,,how ,,to ,,make ,,rugs ,illustration3 ,,loom ,,warped ,,for ,,weaving ,how to ,make ,rugs ,by ,,candace ,,wheeler ,author of ,principles of ,home ,decoration1 etc4 ,,illustrated ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,doubleday1 ,,page ,,company #aijh ,copyright1 #aijj ,by ,,candace ,,wheeler ,copyright1 #aijb ,by ,,doubleday1 ,,page ,,co4 ,published ,october1 #aijb ,,contents ,,foreword3 ,,home ,,industries ,,and ,,domestic ,,manufactures4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,rug ,,weaving4 #ai ,,ii4 ,,the ,,pattern4 #cc ,,iii4 ,,dyeing4 #de ,,iv4 ,,ingrain ,,carpet ,,rugs4 #eg ,v4 ,,woven ,,rag ,,portieres4 #fg ,,vi4 ,,woolen ,,rugs4 #gi ,,vii4 ,,cotton ,,rugs4 #ii ,,viii4 ,,linsey ,,woolsey4 #aac ,,neighbourhood ,,industries3 ,,after ,,word4 #abe ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,loom ,warped for ,weaving ,frontispiece ,,facing ,,page ,weaving #bj ,the ,onteora ,rug #cf ,the ,lois ,rug #eb ,sewed ,fringe for ,woven ,portiere #gb ,knotted ,warp ,fringe for ,woven ,table-cover #gb ,isle ,la ,motte ,rug #ij ,greek ,border in ,red and ,black #ajh ,braided and ,knotted ,fringe #ajh ,diamond ,border in ,red and ,black #ajh ,the ,lucy ,rug #abh ,,foreword4 ,,home ,,industries ,,and ,,domestic ,,manufactures4 ,the subject of ,home ,industries is beginning to attract the attention of those who are interested in political economy and the general welfare of the country1 and thoughtful people are asking themselves why1 in all the length and breadth of ,america1 there are no well-established and prosperous domestic manufactures4 ,we have no articles of use or luxury made in homes which are objects of commercial interchange or sources of family profit4 ,to this general statement there are but few exceptions1 and curiously enough these are1 for the most part1 in the work of our native ,indians4 ,a stranger in ,america1 wishing--after the manner of travelers--to carry back something characteristic of the country1 generally buys what we call ,indian curiosities--moccasins1 baskets1 feather-work1 and the one admirable and well-established product of ,indian manufacture1 the ,navajo blanket4 ,but these hardly represent the mass of our people4 ,we may add to the list of ,indian industries1 lace making1 which is being successfully taught at some of the reservations1 but as it is not as yet even a self-supporting industry1 the above-named curiosities and the ,navajo blanket stand alone as characteristic hand-work produced by native races2 while from our own1 or that of the co-existent ,afro-,american1 we have nothing to show in the way of true domestic manufactures4 ,when we contrast this want of production with the immense home product of ,europe1 ,asia1 parts of ,africa1 and ,south ,america--and even certain islands of the ,southern ,seas--we cannot help feeling a sort of dismay at the contrast2 and it is only by a careful study of the conditions which have made the difference that we become reassured4 ,it is1 in fact1 our very prosperity1 the exceptionally favourable circumstances which are a part of farming life in this country1 which has hitherto diverted efforts into other channels4 ,these conditions did not exist during the early days of ,america1 and we know that while there was little commercial exchange of home commodities1 many of the arts which are used to such profitable purpose abroad existed in this country and served greatly to modify home expenses and increase home comforts4 ,to account for the cessation of these household industries1 it is only necessary to notice the drift of certain periods in the short history of ,america's settlement and development4 ,we shall see that the decline of domestic manufactures in ,new ,england and the ,middle ,states was coincident with two rapidly increasing movements1 one of which was the opening and settlement of the great ,west1 and the other the establishment of cotton and woolen mills throughout the country4 ,in short1 the abundant acreage of ,western lands1 fertile beyond the dreams of ,new ,england or ,old ,world tillers1 threw the entire business of production or family support upon the man4 ,the profit of his easily acquired farm land was so great and certain that it became almost a reproach to him to have his womenkind busy themselves with other than necessary household duties4 ,the cotton and woolen mills stood ready to supply the needed material for clothing1 and it was positive economy to push the spinning-wheel out of sight under the garret eaves and chop up the bulky loom for firewood4 ,the wife and daughters might reputably cook and clean for the men whose business it was to cover the black acres with golden wheat1 but spinning and weaving were decidedly unfashionable occupations4 ,even the emigrants from countries where the spinning and weaving habit was an inheritance as well as a necessity1 were governed by the custom of the country1 and devoted the entire energy of the family to the raising of crops4 ,it is1 in fact1 owing to fortunate circumstances that1 if we except the mountain regions of the ,south1 there are no longer farmhouse or domestic manufactures in ,america4 ,this1 as ,i have said1 only goes to prove the hitherto unexampled prosperity of the country4 ,in fact1 the absence of these very industries means that there are greater sources of profit within the reach of farming households4 ,this being so1 it is natural to ask1 why the re-establishment of farmhouse manufactures1 or the encouragement and development of them1 is a desirable movement4 ,there are exceedingly good individual and personal reasons2 and there are also commercial and national ones1 which should not be ignored4 ,all farmers are not successful4 ,there are many poor as well as rich ones2 and the wife of a poor farmer has less pecuniary independence1 less money to spend1 and fewer ways of gaining it1 than any other woman of equal education and character in ,america4 ,a poor farmer is often obliged to pay out for labour1 fencing1 stock1 insurance and taxes every dollar gained by the sale of his crops1 and if by good luck or good management there should be a small excess1 he is apt to hoard it against unlooked-for emergencies4 ,this1 at first enforced economy1 grows to be the habit of his life1 so that even if he becomes well-to-do1 or even rich1 he distrusts exceedingly the wisdom of any expenditure save his own4 ,a mechanic1 or a man in any small line of business1 must trust his wife with the disbursement of a certain part of the family income4 ,it passes through her hands in the way of housekeeping1 and the management of it exercises and develops her faculties2 but the wife of the farmer has no such interest4 ,the farm is expected to supply the family living1 and this blessed fact becomes almost a curse when it deprives the wife of the mental stimulus incident to the management of resources4 ,added to this there is often1 at least through the winter1 partial or complete isolation from neighbourly or public interests4 ,the great crops of the country are produced under circumstances which necessitate distance from even the most limited social centres1 and that the farmer's wife suffers from this we know1 not only from observation1 but from the statistics of insane asylums4 ,and here ,i am tempted to quote from a letter of a close student of farmhouse life in the ,west4 ,she writes3 ,that the farmer himself1 as isolated and hard worked1 makes no such record1 ,i believe due to the mental tonic1 the broadening influence that comes from a sense of responsibility in life's larger affairs4 ,the woman works like a machine1 irresponsible as to final results2 the man like a thinking1 planning1 responsible1 independent human being4 ,this seems to me a very fair statement of the case4 ,the woman1 who misses social companionship1 and who has not the saving influence of administration and responsibility even in her own household1 is narrowed to a very small point in life's affairs1 and it is inevitable that she should suffer from it4 ,the variety of her work also has dwindled4 ,cooking and house-cleaning follow each other in monotonous routine1 with too much of it at planting and harvest seasons and too little at others4 ,she has not even the pleasure of comparison and emulation in her daily work2 it neither exercises her faculties nor stimulates her thought4 ,during the winter months she has abundant leisure for a harvest of her own1 in some interesting manufacture adapted to her education and circumstances1 and in the prosecution of these she would be brought into a bond of common interest with other women4 ,so far ,i have spoken only of the individual and personal reasons for which certain domestic and artistic industries well might be encouraged2 but the public and economic reasons are easy to find4 ,in looking at the variety and bulk of our national imports1 we may be surprised to see how large a proportion of them are of domestic origin4 ,in fact1 nearly everything which comes under the head of artistic products is the result of domestic industry4 ,the beauty and simplicity of many of these things is surprising1 and yet they have required neither unusual talent or careful training4 ,they are simply the result of the habit of production1 and their value is in the personal expression we find in them4 ,they have always this advantage over mechanical manufacture1 and can be safely relied upon to find a market in the face of close mechanical imitation4 ,among these domestic products we shall find the laces of all countries1 ,ireland1 ,belgium1 ,france1 ,italy1 ,sweden and ,russia contributing this beautiful manufacture1 from finest to coarsest quality4 ,it is as common a process as knitting in the homes of many countries1 and the fact of it being successfully taught in the ,indian cabins of the far ,west proves that it is not a difficult accomplishment4 ,embroideries1 in all countries but our own1 are common and profitable home productions2 and when we come to hand-weavings the variety is infinite4 ,in practical ,england1 the value of hand-weavings in linens has led to the introduction of small parlour looms from ,sweden2 and damasks of special designs are woven for special customers who appreciate their charm and worth4 ,of all hand processes1 weaving is the most generally or widely applicable1 and the range of beautiful production possible to the simplest weaving is almost beyond calculation4 ,many of the costly ,eastern rugs are as simply woven as a ,navajo blanket1 or even a rag carpet4 ,the process is in many cases almost identical1 the variation being only in closeness or fineness of warp and arrangement of colour4 ,i have been much interested of late in an application of art to a local industry in ,new ,hampshire4 ,it is one which seems to prevail to a greater or less degree all through ,new ,england1 and the product is called pulled rugs4 ,the process consists of drawing finely cut rags through some loose1 strong cloth1 mainly bagging or burlap4 ,i have seen these rugs at ,bar ,harbor and along the ,massachusetts coast for many years1 and while they possessed the merit of durability1 they were1 for the most part1 so ugly and unattractive that only the most sympathetic personal interest in the maker would induce one to purchase them4 ,the change that has been wrought in this manufacture by an intelligent application of art is really marvelous4 ,the product came under the attention of a woman trained in that valuable school1 ,the ,institute of ,artist ,artisans4 ,she tried the experiment of using new material carefully dyed to follow certain ,oriental designs1 and the result is a smooth1 velvety1 thick-piled rug1 which cannot be distinguished from a fine ,oriental rug of the same pattern4 ,the cost of this manufacture is necessarily considerable1 since the process is slow and the material costly4 ,but in spite of these disadvantages1 the drawn rugs have met with deserved favour1 and are a source of profitable labour to the community4 ,it is undoubtedly the beginning of an important industry1 which owes its success entirely to the art education of one woman4 ,there is an improvement somewhat akin to this in the weaving of rag-carpet rugs1 and this is not confined to one locality4 ,it consists in the use of new rags1 carefully selected as to colour both of rags and warp1 and the result is surprisingly good4 ,one might say that we have in this country peculiar advantages for positive artistic excellence as well as volume of production4 ,we grow our own wool and cotton4 ,we have a great and growing population1 with such application of mechanical invention to routine and necessary work as greatly to reduce household labour4 ,added to this1 there has been during the last ten years so much and such general art study as to have created a sort of diffused love of art manufactures1 so that many of the people who would naturally adopt the work would have an instructive judgment regarding it4 ,i should not be afraid to predict great and even peculiar excellence in any domestic manufacture which became the habit of any given locality4 ,the subject of our domestic industries is one which should fall naturally within the objects of women's clubs4 ,if every woman's club in the country chose from its members those who by artistic instinct or education1 and the possession of practical ability1 were fitted to lead in the work1 and made of them a committee on home industries1 the reports from it would soon become a matter of absorbing interest to the club1 and the productions made under the protection1 so to speak1 of the club1 would have an advantage that any commercial business would consider invaluable4 ,neither would the advantage be limited by the