Cross Stitch Rug Work In Progress

My current work in progress is a very large cross stitch rug on rug canvas using rug wool. This is a kit made by Glorafilia.

I have been getting my husband to take photos as I've been working on it as the pleasure of seeing how far I've got, each time he takes a photo, spurs me on to do more! However, John takes his photos in 'raw' format, so I have to wait to get him to process them before I can post them here. A round-about way of saying .... sorry, no photos at the moment :)

This rug has a story to go with it. I bought it ages ago, so long ago that I'm not entirely sure when! I think I bought it in the first few years of our marriage, so sometime around 1984/5. It was in a Glorafilia sale and I vaguely recall that it was about half price or something silly. I'm sure I didn't pay much more than £25. I also bought my first floor standing frame as it was obviously a project that would need one.

At the time, I thought I aught to make something 'useful' rather than the Penelope tapestry kits I was busily turning into pictures around the house and it looked like it would make up quickly! However ...... it got put into a cupboard and I forgot about it .... whilst carrying on with the Penelope or Gobelin kits and after that, cross-stitch kits.

A very long time after, I re-discovered it! It had been in the cupboard so long that the sellotape used for the delivery parcel had lost its stickiness and was falling off! So ...... do something about it! Get it started! This was approximately in 2003!!

It was tough attaching the canvas to the frame. Rug canvas is very stiff and it really hurt my fingers. Still, having attached it, I did the first couple of rows and then lost interest! It stood unloved in one of our upstairs rooms that we use as a music room...... until John noticed last September/October that the printed design that was exposed to the air between the top and bottom stretcher bars was fading, even though it wasn't in direct sunlight!!

I had to do something about finishing it before the design faded completely! And I have! I have made pretty good progress and I'm glad to say that I've got past the faded area. Thank goodness there was a pretty good photograph of a finished rug in the kit or I would have been lost! I have also religiously covered the work with a clean towel after each sewing session to prevent any more fading.

Here is a scan of the picture which came with the kit. The pastel colours look a bit washed out which may have more to do with how I scanned it! However, you can just make out the dimensions: 33 inches by 53 inches......... not small by any means!

What do I think of this project? Well ..... it's a bit of a slog! There's no real skill involved in the cross-stitches or following the design. Nevertheless, I am about half way and it is beginning to look reasonably impressive.

But will I allow anyone to walk on it when it's finished? Umm.......