I'm working on the border of my rug. I thought since the background was so "busy", I needed a calm border but as I am hooking, I am not so sure. Also, does the eye look like it's in the wrong place?
This is the wool I'm using for the border.
Do you like the straight line hooking (for lack of a better term)? If so, should I go with a width of three or with five strips?
Any/all opinions/suggestions are most welcome. I just hope I don't get even more confused :)
Pug hugs :)
Lauren
Lauren
16 comments:
I think it looks great. I like the five rows better but if you like the three it looks good too. I think you should proceed with confidence. But you are the pro not me. Have fun. Lisa
The border is a personal thing - the color you are using will look like a "frame" which is fine but if you want it less noticable then how about the colors in the background? Also with the eye you just pull up a noodle/worm and then pull up the other end without making one loop then it won't be so bold - but again - it's a personal thing! I love it either way!
Well, Girlfriend - you asked for opinions - so here's mine....(Keep in mind - I'm NOT an expert like some folks out there...just my humble lil' two cents worth and I'm already loving what I'm seeing): I like the variegated black border A LOT (you weren't thinking "busier" were you?) I'd just make sure to mix it up good so the darker worms are evenly spaced around the piece in a "thoughtful" hit n' miss way. Personally - I'd do probably 4 rows (yeah, I know...I like to rock the boat - odds are wonderful, but sometimes even works...) Eye is perfectly positioned - perhaps, tho, a wee bit large - as Joanne said - that little trick works well (but - it's truly hard to gauge distance and size from photos - so I'd really be quite ok with the way it is!!) Just thoughts!!! I'm LOVING the black border though!!! Hey - that's what I was hoping you'd be doing!! Smiles & Best Hugs, Robin (Yeah, I know...I wasn't any help, was I?? :o)
*****the eye: 1) it's perfectly placed.
2) to soften the look of the eye
use a smaller cut than the
background in a deep gold
texture. thus, the attention
is placed back on the prodded
coat of the animal.
3) in using the texture do not
make the mistake of only using
two strands to form the eye.
this is afterall an animal
so give it the full measure
of a loop. the smaller cut
will not detract from the
overall effect adn not create
a "bullseye."
the border: remember that when looking
at a rug, your eye should
always travel around the
entire surface.
option a) since you
have introduced the gold
swirls into the background, a
restful place for the eye
would be to bring one row of
the deepest value of the gold
material as your first row of
the border. this will act as
the necessary "complement" or
"spark" to keep the eye(s)
moving around the surface. the
next row could be the lighter
of the blue from the interior
followed by a row of the
darkest of the blue in the
color scheme. at this point
put it onto the back of a
chair and walk across the
room. how does it look so far?
now you can decide
if one or two rows of your
black stripe material will
be enough to pull the whole
thing together.
option 2)use the first row of the border with
a gold strip and continue on
with your black.
option 3) first row of border black/second row
darkest value of blue from
background/next row(s) black.
you could use the gold in
place of the blue.
these may still make it look busy,but in a more
understated/muted way.
good luck...all of this may send you to bed
with a cold compress on your
head!
I like Joanne's thoughts for the eye...good placement, just smaller...
and to rock the boat even more, I'd say 2 rows for the border hooking...just enough to frame it but not so much as to draw the eye away from the center...
Lauren ~ I LOVE the dark border ~ and I would go with "Cranky's" (I love her name) suggestion of 4 strips and she's spot on with making sure the blackest one is interspersed kind of evenly. The wide is too wide ~ the narrower one, too narrow ~ four is just right and will take you to the outer line!! You're on the home stretch ~ hook on, woman!!!
I love your choice for the border! It brings the face and feet of the sheep forward. The 3 rows look good to me. The eye placement looks spot on... maybe soften it with using the gold or blue instead of white?
Oh, Lauren, first of all the background is so pretty, your swirls are perfect. I really like the textured border wool too. And I sure did learn a lot from all of your readers about doing and eye. My sheep doesn't have one yet!
I need to take a pic and get opinions on my border too. I'll do that today.
Linda
I think that it looks fine! But then what do I know considering I haven't been doing much hooking at all. I really like the way it looks though.
I love your hooking, Lauren. Checking in on your blog is a part of my daily routine.
(I notice someone's feeling better, by the way. Interesting. Huh.)
Cheers,
Kathleen in Central NJ
I've been looking again and think a dark green border(the color you have in your background) would look lovely or one line of black border.
I like the idea of the smaller border. Also taking primitive over the moon as I like, I would go without and eye. Just my thoughts.
I like the 4 row idea. I'm not very good with border ideas so you should listen to the others.
And the other thing (Wow) hehehe
I would go with the 3 width on the border rather than the 5 and I might do a "beauty line" with one line of gold between the blue background and the black stripe. I would make his eye a blue shade from your background or perhaps some of the grayish color that you are using in the sheep....some sort of tweed or plaid will make it look more like an eye than a solid color. I would make his ears solid black. I think the eye is in the right place, but you need just a hint of the other eye just under that far ear. That's what "I" would do, then step back and see how it looks to you. It will be fun to see what you do with this.
Lauren - I don't know how you'll ever decide what to do for your border because nearly everyone has given you a different idea on how to do it! LOL I think it would be nice to add some of the mustard swirl fabric to the border - just a single row before adding the black. Either that, or add one row of black and then make a wider mustard border outside of that. Good luck!
Hey Lauren! I think your project looks very nice! I like the darker border because it does seem to "frame" it! But if you're worried about it being too "busy", then like Joanne said - use the colors in your background so it sort of blends in. Good job! I'm jealous! :)
Char
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