interest of a single club4 ,that great social engine1 ,the ,federation of ,women's ,clubs1 can wield an almost magical power in the creation of interests or encouragement of effort1 and the federation of organizations1 each one exchanging experiences as well as products1 would be an ideal means of growth and extension4 ,the machinery for the work exists in almost every county of every ,state of the ,union1 and with the threefold interest of the promotion of practical art1 that of increased manufacture1 and the extension of that sisterhood which is one of the most ,christian-like and desirable aims of women's clubs1 it would seem a natural and congenial effort4 ,the best results of this general awakening will probably be in the ,south4 ,certainly no conditions could be more favourable than those existing in the ,cumberland ,mountains1 where wool and cotton grown upon the rough farms are habitually spun and woven and dyed in the home cabin4 ,the dyes are often made from walnut bark1 pokeberry1 and certain nuts and roots which have been found capable of fast stain and are easily procured4 ,unfortunately1 the facility with which aniline dyes can be used is not unknown4 ,the linsey woolsey1 which is not only a common manufacture in the farmhouses1 but the common wear of both men and women1 is an interesting and good manufacture1 capable of much wider use than it enjoys at present4 ,and linsey woolsey is not the only home weaving done in the ,cumberland ,mountains4 ,the showing of cotton homespun towel weaving at the ,atlanta ,exposition was a feature of the ,exposition1 and the homespun blankets of the various kinds which one finds in common use are only a step removed from the process of the admirable ,navajo blanket4 ,we see from these different possibilities and indications1 that although we are still a people without true home productions1 there is every reason to believe that this condition will not be a lasting one1 and that before many years we shall find the special advantages and general cultivation of the country have not only produced but given character to a large domestic manufacture4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,rug ,,weaving4 ,rag carpets have been made and used in farmhouses for many generations1 but it is only of late that there has been a general demand in all country houses for home-made piazza rugs1 bedroom rugs1 and rugs for general use4 ,it has been found that the best and most durable rugs for these purposes1 and for bath-rooms for town and city houses1 can be made of cotton or woolen rags sewed and woven in the regular old-fashioned rag-carpet way1 the difference being--and it is rather a large difference--that the rags must be new instead of old1 and that the colors must be good and carefully chosen instead of being used indiscriminately1 and in addition to this it must be woven in two-yard lengths1 with a border and fringe at either end4 ,this being done1 good1 attractive and salable rugs can be made of almost any color1 and suitable for many purposes4 ,it is an industry perfectly adapted to farmhouse conditions1 and if well followed out would make a regular income for the women of the family4 ,the cumbrous old wooden loom is still doing a certain amount of work in nearly every country neighbourhood1 and it is capable of a greatly enlarged and much more profitable practice4 ,i find very little if any difference in the rugs woven upon these and the modern steel loom4 ,it is true that the work is lighter and weaving goes faster upon the latter1 and where a person or family makes an occupation of weaving it is probably better to have the latest improvements2 but it is possible to begin and to make a success of rag rug weaving upon an old-fashioned loom1 and as a rule old-fashioned weavers have little to learn in new methods4 ,this small book is intended as a help in adapting their work to modern demands1 as well as to open a new field to the farmer's family during the winter months1 when their time is not necessarily occupied with growing and securing crops4 ,illustration3 ,,weaving ,it does not undertake to teach any one who buys or has inherited a loom to begin weaving without any further preparation4 ,the warping or threading of it must be seen to be understood1 but when that is once learned1 all of the rest is a matter of practice and experiment1 and is really no more difficult than any other domestic art4 ,one would not expect to spin without being shown how to pull the wool and turn the wheel at the same time1 or even to sew or knit without some sort of instruction1 and the same is true of weaving4 ,there are many old looms still to be found in the garrets of farmhouses1 and where one has been inherited it is best to begin learning to weave upon it instead of substituting a new one1 since the same knowledge answers for both4 ,probably some older member of the family1 or at least some old neighbour1 will be able to teach the new beginner how to set up the loom and to proceed from that to actual weaving4 ,after this is learned it rests with one's self to become a good weaver1 a practical dyer1 and to put colors together which are both harmonious and effective4 ,what ,i have chiefly tried to show is how to get proper materials and how to use them to the best advantage4 ,i think it is safe to say that no domestic art is capable of such important results from a pecuniary point of view1 or so important an extension in the direction of practical art4 ,where it is used as an art-process and an interesting occupation1 by women of leisure1 it is capable of the finest results1 and there is no reason why these results should not become a matter of business profit4 ,rag carpets have generally been woven of rags cut from any old garments cast aside by the household--coats and trousers too old for patching1 sheets and pillow-cases too tender to use1 calico1 serge1 bits of woolen stuffs old and new1 went into the carpet basket1 to be cut or torn into strips1 sewed indiscriminately together1 and rolled into balls until there should be enough of them for the work of the loom4 ,when this time came the loom would be warped with white cotton or purple yarn1 dyed with sugar paper or logwood1 and the carpet woven4 ,even with this entire carelessness as to any other result than that of a useful floor covering1 the rag carpet1 with its hit or miss mixture1 was not a bad thing2 and a very small degree of attention has served to give it a respectable place in domestic manufactures4 ,but it is capable of being carried much farther2 in fact1 ,i know of no process which can so easily be made to produce really good and beautiful results as rag carpet weaving4 ,the first material needed is what are called carpet warps1 and these can be purchased in different weights and sizes and more or less reliable colours in every country store1 this fact alone showing the prevalence of home weaving1 since the yarns are not--at least to my knowledge--used for any other purpose4 ,the cost of warp1 dyed or undyed1 depends upon the quantity required1 or1 in other words1 upon its being purchased at wholesale or retail4 ,at retail it costs twenty cents per pound1 and at wholesale sixteen4 ,to buy of a wholesale dealer one must be able to order at least a hundred pounds1 and as this would weave but a hundred and fifty rugs it would not be too large a quantity to have on hand for even a moderate amount of weaving4 ,these prices refer only to ordinary cotton warps1 and not to fine silk finish1 to linen1 or even to silk ones1 each of which has its special use and price4 ,in all of them fast colour is a most desirable quality1 and1 indeed1 for truly good work a necessity4 ,i have found but two of the colours which are upon ordinary sale to be reasonably fast1 and those are a very deep red and the ordinary orange4 ,the latter will run when dipped in water2 in fact1 it will give out dye to such good purpose that ,i have sometimes used the water in which it has been steeped to dye cotton rags1 as it gives a very good and quite fast lemon yellow4 ,it follows1 then1 that in weaving rugs 7which must be washable7 with orange warp1 the warp must be steeped in warm water before using4 ,it can be used in that state1 or it can be set with alum1 or it can be dipped in a thin indigo dye and made into a good and fast green4 ,the only recourse of the domestic weaver who wishes to establish her rugs as of the very best make is to dye her own warps2 and this is not only an easy but a most interesting process2 so much so1 in fact1 that ,i am tempted to enlarge upon it as a practical study for the young people of the family4 ,it is necessary at the very beginning to put much stress upon the value of fast colour in the warping yarn1 since a faded warp will entirely neutralize the colour of the rags1 and spoil the beauty of the most successful rug4 ,the most necessary and widely applicable colour needed in warps1 or1 indeed1 in rags1 is a perfectly fast blue in different depths1 and this can only be secured by indigo4 ,aniline blue in cotton is never sun-fast and rarely will stand washing1 but a good indigo blue will neither run or fade1 and is therefore precisely what is needed for domestic manufacture4 ,fortunately1 the dye-tub has been1 in the past at least1 a close companion of the loom1 and most old-fashioned farmers' wives know how to use it4 ,with this one can command reliable blue warps of all shades2 and when we come to directions for making washable rugs its importance will be seen4 ,as ,i have said1 by dipping orange warp in medium indigo blue a fast and vivid green can be secured1 and these two tints1 together with orange and red1 give as many colours as one needs for rug weaving2 they give1 in fact1 a choice of five colours--orange1 red1 blue1 green and white4 ,orange and red are both colours which can be relied upon when prepared from the ordinary ,magic dyes of commerce4 ,turkey red especially is safe to last1 even when applied to cotton4 ,in the general disapproval of mineral dyes1 this one may certainly be excepted1 as well as the crimson red known as cardinal1 which is both durable and beautiful1 in silk or woolen fibre or texture4 ,after good warps are secured1 the second material needed is filling2 and here the subject of old and new rags is to be considered4 ,of course1 cloth which has served other purposes1 as in sheets1 pillow-cases1 curtains1 dress skirts1 etc41 is still capable of prolonged wear when the thin parts are removed and those which are fairly strong are folded and bunched into carpet filling2 and for family use1 or limited sale1 such rags--dyed in some colour--are really desirable4 ,good varieties of washable rugs can be made of half-worn cotton without dyeing 7although they will not be as durable as if made from unworn muslin7 by using blue warps to white fillings4 ,the colour effects and methods of weaving will be the same whether old or new rags are used2 but in making a study of rag rug weaving from the point of view of building up an important industry1 it is necessary to consider only the use of new rags and how to procure the best of them at the cheapest rates4 ,there is a certain amount of what is called waste in all cloth mills1 either cotton1 wool or silk1 and also in the manufacture of every kind of clothing4 ,the waste from cotton mills1 consisting for the most part of piece ends1 imperfect beginnings or endings1 which must be torn off when the piece is made up1 are exactly suitable for carpet weaving2 and1 in fact1 if made for the purpose could hardly be better4 ,these can be bought for from ten to twelve cents per pound4 ,the same price holds for ginghams and for coloured cottons of various sorts4 ,cutting from shirt-making and clothing establishments are not as good4 ,in shirt cuttings the cloth varies a good deal in thickness1 and1 in addition to this disadvantage1 cannot be torn into strips1 many of the pieces being bias1 and therefore having to be cut4 ,it is true that while this entails additional use of time in preparation1 bias rags are a more elastic filling than straight ones1 and if uniformly and carefully cut and sewed a rug made from them is worth more and will probably sell for more than one made of straight rags4 ,shirt cuttings sell for about three cents per pound1 and while a proportion of them are too small for use and would have to be re-sold for paper rags1 the cost of material for cotton rugs would still be very trifling4 ,suitable woolen rags from the mills sell for twenty-five cents per pound4 ,tailors' and dressmakers' cuttings are much cheaper1 and very advantageous arrangements can be made with large establishments if one is prepared to take all they have to offer4 ,one difficulty with woolen rags from tailoring establishments is in the sombreness of the colours2 but much can be done by judicious sorting and sewing of the rags1 for it is astonishing how bits of every conceivable colour will melt together when brought into a mixed mass2 also if they are woven upon a red warp the effect is brightened4 ,having secured materials of different kinds1 the next step is in the cutting and sewing1 and here also new methods must step in4 ,the old-fashioned way of sewing carpet rags--that is1 simply tacking them together with a large needle and coarse thread--will not answer at all in this new development of rug making4 ,the filling must be smooth1 without lumps or rag ends1 and the joinings absolutely fast and fairly inconspicuous4 ,some of the new rags from cotton or woolen mills come in pieces from a quarter to a half-yard in length and the usual width of the cloth4 ,these can be sewed together on the sewing machine1 lapping and basting them before sewing4 ,they should lap