out the backing.
Turn the surplus grey polyester down over the foam and, just catching the fabric on to the foam, tack all around, mitring the corners.
Cut the backing material slightly larger than the finished rug, and lay it over the foam, turning the edges under. Slip-stitch the backing to the rug, turning in the corners neatly (it is not necessary to mitre them). When this has been completed, back stitch across the width of the rug at regular intervals, pushing the needle down through the backing and the foam and just catching it on the base material. You may hit some nodules which have been stiffened by the latex but just work around them.
