A Rug Workshop with Ruth Humphreys

These are two samples of what the finished pieces will look like.  The red one is a rug by Ruth and the smaller one is a place mat done by Carolyn.

The technique is one I had seen many examples of online and I had coincidentally cut up the small remainders of many of the fabrics I have been working with into 2 1/2 inch strips.  I also had been doing this with all those odd bits of batting from all the quilts I have made this past few months. I was cutting up the batting because I had a nice bunch of strips and a pattern for a tote.  When the class came up, I decided that this would be a fun thing to do.

All the ladies are working hard sewing the strips together into one very long strip.  Then we applied the batting and sewed through the four layers of fabric and four layers of batting!!  The machines all had their work cut out for them.

This is my ball of strips sewn together and batting applied .  

One of the ladies stated sewing the strips together to start the center of her rug.  She had a really lovely palette.

This is the beginning of mine.  My poor old Bernina 830 (the original one) which can sew through almost anything is not crazy about doing a zig zag stitch through all these layers and I have had to slow way down.  I ironed it down and it is nice and flat which is good.

Hopefully I will get it done tomorrow.  The fabrics I used were all pieces left over from the bindings on all those quilts I did or left over border fabric so they don't necessarily go together.  I have a nicer palette still unsewn but wanted to try the technique first using the random scrap fabrics!