It's like a Persian rug (much less expensive--a rustic rug for our lodge-style home that's perfect as a wallhanging, but we want to hang the rug like a tapestry using velcro against a velcro-stapled board (as they do in museums). The problem is that the weaving is so virtually impenetrable that I'm breaking needles, fraying thread, creating callouses, dying a slow death :-) This will take me next to forever. There must be a better way than doing this by hand. Or, am I simply using the wrong equipment? I'm using curved upholstery needles, thimbles, upholstery thread (the thread often frays or comes out of its knot!), pliers (for the intense pushing of the needles through the shield-like rug backing. Please help!I just need to sew a two-inch strip that's about 6 ft. in length, but I've spent half a day sewing about 3 inches!
Instead of sewing on the Velcro, use a stapler, with the flat side of the staple on the back of the rug. The bent prongs will be hidden in the nap of the weave on the front side. If you have to sew it, use a very thick upholstry needle, or one for counted cross stitch. The needle is very heavy and has a broad eye. Use a small piece of rubbery plastic to grip the needle as it goes through the Velcro and rug. Use quilting thread or buttonhole twist, doubled and run through a piece of candle or beeswax.
what you need is someone with an industrial sewing machine.
It would be much easier if you bought a small piece of carpet tack strip and nailed it to the wall. Then, all you'd have to do is press the carpet to it, as they do when laying carpeting.
Yes, you could crochet it directly onto the top of the bag (by poking small holes in the fabric and crocheting stitches into these holes...that's what the other kind responder was talking about, I believe) OR you can whip-stitch (over and over) the trim onto the top of the bag by hand OR you could even zig-zag it on the machine. This last would be strong, although it might not look as attractive as neat hand-stitching. The hand stitching might also be easier to remove if the trim ever frayed and you wanted to replace it.