from a quarter to a half inch and have two sewings1 one at either edge of the lap4 ,if sewed in this way they can afterward be torn into strips1 using the scissors to cut across seams4 ,it can be performed very speedily when one is accustomed to it1 and is absolutely secure1 so that no rag ends can ever be seen in the finished weaving4 ,if the cloth pieces which are to be used for rags are not wide enough to sew on the sewing machine1 they should be lapped and sewed by hand in the same way1 unless they happen to have selvedge ends1 in which case they should by all means be strongly overhanded4 ,this makes the best possible joining1 as it is no thicker than the rest of the rag filling1 and consequently gives an even surface4 ,good sewing is the first step toward making good and workmanlike rugs4 ,whenever the rags can be torn instead of cut1 it is preferable1 as it secures uniform width4 ,the width1 of course1 must vary according to the quality of cloth and weight desired in the rug4 ,a certain weight is necessary to make it lie smoothly1 as a light rug will not stay in place on the floor4 ,in ordinary cotton cloth an inch wide strip is not too heavy and will pinch into the required space4 ,if1 however1 a door-hanging or lounge-cover is being woven1 the rags may be made half that width4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,pattern4 ,when proper warp and filling are secured1 experimental weaving may begin4 ,if the loom is an old-fashioned wooden one1 it will weave only in yard widths1 and this yard width takes four hundred and fifty threads of warp4 ,warping the loom is really the only difficult or troublesome part of plain weaving1 and therefore it is best to put in as long a warp as one is likely to use in one colour4 ,one and a half pounds of cotton rags will make one yard of weaving4 ,the simplest trial will be the weaving of white filling1 either old or new1 with a warp of medium indigo blue4 ,of course each warp must be long enough to weave several rugs2 and the first one1 to make the experiment as simple as possible1 should be of white rags alone upon a blue warp4 ,there must be an allowance of five inches of warp for fringe before the weaving is begun1 and ten inches at the end of the rug to make a fringe for both first and second rugs4 ,sometimes the warp is set in groups of three1 with a corresponding interval between1 and this--if the tension is firm and the rags soft--gives a sort of honeycomb effect which is very good4 ,the grouping of the warp is especially desirable in one-coloured rugs1 as it gives a variation of surface which is really attractive4 ,when woven1 the rug should measure three feet by six1 without the fringe4 ,this is to be knotted1 allowing six threads to a knot4 ,this kind of bath-rug--which is the simplest thing possible in weaving--will be found to be truly valuable1 both for use and effect4 ,if the filling is sufficiently heavy1 and especially if it is made of half-worn rags1 it will be soft to the feet1 and can be as easily washed as a white counterpane2 in fact1 it can be thrown on the grass in a heavy shower and allowed to wash and bleach itself4 ,several variations can be made upon this blue warp in the way of borders and color-splashes by using any indigo-dyed material mixed with the white rags4 ,cheap blue ginghams1 domestics or half-worn and somewhat faded blue denims will be of the right depth of color1 but as a rule new denim is of too dark a blue to introduce with pure white filling4 ,the illustration called ,the ,onteora ,rug is made by using a proportion of a half-pound of blue rags to the two and a half of white required to make up the three pounds of cotton filling required in a six-foot rug4 ,this half-pound of blue should be distributed through the rug in three portions1 and the two and a half pounds of white also into three1 so as to insure an equal share of blue to every third of the rug4 ,after this division is made it is quite immaterial how it goes together4 ,the blue rags may be long1 short or medium1 and the effect is almost certain to be equally good4 ,the side border in ,the ,lois ,rug1 which is made upon the same blue warp1 is separately woven1 and afterward added to the plain white rug with blue ends1 but an irregular side border can easily be made by sewing the rags in lengths of a half-yard1 alternating the blue and white1 and keeping the white rags in the centre of the rug while weaving4 ,these three or four variations of style in what we may call washable rugs are almost equally good where red warp is used1 substituting ,turkey red rags with the white filling instead of blue4 ,an orange warp can be used for an orange and white rug1 mixing the white filling with ordinary orange cotton cloth4 ,the effect may be reversed by using a white warp with a red1 blue or yellow filling1 making the borders and splashes with white4 ,one of the best experiments in plain weaving ,i have seen is a red rug of the ,lois style1 using white warp and mixed white and green gingham rags for the borders1 while the body of the rug is in shaded red rags4 ,this1 however1 brings us to the question of color in fillings1 which must be treated separately4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,onteora ,,rug ,of course1 variations of all kinds can be made in washable rugs4 ,light and dark blue rags can be used in large proportion with white ones to make a hit or miss1 and where a darker rug is considered better for household use it can be made entirely of dark and light blue on a white warp2 the same thing can be done in reds1 yellows and greens4 ,brown can be used with good effect mixed with orange1 using orange warp2 or orange1 green and brown will make a good combination on a white warp4 ,in almost every variety of rug except where blue warp is used a red stripe in the border will be found an improvement4 ,a very close1 evenly distributed red warp1 with white filling1 will make a pink rug good enough and pretty enough for the daintiest bedroom4 ,if it is begun and finished with a half-inch of the same warp used as filling1 it makes a sort of border2 and this1 with the red fringe1 completes what every one will acknowledge is an exceptionally good piece of floor furnishing4 ,in using woolen rags1 which are apt to be much darker in colour than cotton1 a white1 red or yellow warp is more apt to be effective than either a green or a blue2 in fact1 it is quite safe to say that light filling should go with dark warp and dark filling with light or white4 ,there is an extremely good style of rag rug made at ,isle ,lamotte1 in ,vermont1 where very dark blue or green woolen rags are woven upon a white warp1 with a design of arrows in white at regular intervals at the sides4 ,this design is made by turning back the filling at a given point and introducing a piece of white filling1 which in turn is turned back when the length needed for the design is woven and another dark one introduced1 each one to be turned back at the necessary place and taken up in the next row4 ,of course1 while the design is in progress one must use several pieces of filling in each row of weaving4 ,the black border can only be made by introducing a large number of short pieces of the contrasting colour which is to be used in the design and tacking them in place as the weaving proceeds4 ,of course1 in this case thin cloth should be used for the colour-blocks1 as otherwise the doubling of texture would make an uneven surface4 ,if the rug is a woolen one1 not liable to be washed1 this variation of color in pattern can be cleverly made by brushing the applied color pieces lightly with glue4 ,of course1 in this case the design will show only on the upper side of the rug4 ,in fact1 the only way to make the design show equally on both sides is by turning back the warp1 as in the arrow design1 or by actually cutting out and sewing in pieces of colour4 ,by following out the device of using glue for fastening the bits of colour which make border designs many new and very interesting effects can be obtained1 as most block and angle forms can be produced by lines made in weaving4 ,it is only where the rug must be constantly subject to washing that they are not desirable4 ,it must be remembered that the warp threads bind them into place1 after they are glue-fastened4 ,large rugs for centres of rooms can be made of woolen rags by weaving a separate narrow border for the two sides4 ,if the first piece is three feet wide by eight in length1 and a foot-wide border is added at the sides1 it will make a rug five feet wide by eight feet long2 or if two eight-foot lengths are sewn together1 with a foot-wide border1 it will make an eight-by-eight centre rug4 ,the border should be of black or very dark coloured filling4 ,in making a bordered rug1 two dark ends must be woven on the central length of the rug--that is1 one foot of black or dark rags can be woven on each end and six feet of the hit or miss effect in the middle4 ,this gives a strip of eight feet long1 including two dark ends4 ,the separate narrow width1 one foot wide and sixteen feet in length1 must be added to this1 eight feet on either side4 ,the border must be very strongly sewn in order to give the same strength as in the rest of the rug4 ,the same plan can be carried out in larger rugs1 by sewing breadths together and adding a border1 but they are not easily lifted1 and are apt to pull apart by their own weight4 ,still1 the fact remains that very excellent and handsome rugs can be made from rags1 in any size required to cover the floor of a room1 by sewing the breadths and adding borders1 and if care and taste are used in the combinations as good an effect can be secured as in a much more costly flooring4 ,the ultimate success of all these different methods of weaving rag rugs depends upon the amount of beauty that can be put into them4 ,they possess all the necessary qualities of durability1 usefulness and inexpensiveness1 but if they cannot be made beautiful other estimable qualities will not secure the wide popularity they deserve4 ,durable and beautiful colour will always make them salable1 and good colour is easily attainable if the value of it is understood4 ,there are two ways of compassing this necessity4 ,one is to buy1 if possible1 in piece ends and mill waste1 such materials as ,turkey red1 blue and green ginghams1 and blue domestics and denims1 as well as all the dark colours which come in tailors' cuttings4 ,the other and better alternative is to buy the waste of white cotton mills and dye it4 ,for the best class of rugs--those which include beauty as well as usefulness1 and which will consequently bring a much larger price if sold--it is quite worth while to buy cheap muslins and calicoes2 and as quality--that is1 coarseness or fineness--is perfectly immaterial1 it is possible to buy them at from four to five cents per yard4 ,these goods can be torn lengthwise1 which saves nearly the whole labor of sewing them1 and from eight to ten yards1 according to their fineness1 will make a yard of weaving4 ,the best textile for this is undoubtedly unbleached muslin1 even approaching the quality called cheesecloth4 ,this can easily be dyed if one wishes dark instead of light colours1 and it makes a light1 strong1 elastic rug which is very satisfactory4 ,in rag carpet weaving in homesteads and farmhouses--and it is so truly a domestic art that it is to be hoped this kind of weaving will be confined principally to them--some one of the household should be skilled in simple dyeing4 ,this is very important1 as better and cheaper rugs can be made if the weaver can get what she wants in colour by having it dyed in the house1 rather than by the chance of finding it among the rags she buys4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,dyeing4 ,in the early years of the past century a dye-tub was as much a necessity in every house as a spinning wheel1 and the re-establishment of it in houses where weaving is practised is almost a necessity2 in fact1 it would be of far greater use at present than in the days when it was only used to dye the wool needed for the family knitting and weaving4 ,all shades of blue1 from sky-blue to blue-black1 can be dyed in the indigo-tub2 and it has the merit of being a cheap as well as an almost perfectly fast dye4 ,it could be used for dyeing warps as well as fillings1 and ,i have before spoken of the difficulty1 indeed almost impossibility1 of procuring indigo-dyed carpet yarn4 ,blue is perhaps more universally useful than any other colour in rag rug making1 since it is safe for both cotton and wool1 and covers a range from the white rug with blue warp1 the blue rug with white warp1 through all varieties of shade to the dark blue1 or clouded blue1 or green rug1 upon white warp4 ,it can also be used in connection with yellow or orange1 or with copperas or walnut dye1 in different shades of green2 and1 in short1 unless one has exceptional advantages in buying rags from woolen mills1 ,i can hardly imagine a profitable industry of rag-weaving established in any farmhouse without the existence of an indigo dyeing-tub4 ,,red4 ,the next important color is red4 ,red warps can be bought1 but the lighter shades are not even reasonably fast2 and indeed1 the only sure way of securing absolutely fast colour in cotton warp is to dye it4 ,prepared dyes are somewhat expensive on account of the quantity required1 but there are two colours1 ,turkey red and cardinal red1 which are extremely good for the purpose4 ,these can be brought at wholesale from dealers in chemicals and dye-stuffs at much cheaper rates than by the small paper from the druggist4 ,,copperas4 ,the ordinary copperas1 which can be bought at any country store1 