Rosepath Rug
Several firsts for me. This is my first rag rug, first 4-shaft draft, first all-by-myself rosepath threading and treadling. And I'm having a ton of fun!
The weft, laid in, is all new cotton fabric, washed, and cut into 3/4 in. strips. (the red strips are torn to give a bit more texture)
The pattern is from Tina Ignell's Favorite Rag Rugs, p. 77, Rosepath II
Rag Rug - my first!
This is my first rug. Recently finished, weaving on a Union 36 Rug Loom at Museum where weaving is taught.I used 13 men's cotton / cotton poly shirts cut into strips and angle sewn for the weft. Next rugs will be woven on my own Union 36 which is in the midst of restoration.
Room size rag rugs
I used pre-washed fabrics strips sewn together and ironed before putting on the shuttle. I found both poke shuttles and ski shuttles worked best. The sett turned out a little closer than I wanted but the rug turned out very nice. This is the first time I have woven 2 rugs this size and I was concerned they would lay flat and the selvedges would be even for the length of the rug. I used a metal temple for the entire weaving and the selvedges are very even and the rug lays beautifully flat. The client who placed the order for these 2 rugs seemed pleased with the result.
My only criticism is that I found it very stressful working with a deadline. I spent all day every day either sewing strips together, ironing or weaving. I purchased the 20 yards of fabric I determined I would need for this project. I washed and ironed all the fabric when I brought it home. I used a rotary cutter and a mat to cut 18" strips from every fabric purchased. Once all the strips were cut and piled individually on a table, I chose, at random, 10-12 strips to sew together. I sewed the strips right side together at right angles, cut the selvedge and continued sewing. After I completed sewing 9-10 lengths of strips, I ironed them and wound them onto the shuttles for weaving. I used 9-10 strips/foot of weaving. It was a very time consuming process and the result was worth it.
Rag rug for the summer house
This is the last project I made on my first loom. I made this rug for my summerhouse together with a rug for the bathroom. Then I put the rug aside for some years, waiting for the livingroom to be renewed. Last sunday I could put it to its designated place, and I love it.
Denim Rag Rugs from my old jeans
I learned to weave when I was 18 or 19. For about 10 months I worked as an apprentice to a Norwegian weaver, Grete Bodøgaard, who lived in South Dakota. I learned a lot from her. Life intervened and I stopped weaving for many years. Recently I decided I'd give it another go. When I was in South Dakota, I worked in a museum that had an old loom. Part of my job was to dress the loom and demonstrate weaving on it. Hanging behind the loom was a lovely, faded old rag rug that had been made, I think, in the late 1800s from blue jeans. I never forgot it so when coming back to weaving I decided to honor that old weaving and do a new version of it.
Four-Patch Corners Rep Rugs
For this version of the Four-Patch design the dark blues are blended from dark to bright. The photo of the rug in progress shows a swatch from the red version, warp #75.
