In this rug hooking tutorial, I will show you how I make rug hooked bowl fillers. You could use these in your decor to place into wooden bowls, or place on shelves.
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Making the Bowl Fillers:
I like to make shaped pillows and bowl fillers using monks cloth as the foundation fabric. Monks cloth is softer and easier to manipulate than some of the other rug hooking foundation fabrics.
Prepare the Projects:
After steam pressing the finished project, trim the empty monks cloth to around 1″ and serge the edges.
Using the zipper foot on your sewing machine, stay stitch all the way around the hooked project as close as possible to the edge of the hooked loops. This will help the fabric keeps its shape so it doesn’t get stretched out of shape.
Inside Corners:
To get the foundation fabric to turn to the back properly, you will need to cut snips in the foundation fabric on any inside corners. Cut up to the stay stitching.
Coat both sides of each snip with some fray check and rub it into the fabric. Let this dry completely.
Pressing:
Press the empty monks cloth to the back of the project, but DON’T press the areas that you fray checked! Just finger press those areas. You don’t want to end up with a messy iron!
If you use a damp pressing cloth, the steam will help hold things in place better than just ironing.
Basting:
Baste the empty weavers cloth to the back of the project.
The Backing:
Use a felted wool for the backing so you don’t have to worry about turning under the edges. (It won’t ravel.)
Use the hooked rug as a pattern for cutting the backing but angle the scissors so the backing will be slightly larger than the hooked rug.
When you stitch on the backing, the edges of the wool will fold over and cover the edge of the foundation fabric.
Sew on the Bowl Filler Backing:
Use a thread that matches the backing wool. Whip stitch the felted wool to the hooked rug, catching the folded over edge of monks cloth and the edge of the wool in each stitch. Leave an opening for stuffing.
If needed, you can trim the felted wool as you progress with the stitching.
Stuff as desired and finish sewing together.
Be sure to check out our other rug hooking tutorials.
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