In the finishing steps described so far, we have made the fringe, sewed the edges and finished the weft on the back side leaving about a half inch of the weft threads.
If you want to give your weavings as presents to family or friends afterwards, you may want to finish the projects in several more steps:
Here are the details of each procedure.
1. Sewing slits
Slits will occur in designs with long vertical lines.
In photo 1, a slit has formed at the border between the tulip flower and the stem. You can leave it as it is without doing anything, but if it bothers you, sew it on the back side for a clean look.
To sew the slit, stitch from the back side so that the seam is not visible on the front side. As shown in photos 2 and 3, the stitching is repeated by scooping a little from the right side of the slit, inserting the needle, and then bringing the needle out to the left side of the slit.
As shown in photo 4, the seam is visible on the back side, but not on the front side as shown in photos 5 and 6.
2. Lining for coasters/mini mats
Lining your finished pieces with cotton, jute or stain-resistant fabric would make them suitable for coasters and mini mats. They can also be great small presents for your family and friends.
For fabrics that tend to fray at the edges, such as cotton, make a seam allowance. As shown in photo 1, iron and crease the seam allowance so that the finished lining is about 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) smaller than the weaving.
As shown in photos 2-6, cut the corners of the seam allowance slightly to remove the right angles and make it naturally follow the corners of the weaving.
When sewing with a sewing machine, sew on the front side to straighten the seams for a clean finish. To prevent the weaving and lining from shifting, fix them firmly with clips/marking pins and sew 3 to 4 mm (0.1 to 0.15 in) inside from the edge (photos 7 and 8).
For fabrics such as jute (photo 9), for which fraying at the edges is not a concern if sewn from the top, adjust only the corners slightly and sew it with a sewing machine without a seam allowance.
Practical gifts are now complete!
It is just the right size for use as coasters, mug rugs, mats for vases, etc.
Thank you for reading to the end!
