Tiny Baluchi prayer rug: finished

Baluchi miniature rug

Finished stitching the tiny Baluchi prayer rug. Because I worked without a hoop, it was way skewed.

Blocking the tiny Baluchi prayer rug

Beginning blocking the tiny Baluchi prayer rug

I gently washed it with mild soap in warmish water, blotted out excess moisture on a microfiber towel, then pinned it to a piece of foamcore covered in cotton batting and old soft cotton sheeting, gently stretching and re-pinning it into square. Then waited impatiently for it to dry.

I trimmed the excess silk gauze to 3/8 inch and folded to the back, mitering the corners.

Binding the edges, with scary dinosaur fingers

Binding the edges, with scary dinosaur fingers

Using a doubled length of blue Gütermann silk (the outermost color in the border), I stitched through both layers, from back to front, with a few extra stitches in the corners to square them out. I cut a piece of Pellon featherweight fusible interfacing a bit smaller than the rug, and ironed it on the back. This both protects the gauze and stitching, and ensures that the rug lays flat. (And hides a less-than-elegant backside if you’re a novice needlepointilist like me :)

Inviting you into the Sea House Pavilion, in a magic carpet way

Inviting you into the Sea House Pavilion, in a magic carpet way

Not sure where it might ultimately reside, but I really enjoyed making it. As I mentioned in the first post, it’s stitched on 49-count silk gauze with six colors of Gütermann silk, with a stitch count of 81 x 126, adapted from a design by Meik and Ian McNaughton. Finished size is 1.5 x 2.5 inches (38 x 64 mm).

Now I can get back to the Animals rug!

7 thoughts on “Tiny Baluchi prayer rug: finished

    • nancyenge says:
      Nancy Enge's avatar

      Thank you, Janet! I am new to miniature needlepoint, and you may be sure I studied your work and many generous tutorials. And your “I needlepoint so I don’t kill people” is oh-so-true!

  1. Mrs.balach says:
    Mrs.balach's avatar

    oh God, this is so cute and neat, it must be so hard to handle a piece that little, I’m a baloch I saw it on pinterest and came here, to be honest I don’t know why these are called baloch rugs and which baloch tribes or country(present day) they are related to, I’d be happy to know about it and I also want to make one like this or a pair for the bed side tables if you have a tutorial for that ? But I don’t have this cloth here where I live or any other thick clothes that would be easy to count the threads, women here do such embroideries on very thin and fine fabric that I can not even imagine to do, however the piece you made was a joy to see, may your eyes and your hands be blessed always, good night.

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