gives a fast nankeen-coloured dye1 and this is very useful in making a dull green by an after-dip in the indigo-tub4 ,,walnut4 ,there are some valuable domestic dyes which are within the reach of every country dweller1 the best and cheapest of which is walnut or butternut stain4 ,this is made by steeping the bark of the tree or the shell of the nut until the water is dark with colour4 ,it will give various shades of yellow1 brown1 dark brown and green brown1 according to the strength of the decoction or the state of the bark or nut when used4 ,if the bark of the nut is used when green1 the result will be a yellow brown2 and this stain is also valuable in making a green tint when an after-dip of blue is added4 ,leaves and tree-bark will give a brown with a very green tint1 and these different shades used in different rags woven together give a very agreeably clouded effect4 ,walnut stain will itself set or fasten some others2 for instance1 pokeberry stain1 which is a lovely crimson1 can be made reasonably fast by setting it with walnut juice4 ,,rust-,,colour4 ,iron rust is the most indelible of all stains besides being a most agreeable yellow1 and it is not hard to obtain1 as bits of old iron left standing in water will soon manufacture it4 ,it would be a good use for old tin saucepans and various other house utensils which have come to a state of mischievousness instead of usefulness4 ,,gray4 ,ink gives various shades of gray according to its strength1 but it would be cheaper to purchase it in the form of logwood than as ink4 ,,logwood ,,chips4 ,logwood chips boiled in water give a good yellow brown--deep in proportion to the strength of the decoction4 ,,yellow ,,from ,,fustic4 ,yellow from fustic requires to be set with alum1 and this is more effectively done if the material to be dyed is soaked in alum water and dried previous to dyeing4 ,seven ounces of alum to two quarts of water is the proper proportion4 ,the fustic chips should be well soaked1 and afterward boiled for a half-hour to extract the dye1 which will be a strong and fast yellow4 ,,orange4 ,orange is generally the product of annato1 which must be dissolved with water to which a lump of washing soda has been added4 ,the material must be soaked in a solution of tin crystals before dipping1 if a pure orange is desired1 as without this the color will be a pink buff--or nankeen color4 ,what ,i have written on the subject of home dyeing is intended more in the way of suggestion than direction1 as it is simply giving some results of my own experiments1 based upon early familiarity with natural growths rather than scientific knowledge4 ,i have found the experiments most interesting1 and more than fairly successful1 and ,i can imagine nothing more fascinating than a persistent search for natural and permanent dyes4 ,the ,irish homespun friezes1 which are so dependable in colour for out-of-door wear1 are invariably dyed with natural stains1 procured from heather roots1 mosses1 and bog plants of like nature4 ,it must be remembered that any permanent or indelible stain is a dye1 and if boys and girls who live in the country were set to look for plants possessing the colour-quality1 many new ones might be discovered4 ,i am told by a ,kentucky mountain woman1 used to the production of reliable colour in her excellent weaving1 that the ordinary roadside smartweed gives one of the best of yellows4 ,indeed1 she showed me a blanket with a yellow border which had been in use for twenty years1 and still held a beautiful lemon yellow4 ,in preparing this1 the plant is steeped in water1 and the tint set with alum4 ,combining this with indigo1 or by an after-dip in indigo-water1 one could procure various shades of fast blue-green1 a colour which is hard to get1 because most yellows1 which should be one of its preparatory tints1 are buff instead of lemon yellow4 ,an unlimited supply and large variety of cheap and reliable colour in rag filling1 and a few strong and brilliant colours in warps1 are conditions for success in rag rug weaving1 but these colours must be studiously and carefully combined to produce the best results4 ,i have said that1 as a rule1 light warps must go with dark filling and dark warps with light1 and ,i will add a few general rules which ,i have found advantageous in my weaving4 ,in the first place1 in rugs which are largely of one colour1 as blue1 or green1 or red1 or yellow1 no effort should be made to secure even dyeing2 in fact1 the more uneven the colour is the better will be the rug4 ,dark and light and spotted colour work into a shaded effect which is very attractive4 ,the most successful of the simple rugs ,i possess is of a cardinal red woven upon a white warp4 ,it was chiefly made of white rags treated with cardinal red ,diamond dye1 and was purposely made as uneven as possible4 ,the border consists of two four-inch strips of hit or miss green1 white and red mixed rags1 placed four inches from either end1 with an inch stripe of red between1 and the whole finished with a white knotted fringe4 ,a safe and general rule is that the border stripes should be of the same colour as the warp--as1 for instance1 with a red warp a red striped border--while the centre and ends of the rug might be mixed rags of all descriptions4 ,it is also safe to say that in using pure white or pure black in mixed rags1 these two colours1 and particularly the white1 should appear in short pieces1 as otherwise they give a striped instead of a mottled effect1 and this is objectionable4 ,white is valuable for strong effects or lines in design2 indeed1 it is hard to make design prominent or effective except in white or red4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lois ,,rug ,these few general rules as to colour1 together with the particular ones given in other chapters1 produce agreeable combinations in very simple and easy fashion4 ,i have not1 perhaps1 laid as much stress upon warp grouping and treatment as is desirable1 since quite distinct effects are produced by these things4 ,throwing the warp into groups of three or four threads1 leaving small spaces between1 produces a sort of basket-work style2 while simply doubling the warp and holding it with firm tension gives the honeycomb effect of which ,i have previously spoken4 ,if the filling is wide and soft1 and well pushed back between each throw of the shuttle1 it will bunch up between the warp threads like a string of beads1 and in a dark warp and light filling a rim of coloured shadow seems to show around each little prominence4 ,such rugs are more elastic to the tread than an even-threaded one1 and on the whole may be considered a very desirable variation4 ,it is well for the weaver to remember that every successful experiment puts the manufacture on a higher plane of development and makes it more valuable as a family industry4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,ingrain ,,carpet ,,rugs4 ,undoubtedly the most useful--and from a utilitarian point of view the most perfect--rag rug is made from worn ingrain carpet1 especially if it is of the honest all-wool kind1 and not the modern mixture of cotton and wool4 ,there are places in the textile world where a mixture of cotton and wool is highly advantageous1 but in ingrain carpeting1 where the sympathetic fibre of the wool holds fast to its adopted colour1 and the less tenacious cotton allows it to drift easily away1 the result is a rusty grayness of colour which shames the whole fabric4 ,this grayness of aspect cannot be overcome in the carpet except by re-dyeing1 and even then the improvement may be transitory1 so an experienced maker of rugs lets the half-cotton ingrain drift to its end without hope of resurrection4 ,the cutting of old ingrain into strips for weaving is not so serious a task as it would seem4 ,where there is an out-of-doors to work in1 the breadths can easily be torn apart without inconvenience from dust4 ,after this they should be placed1 one at a time1 in an old-fashioned pounding-barrel and invited to part with every particle of dust which they have accumulated from the foot of man4 ,for those who do not know the virtues and functions of the pounding-barrel1 ,i must explain that it is an ordinary1 tight1 hard-wood barrel2 the virtue lying in the pounder1 which may be a broom-handle1 or1 what is still better1 the smooth old oak or ash handle of a discarded rake or hoe4 ,at the end of it is a firmly fixed block of wood1 which can be brought down with vigour upon rough and soiled textiles4 ,it is an effective separator of dust and fibre1 and is1 in fact1 a ,new ,england improvement upon the stone-pounding process which one sees along the shores of streams and lakes in nearly all countries but ,england and ,america4 ,if the pounding-barrel is lacking1 the next best thing is--after a vigorous shaking--to leave the breadths spread upon the grass1 subject to the visitations of wind and rain4 ,after a few days of such exposure they will be quite ready to handle without offense4 ,then comes the process of cutting4 ,the selvages must be sheared as narrowly as possible1 since every inch of the carpet is valuable4 ,when the selvages are removed1 the breadths are to be cut into long strips of nearly an inch in width and rolled into balls for the loom4 ,if the pieces are four or five yards in length1 only two or three need to be sewn together until the weaving is actually begun1 as the balls would otherwise become too heavy to handle4 ,as the work proceeds1 however1 the joinings must be well lapped and strongly sewn1 the rising of one of the ends in the woven piece being a very apparent blemish4 ,rugs made of carpeting require a much stronger warp than do ordinary cotton or woolen rugs1 and therefore a twine made of flax or hemp1 if it be of fast colour1 will be found very serviceable4 ,some weavers fringe the rags by pulling out side threads1 and this gives an effect of nap to the woven rug which is very effective1 for as the rag is doubled in weaving the raveled ends of threads stand up on the surface1 making quite a furry appearance4 ,i have a rug treated in this way made from old green carpeting1 woven with a red warp1 which presents so rich an appearance that it might easily be mistaken for a far more costly one4 ,it has1 however1 the weak point of having been woven with the ordinary light-red warp of commerce1 and is therefore sure to lose colour4 ,if the warp had been re-dyed by the weaver1 with ,turkey red1 it would probably have held colour as long as it held together4 ,this cutting of ingrain rags would seem to be a serious task1 but where weaving is a business instead of an amusement it is quite worth while to buy a cutting table upon which the carpet is stretched and cut with a knife4 ,this table1 with its machinery1 can be bought wherever looms and loom supplies are kept1 at a cost of from seven to eight dollars4 ,if the strips are raveled at all1 it should be at least for a third of an inch1 as otherwise the rug would possess simply a rough and not a napped surface4 ,if the strips are cut an inch in width and raveled rather more than a third on each side1 it still leaves enough cloth to hold firmly in the weaving1 but ,i have known one industrious soul who raveled the strips until only a narrow third was left down the middle of the strip1 and this she found it necessary to stitch with the sewing machine to prevent further raveling4 ,i have also known of the experiment of cutting the strips on the bias1 stitching along the centre and pulling the two edges until they were completely ruffled4 ,although this is a painstaking process1 it has very tangible merits1 as1 in the first place1 absolutely nothing of the carpet is wasted--no threads are pulled out and thrown away as in the other method--and in the next the sewings together are overhand instead of lapped4 ,the raveled waste can often be used as filling for the ends of rugs if it is wound as it is pulled from the carpet rags4 ,indeed1 one can hardly afford to waste such good material4 ,it will be seen that there are great possibilities in the carpet rug4 ,even the unravelled ones are desirable floor covering on account of their weight and firmness4 ,they lie where they are placed1 with no turned-up ends1 and this is a great virtue in rugs4 ,of course much of the beauty of the ingrain carpet rug depends upon the original colour of the carpet4 ,most of those which are without design will work well into rugs if a strongly contrasting colour is used in the warp4 ,if1 for instance1 the carpet colour is plain blue1 the warp should be white2 if yellow1 either an orange warp1 which will make a very bright rug1 or a green warp1 which will give a soft yellowish green1 or a blue1 which will give a general effect of green changing to yellow4 ,if the carpet should be a figured one1 a red warp will be found more effective than any other in bringing all the colours together4 ,if it should happen to be faded or colourless1 the breadths can be dipped in a tub of strong dye of some colour which will act well upon the previous tint4 ,if1 for instance1 it should be a faded blue1 it may be dipped in an indigo dye for renewal of colour1 or into yellow1 which will change it into green4 ,a poor yellow will take a brilliant red dye1 and a faded brown or fawn will be changed into a good claret colour by treating it with red dye4 ,faded brown or fawn colours will take a good dark green1 as will also a weak blue4 ,blue can also be treated with yellow or a fresher blue4 ,of course1 in speaking of this kind of dyeing1 the renewal of old tints1 it is with reference to the common prepared dyes which are for sale--with directions--by every druggist1 and with a little knowledge of how these