_The Design._--This problem, like all others in house decoration,
involves in its initial stages questions of design. Before
planning the rug it is necessary to know what use the rug is to
have--whether it is to be for a hall, a living room, a dining-room,
or a chamber, and whether it is to be used upon hard wood floors or
with a carpet. This is a question of colours, and of materials; for
the designer must avoid too sharp contrasts in colour, not only in
the rug itself but in its relation to the other colours with which
it should harmonize, and the materials used must not display glaring
inconsistencies of texture. Unless the beginner has special talent as
a colourist it is not wise to attempt the introduction of too many
colours in one piece of work. If the warp is dark it is usually better
to use light or medium woof. If several shades are used in the body of
the rug, better results are obtained by using for the border or end
decoration one or more plain colours which match or readily blend with
the principal colours of the body of the rug.
[Illustration: Hand-Made Rugs. Plate IX]
_Materials: Denim._--There are many materials suitable for rug making.
Denim in moss or forest green makes a rug fit for a queen. This should
be woven on a blue or green warp thread of carpet size. In preparing
the woof it will be necessary to cut the denim on a true bias into
strips from 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide. The latter width is better.
In cutting, the best method is to fold back one corner of a square cut
end along the selvedge, forming a fold across the cloth at an angle of
45 degrees. Crease this fold carefully and make the first cut along
the fold. With a yardstick or a straight edge of some kind rule off
lightly with a piece of chalk or soft pencil strips of the proper width
for the succeeding cuts, taking great pains to maintain a true bias.
When a sufficient amount has been cut, the pieces should be ravelled
or fringed on each edge by drawing them quickly through a button
hook. There is a certain knack in this, but it is soon acquired. The
fringed strips should then be fastened together at the ends by means
of overhand stitching, trimming off neatly all projecting corners. The
moss-like effect when woven is improved if the woof, as soon as it is
prepared, is not rolled into balls but left in suitable lengths for
filling the shuttle. A special form of shuttle without a bobbin or
spool is used for carrying the woof cloth for rug weaving. Its simple
construction is shown in the illustration. The woof is wound endwise
and unwound in weaving by turning the shuttle.
[Illustration: Shuttle for woof cloth]
Another good material for rug making is found in various kinds of
woollen cloth. Warm, durable, and handsome effects may be obtained by
using a gray wool with catawba or some other warm shade of red as the
end decoration, with set figures for the body of the rug. Geometric
designs, arrows, swastika, the pine tree, and many other forms are
possible. Very dainty colours also may be combined in rugs for chamber
use. Materials for these may be obtained from worn lawn dresses,
discarded silkaleen and mull, which work up beautifully with one or two
plain colours reserved for use in the borders.
_Combination of Blue and White._--Blue and white is always a happy
combination; and exceedingly dainty creations may be woven, to be
placed perhaps in the guest chamber, by using a woof of old blue with
a white warp, combined with white borders and a white knotted fringe.
A vine-like effect may be obtained in the border by twisting blue and
white together in opposite ways and weaving in a plain thread of white
or blue between the two. Another happy combination of blue and white
results from weaving on a blue warp a woof of white outing flannel, cut
and fringed as described for the moss rug of denim, with a border of
old blue and figures of the same colour. For a chamber or for a bath
room in white such a rug as this will leave nothing to be desired.
_A Weaving Design._--It has just been said that design in rug making is
a question of colours and of materials. It is already apparent that it
is more than that. It is largely a question of procedure in the process
of weaving. That this is so may be shown in the following account of
the making of a blue and white rug. The thought was to produce a rug
with five stripes of blue running lengthwise, with white figures at
regular intervals through the middle of the rug. To accomplish this
result two threads of white warp were removed from the reed and harness
every two inches for a space of ten inches on each side, thus making
what may be called a weaving design; for the blue stripes, it will be
easily seen, had to appear to the number of five on each side when the
rug was woven. The white figures were formed by first throwing the
blue cloth or woof through the warp by the usual throw of the shuttle
and, before beating it up, threading into the warp white cloth in the
desired pattern, after which the woof and pattern were beaten up
together. For the pattern five threads or pieces of white cloth were
used, two of which were 6 inches in length and three 2 inches, the two
longer ones being placed between the shorter ones as illustrated. A
space of 7 inches was left between the white figures, the location of
which was carefully determined by counting the threads, both of warp
and of woof, so that in weaving the figures should appear at the right
place. The result of this weaving design was a very beautiful rug.
[Illustration: White figure in blue rug]
_Another Example of Weaving Design._--This feature of rug designing
is capable of indefinite expansion. Perhaps one more example may be
given. The object was to produce a rug of medium dark centre with an
8-inch border all around of a darker colour. This effect was produced
by first weaving 8 inches of the dark end border, which was of mixed
goods showing several dark colours contrasting happily. Having reached
the place where the medium centre was to begin, a woof thread of this
medium colour and of the right length was joined each time to short
pieces of woof of the border colour so that, as the weaving progressed
along the length of the centre, not only the centre colour appeared
in its proper place but 8 inches of border on each side. When the
proper length of the centre had been woven, the rug was finished by
weaving another 8 inches of the border colour. The result was a rug of
individuality and charm.
_Great Variety of Material._--Endless combinations will occur to any
one who becomes interested in this captivating art. The field for
colour design is almost without limit. No material is so old and
useless as to be despised by the clever rug maker. Old bed ticking
with its blue and white stripes cut on the bias makes a very desirable
combination when woven on a blue warp with a plain blue border. A
charming mottled effect in one instance was produced by a yarn which
was ravelled from an old raw silk portière of a mahogany shade and
wound into balls with finely cut strips of tan cloth, the balls being
rewound several times. This was used as the woof for the centre of
the rug. The border was made of a weaving thread of the unravelled
mahogany yarn, doubled several times to give thread of a size equal
to that of the tan cloth. Discarded clothing in which the prevailing
colours are red, when made up into woof threads and woven on a white
warp, gives a charming effect which may be strengthened or toned down
by a border combination as desired. Dyes may, of course, be used if the
colours of the weaving threads made up from old cloths and discarded
clothing are not suited to the design that is to be worked out.
_Weaving the Rug._--When the design for the rug has been thoroughly
worked out, determining the colours, materials to be used, and
the method of procedure, the warp and the woof threads should be
prepared and the warp attached to the loom, as already explained in
the discussion of the general process of weaving. Further details of
procedure are not needed here. The thing to do is to weave a rug as
designed. The next thing to do is to design and weave another rug, and
then another and so on. As in most crafts so in weaving, experience
is the great teacher--a teacher who demands faithful work, who finds
lessons of value in every failure and abundant satisfaction in every
success. Some of these successes were found in the rugs illustrated
opposite page 252.
Rug weaving is probably the simplest of all weaving and therefore
a good problem with which to begin. After serving a satisfactory
apprenticeship in this field the amateur will have acquired sufficient
knowledge of design and sufficient skill in the art to pass to more
difficult problems. This will take her out into a large field of
opportunity. Portières, window draperies, table scarfs, bedspreads,
and covers for pillows and cushions in endless variety will suggest
themselves to the ambitious worker. In all these, as has been seen in
the case of rug making, design is all important. The management of the
loom is much the same in all plain weaving. What differences there
are will be found, for the most part, in the weaving designs. In the
following problems are described some of the special features involved
in the other forms of weaving.