Braiding A Mat

 These past few months I have had two mandates in my sewing life:  use up stash, and experiment with different weights of Aurifil thread to see what each can do.  One thread in particular I've enjoyed is 28 weight, so when I decided to dig into my scraps to make a rag rug, it was my first choice to use.  My mat is not yet complete (the end is tucked under for the picture) as I am still unsure how large I'd like it to be, but I've got a good handle on the process now.

Polly and I had a great time going through boxes and boxes of fabric scraps (all cotton) to pull colours to include.  The mat will go in a room which has a red and blue quilt on the bed so in addition to those colours, we included grey, black, and a bit of off-white.  We were not too picky about what we used, and you can see some of the prints have yellow and orange.  Having never braided a mat before, I read lots and lots online about how to proceed.  Naturally, there were many different - and sometimes contradictory -suggestions.  Nothing to do but jump in and see what works and what doesn't.  

We decided to tear our strips, and had a ball doing that.  There is something so satisfying about that sharp RIIIIPPPPPP!   Polly loved playing with the braided strips.  

We braided and braided and kept rolling it together to see how big it was getting.  I had no clue how long the braid needed to be.

Finally we decided to start joining.  The online instructions I had read all recommended sewing the braids together by hand.  Ha!  Not this gal.  I was hoping for the mat to be oval so I didn't curl the centre into a circle.  Next time I will make the centre longer before turning the corner, as my mat is only slightly ovate.

The thread I chose for the job is Aurifil 28 weight, heavy enough to be strong yet not too thick that it will show.  The colour is # 2775 Steel Blue. which is now my favourite shade.  It blends so well.

Joining with the machine was no problem at all.  I set the machine to the widest zigzag possible - in this case only 5.5 mm.  If I could have set it wider I would have, as I had to watch carefully to ensure the needle grabbed each side evenly. A 9mm width stitch would be perfect.  The key to joining the strips is to make sure you add the braid in a counter-clockwise direction so that the mat grows to the left side.You also need a totally flat surface so the mat doesn't curl up into a big bowl.

We have used almost a full small spool to join 29 m of braid.

The mat measures 26 "x 28", and will no doubt go at least a big larger.  After this is finished, I will figure out how much yardage was used.  I marked the braids in 3 m increments with a piece of masking tape (you can see the one on the right says 26) and measured the mat after each addition.  A bit of math will be involved

I do know it made a noticeable dent in my scrap pile (yay!) and I can't wait to make another.  With the raw edges and many threads from ripping, this has a rustic look for sure, but it will be perfect in the intended room. 

You can find Aurifil 28 weight - and many other weights - in my online thread store.

Wholecloth Quilting

A couple of weeks' back I started machine quilting a whole cloth quilt as part of my "self-threaducation" during lockdown.  I have set myself the task of trying out different weights of Aurifil threads in various applications to see how they look. As a dealer for this wonderful product I feel I should not just offer the thread for sale, but actually know how it performs in various applications.

The stitching was a breeze, but getting a good picture has been tricky!

This is a pre-printed kit from Benartex;  on their website it is entitled simply Nautical Wallhanging, but it is labelled as Anchors Aweigh #783 on the package.

I chose to use a 28 weight thread on top, and a 40 weight on the bottom. For the 28 weight (wound on the grey spool) I chose a shade darker than the fabric 2314 Beige, just to give a bit of contrast.  The thread in the bobbin is 40 weight in 2021 Natural White. It was a perfect match to the muslin.

Cross-hatching those straight lines seemed to take forever.  In hind-sight, I should simply have used those lines as grid-marks for a quicker free motion filler.

The anchors and rope borders moved along very quickly.  I had reservations about those lines coming out in the wash, but they did, all in one go.  I hung it on the line to dry.

Since it has a nautical theme, I thought photographing it on the steps of the light house in Five Islands would be smashing.  However, the tide was coming in when we were there and the high tides along this Bay of Fundy coast blow in with great enthusiasm. This small quilt didn't stand a chance of staying flat in those winds!

I tried it in various places, at various times of the day, with variable cloud and sunshine. Here it is in front of our new old barn.

In the end, soft natural light through the window seemed to show the stitching the best.

I am quite enamored with this 28 weight thread and how easily it stitches. You can purchase the thread here.  More colours will be added soon.

 The package calls this a wallhanging, but I think it would make a beautiful, heirloom baby quilt.