colours act upon each other one can produce very good effects4 ,it is quite a different thing from the dyeing of fibre which is to be woven into cloth4 ,in the latter case it is far wiser to use vegetable dyes1 but in the freshening of old material the prepared mineral dyes are more convenient and sufficiently effective4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,woven ,,rag ,,portieres4 ,rag weaving is not necessarily confined to rugs1 for very beautiful portieres and table and lounge covers may be woven from carefully chosen and prepared rags4 ,the process is practically the same1 the difference being like that between coarse and fine needlework1 where finer material and closer and more painstaking handiwork is bestowed4 ,the result is like a homespun cloth4 ,both warp and woof must be finer than in ordinary carpet weaving4 ,instead of coarse cotton yarn1 warp must be fine mercerized cotton1 or of linen or silk thread1 and the warp threads are set much closer in the loom4 ,in place of ten or twelve threads to the inch1 there should be from fifteen to twenty4 ,the woof or filling may be old or new1 and either of fine cotton1 merino1 serge1 or other wool material1 or of silk4 ,the ordinary silk-rag portiere is not a very attractive hanging1 being somewhat akin to the crazy quilt1 and made1 as is that bewildering production1 from a collection of ribbons and silk pieces of all colours and qualities1 cut and sewed together in a haphazard way1 without any arrangement of colour or thought of effect1 and sent to the weaver with a vague idea of getting something of worth from valueless material4 ,this is quite a different thing from a silk portiere made from some beautiful old silk garment1 which is too much worn for further use1 where warp and woof colour are selected for fitness and harmony1 and the weaver uses her rags1 as the painter does his colours1 with a purpose of artistic effect4 ,if the work is done from that point of view1 the last state of the once beautiful old garment may truly be said to be better than the first4 ,if a light cloth is used for this kind of manufacture1 it may be torn into strips so narrow as to simulate yarn--and make what appears to be yarn weaving4 ,this cannot well be done with old or worn cloth1 because there is not strength in the very narrow strip to bear the strain of tearing2 but new muslin1 almost as light as that which is known as cheesecloth1 treated in this way makes a beautiful canvas-like weaving which1 if well coloured1 is very attractive for portieres or table covers4 ,if one has breadths of silk of a quality which can be torn without raveling1 and is sufficiently strong to bear the process1 it is delightful material to work with4 ,if it is of ordinary thickness1 a half-inch in width is quite wide enough1 and this will roll or double into the size of ordinary yarn4 ,if the silk is not strong enough to tear1 it is better to cut the strips upon the bias than straight1 and the same is true of fine woolens1 like merinos1 cashmeres1 or any worsted goods4 ,there is much more elasticity in them when cut in this way1 and they are more readily crushed together by the warp4 ,i know a beautiful hanging of crimson silk1 or rather of crimson and garnet--the crimson having been originally a light silk dress dyed to shade into the garnet4 ,the two coloured rags were sewn together hit or miss fashion and woven upon a bright cardinal-coloured warp4 ,there was no attempt at border3 it was simply a length of vari-coloured coarse silk weaving1 absolutely precious for colour and quality4 ,treated in this way1 an old silk gown takes on quite a new value and becomes invested with absorbing interest4 ,spots and tarnish disappear in the metempsychosis1 or serve for scattered variation1 and if the weaver chooses to still further embellish it with a monogram or design in cross stitch embroidery1 she has acquired a piece of drapery which might be a valuable inheritance to her children4 ,merino or cashmere which has been worn and washed1 and is coupled with other material of harmonizing colour1 like pieces of silk or velvet1 is almost as valuable for the making of portieres and table covers as if it were silk4 ,indeed1 for the latter purpose it is preferable1 being generally washable4 ,cotton hangings made in this way are often very desirable4 ,summer muslins which have served their time as dresses1 and are of beautiful colour and quite strong enough to go into the loom1 can be woven with a warp of gray linen thread into really beautiful hangings1 especially the strong1 plain tints--the blues and greens and reds which have been so much worn of late years4 ,they have the advantage of being easily washable1 and are particularly suitable for country-house hangings4 ,even worn sheets and pillow-cases can be dyed to suit the furnishing of different rooms1 and woven with a silk warp of stronger colour4 ,they should be torn into strips not more than a third of an inch wide1 so that it may crush into a roll not larger than an ordinary yarn4 ,this will weave into a light1 strong cloth1 always interesting because it differs from anything which can be purchased through ordinary channels4 ,to reappear in the shape of a beautiful and valuable rag-weaving is the final resurrection of good textiles1 when they have performed their duty in the world and been worn out in its service4 ,these home-woven portieres are better without borders1 the whole surface being plain or simply clouded by mixing two tints of the same colour together4 ,they can be elaborated by adding a hand-made fringe of folds of cloth sewn into a lattice and finished with tassels4 ,this is quite a decorative feature1 and particularly suitable to the weaving4 ,it can easily be understood that a large share of the beauty of making these household furnishings lies in the colour4 ,if that is good the rug or portiere or table-cover is beautiful4 ,if it is either dull or glaring1 the pleasure one might have in it is lacking1 and it is quite within one's power to have the article always beautiful4 ,it must also be remembered1 if weaving is taken up as a source of profit1 that few things which do not please the eye will sell4 ,therefore1 if for no other reason1 it is well worth while for the weaver to first study the choice1 production and combination of beautiful colours rather than the fabric of the rug4 ,i have said1 and will reiterate1 that for this particular kind of manufacture--the restoration and adaptation of old goods1 and the strengthening of tints in carpet warps--the yellows and reds of the ,magic or ,diamond dyes of commerce are effective and reliable4 ,indeed1 for new goods cardinal dye is all that could be asked1 but when it comes to the use of dyes for the weaving of textiles and artistic fabrics1 one must resort to dye woods and plants4 ,illustration3 ,,knotted ,,warp ,,fringe ,,for ,,woven ,,table-,,cover ,illustration3 ,,sewed ,,rag ,,fringe ,,for ,,woven ,,portiere ,,fringes4 ,nothing is more important than the proper finish of the rug1 and this generally consists in a careful going over of the work after it has come from the loom--the cutting of stray ravelings and sewing of loose ends1 and the knotting of the long warp ends4 ,it is only a very careless or inexperienced weaver who leaves the warp ends in the state in which they come from the loom2 and indeed they can be made one of the most effective features of the rug4 ,simple knotting of every six threads will make them safe from raveling1 and sometimes the shortness of the warp ends allows no more than this4 ,it is well worth while1 however1 to leave six or eight inches to work into decorative fringes1 and these can be made in various ways1 of which illustrations are given4 ,in the case of decorative fringes there can be double or triple knotting--straight1 or worked into points2 braided fringes which have the merit of both strength and beauty1 and are free from the tangle-trouble of long fringes1 and the very effective rag-lattice finish for portieres and table-covers4 ,indeed1 half the beauty of the rug may lie in the fringing and finish4 ,,profits4 ,the pecuniary gain from rag rug weaving may easily be calculated4 ,first of all comes the cost of the loom1 which will be about seventy dollars4 ,the interest upon this1 with necessary repairs1 may be reckoned at about five dollars per year4 ,to every six-foot rug goes two-thirds of a pound of warp1 and this would amount to from ten-and-a-half to fourteen cents1 according to the rate of purchase4 ,to every such rug must go three pounds of cotton or two pounds of woolen rags1 costing for cotton thirty and for woolen fifty cents4 ,to the cotton rugs must be added the possible cost of dye-stuffs1 which1 again1 might cost twenty cents1 making cost of material in either cotton or woolen rugs from sixty to sixty-four cents4 ,as far as profit is concerned1 if rag rugs are well made they will sell for two dollars each1 if successful in colour1 from two dollars and a half to three and a half1 and if beautiful and exceptional in colour and finish from four to six dollars4 ,but it must be remembered that this latter price will be for rugs which have artistic value4 ,probably the average weaver can safely reckon upon one dollar and eighty-five cents to two dollars regular profit for the labor of sewing and filling and weaving and knotting the rugs4 ,it is fair to accept this as a basis for regular profit1 the amount of which must depend upon facility of production and the ability to produce unexceptionable things4 ,but it is not alone pecuniary gain which should be considered4 ,ability to produce or create a good thing is in itself a happiness1 and the value of happiness cannot easily be reckoned4 ,the knowledge necessary to such production is a personal gain4 ,everything we can do which people generally cannot or do not do1 or which we can do better than others1 helps us to a certain value of ourselves which makes life valuable4 ,for this reason1 then1 as well as for the gain of it1 a loom in the house and a knowledge of weaving is an advantage1 not only for the elders1 but to the children4 ,if the boys and girls in every farmhouse were taught to create more things1 they would not only be abler as human beings1 but they would not be so ready to run out into the world in search of interesting occupations4 ,a loom1 a turning-lathe1 a work-bench1 and a chest of tools1 a house-organ or melodeon1 and a neighbourhood library1 would keep boys and girls at home1 and make them more valuable citizens when independent living became a necessity4 ,everything which broadens the life1 which must by reason of narrow means and fixed occupation be stationary1 gives something of the advantage of travel and contact with the world1 and the adding of profitable outside industries to farmhouse life is an important step in this direction4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,woolen ,,rugs4 ,there are two conditions which will make home weaving valuable4 ,the first is that the material1 whether it be of cotton or wool1 should be grown upon the farm1 and that it could not be sold in the raw state at a price which would make the growing of it profitable4 ,in wool crops there are certain odds and ends of ragged1 stained and torn locks1 which would injure the appearance of the fleece1 and are therefore thrown aside1 and this waste is perfectly suitable for rug weaving4 ,in cotton there is not the amount of waste1 but the fibre itself is not as valuable1 and a portion of it could be reserved for home weaving1 even though it should not be turned to more profitable account4 ,the next condition is that the time used in weaving is also waste or left-over time4 ,if housekeeping requires only a quarter or half of a woman's time1 weaving is more restful and interesting1 as well as more profitable1 than idleness2 and in almost every family there are members to whom partial employment would be a boon4 ,there is no marketable value for spare time or for individual taste1 so that the women of the family possessing these can start a weaving enterprise1 counting only the cost of material at growers' prices4 ,if they can card1 spin1 dye and weave as well as the women of two generations did before them1 they have a most profitable industry in their own hands in the shape of weaving4 ,if materials must be purchased the profit is smaller1 and the question arises whether spare time and personal taste and skill can be made profitable4 ,this depends entirely upon circumstances and character4 ,when circumstances are or can be made favourable1 and there is industry and ambition behind them1 domestic weaving is a beautiful and profitable occupation4 ,there are many neighbourhoods where the conditions are exactly suitable to the prosecution of important domestic industries--localities where sheep are raised and wool is a regular product1 or where cotton is grown and the weaving habit is not extinct4 ,this is true of many ,new ,england neighbourhoods and of the whole ,cumberland ,mountain region1 and it is in response to a demand for direction of unapplied advantages that this book is written4 ,i am convinced that the weaving of domestic wool or cotton rugs might be so developed in the mountain regions of the ,south as to greatly decrease the importation of ,eastern ones of the same grade4 ,an endless variety might be made in these localities1 the difference of climate1 material and habits of thought adding interest as well as variety1 and it is safe to say that the home market is waiting for them4 ,housekeepers have learned by experience that a rug which can be easily lifted and frequently shaken is not only far more cleanly1 and consequently safer1 from a sanitary point