BINDING AND LABELING ~ ~ ~

Good morning! This is my first attempt at posting multiple pictures and descriptions of each!! There is a help site on Blogger that tells how to do this! As I was preparing my rugs to send to the Sauder Village rug show, it occurred to me this might make an interesting post!! Let's see how it goes!!
The above picture is a close-up of my style of binding ~ I don't whip the edges ~ too time consuming and I like the simplicity of the binding tape or wool strips used in the same fashion. First I serge the foundation fabric after the project is hooked, leaving an inch or so to fold under and steam press. Then, I hold the tape up against the hooking (since I am left-handed, this might look backwards to you), anchor the beginning end with several stitches and then place each stitch as close as I can possibly get up against the hooking. It is a whip stitch of sorts, I guess, and when the project is finished, the foundation fabric is totally covered. Then I anchor the other edge of the tape to the rug with almost invisible stitches, catching the foundation fabric of the rug, rather than the hooked wool, for stability. Oh, the thread is a buttonhole twist or heavy craft thread.
This is a close-up without my hands!!
Labeling our work is very important ~ some of my early rugs still need done ~ I'm trying to do better since rugs must be labeled before they're entered in a rug show. Last year, at a quilt show, I found sheets of fabric that can be run thru a copier (they could be purchased at a fabric store or even an office supplier). I write the information regarding the rug on a piece of paper, put it in the copier and run the fabric thru just like any copy paper and voila! Peel that part of the fabric off the fabric sheet, leaving the backing intact so that the remaining fabric may be used for other labels, and cut the new label away from the rest of the fabric. Then, iron the edges under about a quarter of an inch which also sets the print.
This is the finished product stitched to the back of my Catfish rug. I think it makes a neater looking label than my previous ones ~ which was writing with a fabric pen on muslin or linen ~ it was hard to get a fine enough pen and it always looked messy to me. With this, you can get as creative as you want, if you have the time!

Tomorrow morning, my friends and I are off to Sauder Village and then a day at the lake to hook!! I'll take some pictures of the rug show and post when I return!! Have a good rest of the week!!
Alice