Huyze Herkert, morning room: the rug

It had been a long, very long time since I had done any embroidery (back in my early twenties, on 14-count Aida fabric). It was while reading dollhouse blogs like Latchkey and Jonquil and About My Doll Houses that I felt inspired to pick up a needle again. I searched the internet and discovered Elli Jenks' Etsy shop. She lives in New Zealand—literally on the other side of the world from me—but she also sells digital files of her designs. So convenient! Just minutes after buying it, I downloaded the file for the Lower Whilborough rug.


The suggested colours did not match the colour palette I had planned for my morning room, so I replaced them all with different shades from the DMC range (another advantage of not buying a complete kit). I would only know whether I had made the right choices once the rug was well underway! To increase my chances of success, I made sure that the new colours matched the original ones in brightness.

The numbers written in pencil on the right are the new colour codes

At a fair, I bought some 32-count embroidery fabric. I wanted to go even finer, but the saleswoman warned me that this would already be difficult enough to start with. She was right! I tried to embroider a single row, but I genuinely could not distinguish the holes in the fabric from one another... Yet they looked quite large as long as I was NOT holding a needle and thread in my hands. Fortunately, a magnifying glass turned out to be the solution. Even so, I had headaches for the first two weeks from staring so intently at the fabric.

My embroidery pace was disappointing as well. I started on 7 December 2025, and by 22 December I had reached this point, after embroidering for one to one and a half hours every evening:

I know, I should have started in the middle, but hey, I'm a beginner

After that, I gradually got the hang of the technique and my pace increased. Along with that, the pleasure I got from embroidering also grew. It became a much-appreciated way to relax during the long winter evenings, and there were hardly any nights when I didn't work on the rug. Even so, I still needed a bit of spring to finish it.

January 30th 2026

February 28th 2026

March 30th 2026

April 19th 2026

As I progressed, I noticed that the rug was warping in certain places. I was really disappointed by this, considering how much time had gone into it. Once it was finished, I decided that things could hardly get any worse. I read that stretching might be a solution. I didn't want to use starch because I was afraid the rug would lose its flexibility. I covered a piece of MDF with plastic (to make sure the wood would not stain the embroidery when wet), pre-drilled holes with my hand drill, and stretched the rug using tiny nails. I thoroughly dampened the whole piece with a sponge and then left it to dry for 36 hours.

A miracle happened! The edges straightened out! (I truly had not expected that!)



All that remained was to bind the edges (not easy and rather time-consuming—a bit of a disappointment when you think the hardest work is already behind you), and there it was, finished at last!


April 30th 2026





Reacties

  1. Daydreamer10 juli 2026 om 17:37

    Hello Sofie! You really like to jump into the deep end with your projects! Lol! I think your rug turned out beautifully! I like the more "subdued" palette you chose and like that the birds are way more evident than in the original kit design. As you know, I "tiptoed" my way into needlepoint (after the original venture in my teens that I could not remember how I did it) by sticking to small kits and gradually making adjustments. I use a magnifier for any size smaller than 22 count fabric. The tiny 50 count tapestry cushions were a sweet challenge that I just adored doing... but that size fabric is impractical for an entire wall hanging. I have only done one 30 count item .... the Christmas tree skirt ... and now I am plodding my way through the 40 count Chinese carpet. I think I actually like the 20 count fabric best for carpets. The smaller (higher count) fabric doesn't end up with the "heft" I want for a carpet! I have been planning to "someday" design a Medieval Tapestry for thirty count fabric... and I am hopeful it will have enough heft for a Wall hanging with much greater detail than the 22 count of my other Tapestries. I read somewhere that the smaller the item, the higher the thread count should be to avoid looking "out of scale"! It is a little like the issue of not trying to use real marble for our minis... the rocks veins would be out of scale... we are better off adapting to the "appearance" within reason, of what we are trying to miniaturize. As for you success with "blocking" the carpet... Bravo! This is another result of using the finer fabric... it warps more easily that heavier fabric does. Your end result is gorgeous! :):)

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