of view1 than a carpet1 but that it has other merits which are of economic as well as esthetic importance4 ,a rug is more durable than a carpet of equal weight and texture because it can be constantly shifted from points of wear to those which are less exposed4 ,it can be moved from room to room1 or even from house to house1 without the trouble of shaping or fitting2 and last but not least1 it brings a concentration of colour exactly where it is needed for effect1 and this is possible to no other piece of house furnishing4 ,in short1 there seems to be no bar to its general acceptance1 excepting the bad floors of our immediate predecessors in building4 ,it only needs that cost1 quality and general effect of the home-woven rugs should be shaped into perfect adaptation to our wants1 to make them as necessary a part of ordinary house-furnishing as chairs and tables4 ,these three requirements are within the reach of any home-weaving farmer's wife who will give to the work the same thought for economical conditions1 the same ambition for thorough work and the same intelligent study which her husband bestows upon his successful farming4 ,as there is already one ,american rug which fulfills most of these conditions1 it is well to consider it as a starting point for progress4 ,this is the heavy ,indian rug known as the ,navajo blanket4 ,originally fashioned to withstand the cold and exposure of outdoor life1 it has combined thickness1 durability and softness with excellent colour and weaving and perfectly characteristic design4 ,in the best examples1 where the wool is not bought from traders1 but carded1 spun and dyed by the weaver1 the ,navajo blanket is a perfect production of its kind1 and ,i cannot help wondering that the manufacture of these rug-like blankets--some of which are of great intrinsic value--should have been so long confined to a primitive race1 living at our very doors4 ,the whole process of spinning1 dyeing and weaving could be carried on in any farmhouse1 using the coarsest and least valuable wool1 and by reliable and well-chosen colour1 good weight and careful weaving bringing the manufacture into a prominent place among the home productions of our people4 ,one can hardly imagine simpler machinery than is used by the ,indians4 ,it is scarcely more than a parallelogram of sticks1 supported by a back brace1 and yet upon these simple looms an ,indian woman will weave a fabric that will actually hold water4 ,the clumsy1 old-fashioned loom which is still in use in many farmhouses is fully equal to all demands of this variety of weaving1 but there are already in the market steel-frame looms with fly shuttles which take up much less room and are more easily worked4 ,i was about to say they were capable of better work1 but nothing could be better in method than the ,indian rug1 woven on its three upright sticks2 and after all it is well to remember that quality is in the weaver1 and not in the loom4 ,the results obtained from the simplest machinery can be made to cover ground which is truly artistic4 ,as an example of what may be done to make this kind of weaving available1 we will suppose that some one having an ordinary loom1 and in the habit of weaving rag carpet1 wishes to experiment toward the production of a good yarn rug4 ,the first thing required would1 of course1 be material for both warp and woof4 ,the warp can be made of strong cotton yarn which is manufactured for this very purpose and can be bought for about seventeen cents a pound4 ,this is probably cheaper than it could be carded and spun at home even on a cotton-growing farm4 ,the wool filling should be coarse and slack-twisted1 and on wool-growing farms or in wool-growing districts is easily produced4 ,if it is of home manufacture1 it may be spun as loosely or slackly as possible1 dyed and woven without doubling1 which will be seen to be an economy of labor4 ,the single thread1 slackly twisted1 gives a very desirable elasticity to the fabric1 because the wool fibre is not too closely bound or packed4 ,on the other hand1 if the wool as well as the warp must be bought1 it is best to get it from the spinning machine in its first state of the single thread1 and do the doubling and twisting at home4 ,in this case it can be doubled as many or as few times as it is thought best1 and twisted as little as possible4 ,the next and most important thing is colour1 and it is a great advantage if the dyeing can be done at home4 ,there is a strong and well-founded preference among art producers in favor of vegetable dyes1 and yet it is possible to use certain of the aniline colours1 especially in combination1 in safe and satisfactory ways4 ,every one who undertakes domestic weaving must know how to dye one or two good colours--black1 of course1 and the half-black or gray which a good colourist of my acquaintance calls light black2 indigo blue equally1 of course1 in three shades of very dark1 medium and light2 and red in two shades of dark and light4 ,here are seven shades from the three dyes1 and when we add white we see that the weaver is already very well equipped with a variety of colour4 ,the eight shades can be still further enlarged by clouding and mixing4 ,the mixing can be done in two ways1 either by carding two tints together before spinning1 or by twisting them together when spun4 ,carding together gives a very much better effect in wool1 while twisting together is preferable in cotton4 ,dark blue and white or medium blue and white wool carded together will give two blue-grays1 which cannot be obtained by dyeing1 and are most valuable4 ,white and red carded together give a lovely pink1 and any shade of gray can be made by carding different proportions of black and white or half-black and white4 ,a valuable gray is made by carding black and white wool together 7and by black wool ,i mean the natural black or brownish wool of black sheep74 ,mixing of deeply dyed and white wool together in carding is1 artistically considered1 a very valuable process1 as it gives a softness of colour which it is impossible to get in any other way4 ,clouding--which is almost an indispensable process for rug centres--can be done by winding certain portions of the skeins or hanks of yarn very tightly and closely with twine before they are thrown into the dye-pot4 ,the winding must be close enough to prevent the dye penetrating to the yarn4 ,this means1 of course1 when the clouding is to be of white and another colour4 ,if it is to be of two shades of one colour1 as a light and medium blue1 the skein is first dyed a light blue1 and after drying is wound as ,i have described1 and thrown again into the dye-pot1 until the unwound portions become the darker blue which we call medium4 ,in a neighbourhood where weaving is a general industry1 it is an advantage if some one person who has a general aptitude for dyeing and experiments in colours undertakes it as a business4 ,this is on the principle that a person who does only one thing does it with more facility and better than one who works in various lines4 ,yet even when there is a neighbourhood dyer1 it is1 as ,i have said1 almost indispensable that the weaver should know how to dye one or two colours and to do it well4 ,supposing that the material1 in the shape of coarse cotton warp1 black1 red or white1 has been secured1 or that a wool filling in the colours and shades ,i have described has been prepared for weaving2 the loom is then to be warped1 at the rate of fifteen or less threads to the inch1 according to the coarseness or fineness of the filling4 ,it is well to weave a half-inch of the cotton warp for filling1 as this binds the ends more firmly than wool4 ,next to this1 a border of black and gray in alternate half-inch stripes can be woven1 and following that1 the body of the rug in dark red1 clouded with white4 ,after five feet of the red is woven1 a border end of the black and gray is added1 and the rug may be cut from the loom1 leaving about four inches of the warp at either end as a fringe4 ,if the filling yarn is of good colour1 and has been well packed in the weaving1 so as to entirely cover the warp1 the result will be a good1 attractive and durable woolen rug1 woven after the ,navajo method4 ,in this one example ,i have given the bare and simple outline by following which a weaver whose previous work has been only rag carpet weaving can manufacture a good and valuable wool rug4 ,the difference will be simply that of close warping and a substitution of wool for rags4 ,its value will be considerably increased or lessened by the choice of material both in quality and colour and the closeness and perfection of weaving4 ,the example given calls for a rug six feet long by three feet in width4 ,to make this very rug a much more important one1 it needs only to vary the size of the border4 ,for a larger rug the length must be increased two feet1 and the border1 which in this case must be of plain or mixed black--that is1 it must not be alternated with stripes of gray--must measure one foot at either end4 ,when this is complete1 two narrow strips one foot in width1 woven with mixed black filling1 must be sewed on either side1 making a rug eight feet long and five in width4 ,it is not a disadvantage to have this border strip sewn1 instead of being woven as a part of the centre4 ,many of the cheaper ,oriental weavings are put together in this way1 and as many of the older house-looms will only weave a three-foot width1 it is well to know that that need not prevent the production of rugs of considerable size4 ,endless variations of this very simple yarn rug can be made with variation in size as well as in colour4 ,two breadths and two borders1 the breadths three feet in width and the borders one foot and six inches1 will give a breadth of nine feet1 which with a corresponding length will give a rug which will sufficiently cover the floor of an ordinary room4 ,if the centre is skilfully mottled and shaded1 it will make a floor spread of beautiful colour1 and one which could hardly be found in shops4 ,illustration3 ,,isle ,,la ,,motte ,,rug ,the border can be made brighter1 as well as firmer and stiffer1 by using two filling threads together--a red and a black2 or an alternate use of red and black1 using two shuttles1 will give a lighter and better effect than when black is used exclusively4 ,after size and weight--or1 to speak comprehensively1 quality--is secured in this kind of simple weaving1 the next most important thing is colour4 ,of course the colour must be absolutely fast1 but ,i have shown how much variety can be made by shading and mixing of three fast colours1 and much more subtle and artistic effects can be produced by weaving alternate threads of different colours4 ,indeed1 the effects obtained by using alternate threads can be varied to almost any extent2 as1 for instance1 a blue and yellow thread--provided the blue is no deeper than the yellow--will give the effect of green to the eye4 ,if the blue is stronger or deeper1 as it will almost necessarily be1 it will be modified and softened into a greenish blue4 ,red and white woven in alternate threads upon a white warp will give an effect of pink1 and with this colour for a centre the border should be a good gray4 ,of course1 alternate throwing of different coloured yarns makes the weaving go more slowly than when one alone is used1 and something of the same colour effect can be produced by doubling1 instead of alternating4 ,it is1 of course1 not quite the same1 as one colour may show either under or over the other1 and the effect is apt to be mottled instead of one of uniform stripes4 ,the end in view in all these mixtures is variation and liveliness of colour1 not an effect of stripes or spots2 indeed1 these are very objectionable1 especially when in contrasted or different colors4 ,a deepening or lightening of the same colour in irregular patches1 as will occur in clouded yarns1 gives interest1 whereas if these cloudings were in strongly contrasted colours they would be crude and unrestful4 ,for this reason1 if for no other1 it is well to work in few tints1 and use contrasting colours only for borders4 ,to show how much variety is possible in weaving with the few dyes ,i have named1 ,i will give a number of combinations which will produce good results and be apt to harmonize with ordinary furnishing4 ,by adding orange yellow1 which is also one of the simplest and safest of dyes1 we secure by mixture with blue a mottled green1 and this completes a range of colour which really leaves nothing to be desired4 ,no4 #a4 ,colours black and red4 ,border1 alternate stripes of black and dark red1 as follows3 ,first stripe of black1 one and a half inches2 second stripe of red1 one inch2 third stripe of black1 one inch2 fourth stripe of red1 one-half inch2 fifth stripe of black1 three-quarters inch2 sixth stripe of red1 one-half inch2 seventh stripe of black1 half-inch2 centre of light red clouded with dark red2 reversed border4 ,no4 #b4 ,colours black and red4 ,border one foot in depth1 of black and red threads woven alternately4 ,centre dark red1 clouded with light red4 ,woven six feet1 with one-foot border at sides as well as ends4 ,no4 #c4 ,colours red and white4 ,border seven inches of plain red4 ,centre of red and white woven alternately4 ,no4 #d4 ,colours red and black4 ,border black and red1 threads woven alternately1 one foot in depth2 centre of alternate stripes1 two inches in width1 of dark red and light red2 eight feet in length1 with foot-wide side borders1 woven with alternate threads of red and black4 ,no4 #e4 ,colours red and black4 ,border eighteen inches in depth1 of alternate red and black1 half-inch stripes4 ,centre of dark red1 clouded with