Photo credit: Burcu Avsar, 2014, used with permission from The Taunton Press
A little more than a year ago, I took a trip to Portland, OR, and had a crazy-fun all-day craft party with some of my very favorite people on the planet. During this melding of creative minds, I finally got to meet my friend Susan Beal—who just happens to be the author of some of my favorite sewing
And, now that the book is out and available for all of your holiday gift-giving needs, I’m so excited that I can finally show you the rug!
Here’s an inside look at the project and design process, plus a chance to win a copy of the book:
My wool binding kitchen rug is actually a small but sturdy quilt, made by piecing together strips of wool binding (similar to bias binding, but used to bind the edges of wool blankets), then quilting the rug top to a durable wool fabric for added cushion.
If you’re not familiar with wool binding, here’s what it looks like before it’s stitched together.
See? Don’t those sturdy, gorgeous strips just beg to be part of a piecing project? When I saw them, I just couldn’t resist giving it a try. (I never did like to play by the rules.)
The rug that ended up in the book is a mixture of muted blues, grays, and a few pops of red, but this is definitely a project that can be customized to fit your own personal style and decor.
Case in point: The rainbow explosion pictured above was the first version of my design. It looked cool, sure, but it was WAY too bright to play nicely with the rest of the projects in the book. It also looked totally ridiculous in my kitchen. (But it seemed like a good idea at the time!)
Ah, the final design. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time resisting a modern splash of saturated red in a sea of calming blues.
THE GIVEAWAY: Enter to win a copy of the book!
Want to see more? The Taunton Press has generously provided a copy of the book for me to give away to one lucky reader! (US only, please.)
Here’s how to enter:
You can also buy a copy using my affiliate link:
Or you can click here to buy the book directly from the publisher.
Wool binding quilting – never heard of it! The results are fantastic. That makes me want to see more of the book.
I love this rug and my woven rugs are getting a bit ratty looking so I see a rug n my future……possible two.
Would love to win the book and work on some of the other projects
This book inspires me to find a Pendelton outlet and buy up LOTS of wool!!! I am going to have to beg my Oregon connections to send me wool…..
Wool is wonderful to work with so I would love to win a copy of the book!
This looks like a great book with many interesting projects!
I am a quilter and a “woolie”, one who loves to work with wool. This book looks like it could keep me busy for a lot of days! I’d love to be the winner! Thanks for the opportunity.
Hmm, that looks like something I could probably manage. I really like both of the rugs you made. Thanks for the chance to win! vickise at gmail dot com
So pretty! And the book looks fantastic! I would love to see all the yummy handmade items I could create for family and friends. :)
This is a new craft to me & I am interested in trying my hand at it. This looks to be a good book to start with.
I love the rainbow rug! This looks like a fun book. I’ve never worked with wool binding, this would be a good chance to try it. Thanks for the giveaway.
Love it! I’m using that binding for my next quilt.
Oh, this book looks like a lot of fun. I love our projects.
To me, there is nothing more comforting that having hand-made items in the home. It gives it warmth and personality. I love to look around my home and see things I’ve made, or items my loved ones have made for me.
The rug looks like fun to make but so do several of the other projects in the book.
This book looks wonderful, I really love projects for the home. I would like this book because these are my favorite kinds of books.
great book!!!!!! Thanks for the chance to win. sonjasmith76@yahoo.com
I’m in the process of buying a new house and boy would this come in handy learning to make new, crafty (and cost-effective) items custom tailored for my home! Not to mention how pretty this book will look on the bookshelf! Thank you.
I would love this book. The quilt that looks like mens plaid shirt squares look like something I would like to make.
Anything involving Pendleton has my interest. Love it.
Love wool, love Pendleton, and love your rug. What a unique idea. Thanks for showing it to us.
I would like to win this book because I try to make as much as possible for our home instead of buying, and I would like some new ideas.
I go through cheap rag kitchen rugs like crazy! I would love to make a sturdier one like this. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book :)
I would love to win because I am a country kind of girl, even though I live in “town”. I love wool and plaid and hand stitching.
I want to weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen because Susan Beal is Awesome, and I’m super cheap.
Never worked with wool before but your projects-especially the little rug-is really nice and I’d love to try making one like it!
This books looks like it would be right up my alley- I love to make things and my home is my castle. I want to see more of the projects! P.S. I like both of your rugs, but I like the blue and red one the best. :)
i am a newbie to most crafts and am currently trying to teach myself how to sew and quilt. this could only help! i would love to learn more skills and to be able to make my first quilt (or quilting project) in 2015!
I love utilizing Pendleton wool scraps, and am so inspired by this project. I have used this binding to edge play capes for my daughters, and the weight and feel of it is perfect. Thank you for the giveaway chance, I would love a copy of this book. Happy Holidays!
I love working with wool. This looks like the perfect book for me. Thanks so much!