This is probably best for circular table cloths on round tables. I'm sure some of you out there will find a way to use the technique in other ways as well.

Condition some polymer clay in a color that blends well with the main color of the fabric. I would recommend using only natural fiber fabric, that is no polyester blends. Cut a circle of fabric slightly larger than finished piece. Put the polymer clay through a pasta machine until you get a smooth, thin sheet. Lay your fabric over the clay and run the whole works through the pasta machine again.

Carefully cut the clay/fabric to the finished size. Drape this over an oven proof form such as a small glass jar or wood haps and bake as usual. I saw this idea in one of the dozens of books I've read on polymer clay.

Kathy in Wisconsin

Go to http://www.gittas.com/

fabrics, gauze, silk, she carries 27 in white

viv r

Iif you're looking for silk gauze I would recommend contacting Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, Illinois. The link is http://myvoguefabrics.com. If anybody's got what you need it's them. Their store is the biggest in the whole midwest - over a square block big.

Marilyn Zimmerly

You will be very happy with your decision to use silk gauze for your rug. For one thing the silk is so fine that you will find that the holes are quite large. (well, large is a relative term!)

The best price for silk gauze is from Bobbie Schoonmaker at www.micro-stitchery.com Bobbie is usually extremely quick in filling orders and will get the silk out to you in a timely fashion. I just checked her web site and she has 24 and 32 count gauze. I don't know what your rug design is like but you may be able to easily omit a segment or add a boarder to get the final size you are looking for.

Petitpointers@yahoogroups.com has lots of experienced, talented members who are very generous with help, support and sharing of their own experiences with you. You will be able to find any additional help, support and supply sources etc. etc. there.

Corky in Newport

I'm not aware of 27hpi gauze available for sale anywhere - although it's possible it might have been available at one time and someone may have old stock. I fully agree that silk gauze will make a much nicer carpet than mono canvas - it's thinner, and will look much more to scale.

An important point you will need to think about is that silk gauze is not woven exactly square - therefore your carpet won't be square unless you fudge the number of stitches. On a carpet that large it will be much more noticable than with a small cushion.

I don't know what sort of design you are planning to do, but perhaps you could use the 30 ct and add some background around the edges to make it the exact size you need - just a thought.

Missy

Thinning Leather: You can turn it upside down and file it down using a good quality emery board... but be careful, it files away quickly and you don't want the leather to get too thin. (This was one of the hints in our "Dolls & Miniatures magazine, and not my original idea. But it works!

Viola Williams

Silk for Wall Covering: NO Glue on silk...use iron on fusible and a small travel iron. (You will still need to prime your wall.)

Laurie Sisson

Dyeing Fabric: I took a rug hooking class a few years back, and we worked mostly with scrap wool, but sometimes with cotton or silk. The teacher believed in natural dyes, and each time we came to class, there would be a pot on the stove with a new color for us to add our fabrics to.

The one we all liked best was--Onion Skins! We collected those yellow-orange skins at the bottom of the grocer's bin, put them in a nylon bag and tossed them into water to boil for 10 minutes. Then we turned off the heat and added the fabrics and let them soak till they were the right color. It turned light fabrics a subtle shade of off white and always seemed to unify the general coloration on a bunch of otherwise unmatching patterns and fabrics.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy, Princeton, NJ

British - American equivalents:

- Vilene is used in sewing to give some body to lightweight fabric, I think it is called Wonder Under in the USA. It is an iron-on product that looks like tough tissue paper and one side has a layer of adhesive on which is placed on the fabric and pressed with an iron, preferably a steam one.

- Lawn is a very fine cotton fabric, such as is used for handkerchiefs, Liberty's of London are very famous for their lawn fabrics, but you must have something similar over there.

Maureen in Hemel, UK

Bunka: When Bunka is hard to unravel, poke into the end with a pin or needle and pull apart the knitting till you get a nice string showing, then pull on that string.


MAP in Puyallup