light4 ,no4 #f4 ,colours gray1 red and white1 to be woven of doubled1 slightly twisted threads4 ,border one foot in depth at ends and sides1 woven of red and gray yarn twisted together4 ,centre of red and white yarn in twisted threads4 ,no4 #g4 ,colours red and white4 ,border of plain red1 twenty inches in depth4 ,centre in alternate half-inch stripes of red and white4 ,no4 #h4 ,colours blue1 red and black4 ,border four inches deep of black1 two inches of plain red1 one inch of black4 ,centre of clouded blue4 ,no4 #i4 ,colour blue4 ,border eight inches of darkest blue4 ,centre of clouded medium and light blue4 ,no4 #aj4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border of very dark and medium blue woven together4 ,centre of blue and white yarn woven together4 ,no4 #aa4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border of medium plain blue4 ,centre of blue1 clouded with white4 ,no4 #ab4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border of medium blue4 ,centre of alternate stripes of one inch width blue1 and half-inch white stripes4 ,no4 #ac4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border twelve inches deep of dark blue1 clouded with medium4 ,centre of alternate threads of medium blue and white4 ,no4 #ad4 ,colours blue1 black and orange yellow4 ,border eight inches deep of black1 one inch of orange1 two of black4 ,centre1 alternate threads of blue and orange4 ,no4 #ae4 ,border of doubled threads of dark blue and orange4 ,centre of alternate stripes of inch wide light blue and orange woven together1 one-half inch stripes of clear orange and white woven together4 ,in the examples ,i have given1 wherever doubled threads of different colours woven together are used1 it must be understood that they are to be slightly twisted1 and that the warping for double-filling rugs need not be as close as for single filling4 ,twelve threads to the inch would be better than fifteen1 and perhaps ten or eleven would be still better4 ,doubled yarn of different colours produces a mottled or broken effect1 and this can often be done where the colours of the yarns do not quite satisfy the weaver4 ,if they are too dull1 twisting them slackly with a very brilliant tint will give a better shade than if the original tint was satisfactory1 but in the same way yarns which are too brilliant can often be made soft and effective by twisting them together with a paler tint4 ,minute particles of colour brought together in this way are brilliant without crudeness4 ,it is1 in fact1 the very principle upon which impressionist painters work1 giving pure colour instead of mixed1 but in such minute and broken bits that the eye confounds them with surrounding colour1 getting at the same time the double impression of softness and vivacity4 ,these examples of fifteen different rugs which can be woven from the three tints of blue1 red and orange1 together with black and white1 do not by any means exhaust the possibilities of variety which can be obtained from three tints4 ,each rug will give a suggestion for the next1 and each may be an improvement upon its predecessor4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,cotton ,,rugs4 ,the warp-covered weaving which ,i have described in a previous chapter as being the simplest and best method for woolen rugs1 is equally applicable to cotton weaving4 ,it is1 in fact1 the one used in making the cotton rugs woven in prisons in ,india1 and which in consequence are known as prison rugs4 ,they are generally woven in stripes of dark and light shades of indigo blue and measure about four by eight feet4 ,they are greatly used by ,english residents in ,india1 being much better adapted to life in a hot climate than the more costly ,indian and ,persian rugs1 which supply the world-demand for floor coverings4 ,in our own summer climate and chintz-furnished summer cottages they would be an extremely appropriate and economical covering for floors4 ,the warp is like that of the ,navajo blanket1 a heavy cotton cord1 the filling or woof of many doubled fine cotton threads1 which quite cover the heavy warp1 and give the ridged effect of a coarse rep4 ,as ,i have said1 they are woven almost invariably in horizontal stripes of two blues1 or blue and white1 with darker ends and a warp fringe4 ,simple as they are and indeed must be1 as they are the result of unskilled labour1 they are pleasant to look at1 and have many virtues not dependent upon looks4 ,they are warm and pleasant to unshod feet1 and therefore suitable for bedroom use4 ,they are soft to shoe tread1 and give colour and comfort to a summer piazza4 ,they can be hung as portieres in draughty places with a certainty of shelter1 and can be lifted and thrown upon the grass to be washed by the downpour of a thunder shower1 and left to dry in the sun without detriment to colour or quality4 ,surely this is a goodly list of virtues1 and the sum of them is by no means exhausted4 ,their durability is surprising2 and they can be sewn together and stretched upon large floors with excellent colour effect4 ,they can be turned or moved from room to room and place to place with a facility which makes them more than useful4 ,the manufacture is so simple that a child might weave them1 while at the same time1 by a skilful use of colour and good arrangement of border1 they can be made to fit the needs of the most luxurious as well as the simplest summer cottage4 ,in short1 they are capable of infinite variation and improvement1 without departure from the simple method of the prison rug4 ,of course the variation must be in colour and the arrangement of colour2 and in studying this possible improvement it must be remembered that cotton will neither take nor hold dyes as readily as wool or silk1 and that certain dyes which are very tenacious in their hold upon animal fibre cannot be depended upon when applied to vegetable fibre4 ,there are1 however1 certain dyes upon which we can safely rely4 ,indigo blue1 and the red used in dyeing what is called ,turkey red1 are reliable in application to both wool and cotton1 and are water and sun proof as well4 ,walnut and butternut stains will give fast shades of brown and yellow1 and in addition there is also the buff or nankeen-coloured cotton1 the natural tint of which combines well with brown and blue4 ,in giving directions for rug colourings in cottons1 ,i shall confine myself to the use of black1 white1 blue and red1 because these colours are easily procurable1 and also because rugs manufactured from them will fit the style of furnishing which demands cotton rugs4 ,the examples ,i shall give call for graduated dyeing1 especially in the two tints of red and blue4 ,any one expecting to succeed in rug weaving must be able to procure or produce from two to three planes of colour1 as well as two mixtures in each4 ,these would be as follows3 ,in blue3--#ast1 dark blue2 #b;d1 medium blue2 #c;d1 light blue4 ,after these three tints are secure1 three variations of blue can be made by knotting the skeins more or less closely and throwing medium1 light blue and white together into the dye-tub4 ,here they must remain until the white skeins show an outside of light blue2 the light blue skeins are apparently changed to medium1 and the medium to dark4 ,when they are untied and dried they will show three clouded mixtures3 #ast1 the medium blue clouded with dark2 #b;d1 light blue clouded with medium blue2 #c;d1 white1 clouded with light blue4 ,here we have six variations of the one tint4 ,red can be treated in the same way1 except that a rather light and a very dark red are all that can be counted upon safely as plain tints4 ,a very light red will not hold4 ,therefore we have in reds3--#ast1 dark red2 #b;d1 light red2 #c;d1 light red1 clouded with dark2 #dth1 white1 clouded with light red4 ,this gives ten shades in these two tints1 and when we add the variations which seem to come of themselves in dyeing1 variations which are by no means subject to rule1 we shall see that with these two1 and black and white1 we are very well equipped4 ,the more irregular the clouding1 the better the results4 ,the yarn may be made into large double knots1 or small single ones1 or into more or less tightly wound balls or bundles1 and each will have its own special and peculiar effect4 ,perhaps it is well to say that in clouding upon white the colours should be kept as light as is consistent with the tenacity of tint4 ,after clouding1 still another process in cotton mixtures is possible1 and this is in doubling and twisting1 which has the effect of darkening or lightening any tint at will1 as well as of giving a mottled instead of a plain surface4 ,having secured variety by these various expedients1 the next step is to make harmonious and well-balanced combinations1 and this is quite as important1 or even more so1 as mere variety4 ,there is one very simple and useful rule in colour arrangements1 and this is to make one tint largely predominant4 ,if it is to be a blue rug1 or a pink1 or a white one1 use other colours only to emphasize the predominant one1 as1 for instance1 a blue rug may be emphasized by a border of red and black2 or a red rug by a border of black and white1 or black and yellow4 ,the border should always be stronger--that is darker or deeper in colour--than the centre1 even when the same colour is used throughout1 as in a light red rug1 with dark1 almost claret-red ends1 or a medium blue rug with very dark blue ends4 ,white1 however1 can often be used in borders of rather dark rugs in alternation with black or any dark colour1 because its total absence of tint makes it strong and distinct1 and gives it force in marking a limit4 ,one successful combination of colours will suggest others1 and the weaver who has taken pains to provide herself with a variety of shades1 and will follow the rules of proportion1 will be at no loss in laying out the plan of her weavings4 ,the examples for fifteen weavings given in the paper on wool rugs are equally available in cotton4 ,i will1 however1 add a few variations especially adapted for cotton rugs3 ,no4 #a4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border six inches of plain dark blue4 ,six inches of alternate half-inch stripes of dark blue and white4 ,four to five feet of clouded blue1 border repeated1 with four inches of warp fringe as a finish4 ,no4 #b4 ,colours blue and white4 ,border eight inches wide of plain medium blue4 ,centre1 six feet of light blue1 clouded with medium4 ,two side borders eight inches wide2 finish of white warp fringe4 ,no4 #c4 ,colours black1 white and red4 ,border twelve inches of alternate half-inch stripes of black and white4 ,centre1 four feet of light red1 clouded with dark4 ,repeat border1 and finish with warp fringe4 ,no4 #d4 ,colours red and white4 ,border1 twelve inches of dark and light red1 in twisted double thread4 ,centre1 light red and white twisted double thread4 ,repeat border and finish with four-inch fringe4 ,no4 #e4 ,colours butternut-brown1 walnut-yellow1 red1 and white4 ,border of six inches of brown and yellow1 twisted together4 ,centre1 five feet of light red and white1 twisted together4 ,repeat border1 and finish with fringe4 ,no4 #f4 ,colours brown1 blue1 and clouded-white4 ,border1 half-inch stripes of medium blue and brown alternated for six inches4 ,centre1 five feet of light blue1 clouded with medium4 ,repeat border and finish with warp fringe4 ,these six examples may be varied to any extent by the use of clouded1 plain or mixed centres4 ,borders1 as a rule1 should be woven of unclouded colours4 ,a natural development of the cotton rug would be the weaving of coarse cotton yarns into piece lengths which could be cut and sewn like ingrain carpet1 or like the fine cotton-warped mattings which have been so popular of late years4 ,they would have the advantage over grass-weavings in durability1 ease of handling and liveliness of effect4 ,indeed1 the latter consideration is of great importance1 as cotton carpets can be woven to harmonize with the chintzes and cottons which are so much used in summer furnishings4 ,this is especially true of indigo-blue floor covering1 since so few things are absolutely perfect as an adjunct to the blue chambrays1 striped awning-cloths1 denims1 and ,india prints so constantly and effectively used in draperies4 ,indeed1 such excellent art in design has been devoted to blue prints1 both foreign and domestic1 that one can safely reckon upon their prolonged use1 and this being taken for granted1 it is well to extend the weaving of mixtures of white and blue indefinitely4 ,although the warp-covered method described for woolen and cotton rug weaving can very well be used for carpets1 the still simpler one of the alternate thread1 or basket-weaving1 when warp and filling are of equal weight and size1 can be made to answer the purpose quite as well4 ,in fact1 there is a certain advantage in the latter method1 since it makes the warp a factor in the arrangement of colour4 ,it is necessary in this style of weaving that the filling should be a hand-twisted thread of the same weight and size as the warp1 and of a lighter or darker shade of the same colour4 ,if the warp is dark1 the filling may be light1 or the reverse4 ,it should be warped at the rate of about twenty-four threads to the inch4 ,in this kind of weaving the colours must be plain--that is1 unclouded--as the variation is obtained by the different shades of warp and filling4 ,still another variation is made by using a closer warp of thirty threads to the inch and a large soft vari-colour filling which will show between the warp threads with a peculiar watered or vibratory effect4 ,a light red warp1 with a very loosely twisted filling of black and