The Braided Rug Page 2
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The braided rug is made in three forms: square, round and oval. An old square rug is sometimes started with a piece of carpet for the center, but this has an incongruous look and is not good from the designer's standpoint. The most desirable shape for the small braided rug is oval, so let us take as an example a braided bath mat in blue and white, size 26 x 32. The tool needed in making the braided rug is a coarse sewing needle suitable for carrying white cotton, size No. 24.
THE MATERIALS
The Washington cotton prints already mentioned are practical for braided rugs because they are soft finished fabrics with little dressing.
They retail at from seven to eight cents a yard and are about twenty-four inches wide. Select a medium blue with a small broken-up figure,
rather than a figure which is distinct in pattern, like a dot or a plaid, for instance. A floral pattern or sprigged effect is better for the
present purpose. Of course any print will do if the Washington prints are not obtain-able. Plain colors can be used effectively when combined
with figured goods, either by using braids made entirely of plain material or by braiding two strands of one with one of the other. A rug this
size requires nine yards of medium blue cotton print and six yards of unbleached cotton cloth of the cheapest brand.
PREPARATION OF THE MATERIALS
The blue cotton prints and the unbleached cotton cloth must be torn into lengths of one and one-half yards. This is done because these lengths are
in turn torn into strands for braiding, and if the strands are any longer they are apt to tangle in the process. First wash all the cloth, each
color .separately, with warm water and with either a borax or naphtha soap. Rinse the blue cotton print until no more of the dye color runs off,
and while it is still wet hang it in the sun to dry. Do not wring it out. Hanging in the sun while wet fades it some-what, and the washing softens
the fabric making it easier to braid. Remember always in selecting and preparing goods for braiding that stiff materials do not crush up nicely in
the braids, and as this braided rug is a wash-able rug too, all likelihood of the colors running in subsequent washings must be done away with by
a thorough washing before they are made up.
The Craft Of Handmade Rugs - View The Rest Of The Book
Introduction - Some Old Time Rugs
-
A Word About Dyes -
The Scalloped Doormat Or Tongue Rug
The
Knitted Rug
- The Crocheted Rug -
The Hooked Rug In Cotton And Wool
- The Needle-Woven Rug
The Colonial Rag Rug - Some Applications
- Newer Methods Of Stencil Making
- The Tufted Counterpane
Old Time Lights - The Batik Or
Wax Resist Process