white1 or a medium blue warp with a black and orange filling1 will give extremely good results4 ,illustration3 ,,greek ,,border ,,in ,,red ,,or ,,black ,illustration3 ,,braided ,,fringe ,illustration3 ,,diamond ,,border ,,in ,,red ,,or ,,black ,what ,i have said thus far as to the weaving of woolen and cotton rugs1 and of cotton carpets1 gives practical directions for artistic results to women who understand the use of the loom in very simple weaving4 ,of course1 more difficult things can be done even with ordinary looms1 as any one who has examined the elaborate blue-and-white spreads our grandmothers wove upon the cumbrous house-loom of that period can testify4 ,in fact1 the degree of skill required in the weaving of these precious heirlooms would be quite sufficient for the production of rugs adapted to very exacting purchasers4 ,perhaps it is as well to add that the directions given in this and the preceding chapter for rug weaving are designed not only or exclusively for weavers1 but also for club women who are so situated as to have access to and influence in farming or weaving neighbourhoods4 ,home manufactures1 guided by women of culture and means1 would have the advantage not only of refinement of taste1 but of a certainty of aim4 ,women know what women like1 and as they are the final purchasers of all household furnishings1 they are not apt to encourage the making of things for which there is no demand4 ,i am often asked the question1 ,how are all of these homespun and home-woven things to be disposed of8 ,to this ,i answer that the first effort of the promoters or originators must be--to fit them for an existing demand4 ,there is no doubt of the genuineness of a demand for special domestic weavings4 ,any neighbourhood or combination of women known to be able to furnish such articles to the public would find the want far in excess of the supply1 simply because undirected or commercial manufactures cannot fit personal wants as perfectly as special things can do4 ,it must be remembered1 also1 that the interchange of news between bodies of women interested in industrial art will be a very potent factor in the creation of a market for any domestic specialty4 ,in fact1 it is in response to a demand that these articles upon home-weavings have been prepared1 and a demand for technical instruction presupposes an interest in the result4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,linsey ,,woolsey4 ,it has often been given as a reason for the discontinuance of home weaving1 that no product of the hand loom can be as exact or as cheap as that of the power loom4 ,the statement as to cost and quality is true1 but so far from being a discouraging one1 it gives actual reasons for the continuance of domestic weavings4 ,the very fact that homespun textiles are not exact--in the sense of absolute sameness--and not cheap1 in the sense of first cost1 is apt to be a reason for buying them4 ,hand-weaving1 like handwriting1 is individual1 and this is a virtue instead of a defect1 since it gives the variety which satisfies some mystery of human liking1 a preference for inequality rather than monotonous excellence4 ,every hand-woven web differs from every other one in certain characteristics which are stamped upon it by the weaver1 and we value these differences4 ,in fact1 this very trace of human individuality is the initial charm belonging to all art industries1 and even if we discount this advantage1 and reckon only money cost and money value1 durability must certainly count for something4 ,a thing which costs more and lasts longer is as cheap as one which costs less and goes to pieces before its proper time4 ,in a long and intimate acquaintance with what are called art textiles--that is1 textiles which satisfy the eye and the imagination and fulfill more or less competently the function of use1 ,i have learned that certain very desirable qualities are more often found in home-woven than in machine-woven goods4 ,something is wanting in each of the excellent and wonderful variety of commercial manufactures which would fit it for the various decorative and art processes which modern life demands4 ,to perfectly satisfy this demand1 we should have a weaving which is not only in itself an artistic manufacture1 but which easily absorbs any additional application of art4 ,in my own mind ,i call the thing which might and does not exist1 ,the ,missing ,textile4 ,to make it entirely appropriate to our esthetic and practical needs1 the missing textile must be strong enough for every-day wear and use2 it must be capable of soft1 round folds in hanging2 and have the quality of elasticity which will prevent creasing2 and above all1 it must have beautiful and lasting colour4 ,if it can add to these qualities an adaptability to various household uses1 it will achieve success and deserve it4 ,these different qualities1 and especially the one of a natural affinity for such art-processes as colour and embroidery1 exist in none of our domestic weavings1 excepting only linsey woolsey4 ,after much study of this virtuous product of the mountain regions of our ,southern ,states ,i find it capable of great development4 ,it has two qualities which are not often co-existent1 and these are strength and flexibility2 and this is owing not only to its being hand-woven1 but also to its being a wool-filled textile--that is1 it is woven upon a cotton warp1 with a single twisted wool-filling4 ,this peculiarity of texture makes it very suitable for embroidery1 since it offers little resistance to the needle1 and yet is firm enough to prevent stitches sinking into its substance--a frequent fault with soft or loosely woven textiles4 ,the warp is generally made of what the weavers call mill yarns1 cotton yarns spun and often dyed in cotton mills2 and when the cloth is woven for women's wear it is apt to carry a striped warp of red and blue1 with a mixed filling made from spinning the wool of black sheep with a small proportion of white4 ,in searching for art textiles1 one would not find much encouragement in this particular variety of linsey woolsey1 but the unbleached1 uncoloured material which is woven for all kinds of household use1 or piece-dyed for men's wear1 is quite a different thing4 ,in its undyed state it is of a warm ivory tint1 which makes a beautiful ground for printing1 and in my first acquaintance with it1 which was made through the women commissioners from ,kentucky1 ,tennessee and ,georgia during the ,columbian ,exposition1 ,i made some most interesting experiments in block printing upon this natural background4 ,one can hardly expect that linsey woolsey will come into frequent or common use as a printed textile1 since the two processes of hand-weaving and block-printing are not natural neighbours1 but this capacity for taking and holding stains is of great value in embroidery1 since it enables an artistic embroiderer to produce excellent effects with comparatively little labour4 ,a clever needlewoman1 working upon a fabric which takes kindly to stains1 can apply colour in many large spaces and inter-spaces in her design which would otherwise have to be covered with stitchery1 and in this way--which is a perfectly accepted and legitimate one--she gains an effect which would otherwise be costly and laborious4 ,from the composite nature of this domestic fabric1 its cross-weaving of animal and vegetable fibre1 it takes colour irregularly4 ,every cross-thread of wool is deeper in tone than the cotton thread it crosses1 and this gives the quality which artists call vivacity or vibration4 ,linsey woolsey even when piece-dyed has something of this effect1 and judicious and artistic colour treatment would complete its claims to be considered an art textile4 ,it is not to be supposed that the weavers themselves can work out this problem4 ,it will need the direction and encouragement of educated and artistic women4 ,taking the fabric just as it exists1 it is ready for the finer domestic processes learned by the women of the ,south during the hard years of the ,civil ,war4 ,the clever expedients of stitchery1 the ways in which they varied their simple home-manufactures1 and above all the knowledge gained of domestic colouring1 will be of inestimable value in the direction of artistic industries4 ,in truth1 ,southern women have ways of staining and dyeing and producing beautiful colour quite unknown to other ,american women4 ,they know how to get different grays and purples and black from logwood1 and golden and dark brown from walnut bark1 and all the shades of blue possible to indigo2 and yellow-reds from madder1 and rose-red and crimson from pokeberry1 and one yellow from pumpkin and another from goldenrod2 and they are clever enough to find mordants for all these dyes and stains1 and make them indelible4 ,it needs exactly the conjunction which we find in the ,south1 of facile home-weaving1 knowledge and practice of experimental dyeing1 and love of practical art1 to develop true art fabrics4 ,to show what linsey woolsey is capable of1 ,i will instance a material woven in ,india in thin woolen strips of about twelve inches in width4 ,it is what we should call a sleazy material to begin with4 ,the strips of different colours are sewn1 and very badly sewn1 together1 and they are also badly woven4 ,too flimsy for actual wear1 they are simply admirable vehicles for colour1 and to this quality alone they owe their popularity and importance4 ,after being sewn together1 the strips are generally embroidered in a rough way1 with a constantly repeating figure on each breadth4 ,the colour is certainly beautiful1 a contrast of soft blues1 and a selection of unapproachable browns--yellow-browns1 red-browns1 green-browns and gold-browns1 with yellows of all shades1 and whites of all tints1 and this colour-beauty gives them a place as portieres and curtains where they do not belong by intrinsic or constitutional worth4 ,if one was intent only upon producing an imitation of the ,bagdad curtains in linsey woolsey1 it would be easy to weave narrow lengths of various colours1 and by choosing those which were good contrasts or harmonies1 and embroidering them together with buttonhole-stitch1 or cat-stitch1 or any ornamental stitch1 to get something very like them in effect and far better in quality4 ,but it should be the aim of domestic manufacture to do something which is distinctive1 and therefore it would be better to start with the intention of producing the effect in one's own way4 ,this could be done by weaving the cloth in full width 7which should1 if possible1 be four feet71 depending entirely upon the warp threads for colour4 ,this1 it may be remembered1 is already one of the means of variation applied to linsey woolsey in weaving homespun dress goods2 but in this case it must be carefully chosen art-effort1 using colours which are in themselves beautiful4 ,in depending upon the warp alone for colour the fact must be kept in mind that it will be much obscured by the over-weaving of the wool filling4 ,it will be necessary1 therefore1 to use far stronger colours than if they were to stand unmixed or unobscured4 ,vivid blue1 strong orange1 flaming red and gold-brown could be used in the warp in stripes of about ten inches in width1 with two inches of dead black on the sides and between each colour4 ,the filling must be of one pale tint1 either an ivory white or lemon yellow1 or a very pale spring green woven over all4 ,this would modify the violence of colour1 giving an effect like hoar frost over autumn leaves4 ,as a simple weaving this would have a beautiful effect1 but when a coarse orange-coloured silk embroidery1 consisting of a waved stem and alternate leaves1 is carried down the centre of each black stripe1 the simple length of linsey woolsey is transformed into what would be called a very ,eastern-looking and valuable embroidery4 ,this is just one of its possible and easily possible adaptations for portieres and hangings4 ,quite another and perhaps equally popular one would be cross-colour upon a tinted warp4 ,in this case the warp might be ivory white1 yellow1 light green1 or even for darker effects1 claret red1 dark blue1 dark green1 or black4 ,if an ivory white or light warp colour should be chosen1 the cross-colours must be selected with special reference to the warp tint4 ,a beautiful effect for a light room would be made on an ivory-coloured warp by weaving at the top and also below the middle a series of narrow stripes like a ,roman scarf4 ,there should be a finger's depth of rose colour at the top1 and this would be obtained by a filling of light red1 woven upon the ivory white warp4 ,then should come an inch stripe of pale blue1 an inch of gold1 another inch of blue2 three inches of orange1 then the inch of blue1 the gold1 and the blue again1 and after that the rose-red for two-thirds the length of the portiere1 when the ribbon stripes should again occur1 after which the remaining third should be woven with a deeper red or a pale green4 ,such a portiere would not require embroidery to complete its effect1 for if the tints were pure as well as delicate1 it would be a lovely piece of colour in itself4 ,this variety or style of hanging would have the advantage of throwing the burden of colour upon the wool1 and as the animal fibre is apt to be more tenacious in its hold upon colour than vegetable1 the question of fading would not have to be considered4 ,these two varieties of artistic homespun can by experiment be made to cover a great deal that is beautiful and artistic in manufacture1 and yet it leaves untouched the extensive field of plain piece-dyed or yarn-dyed weavings4 ,yarn-dyed material always has the advantage of the possible use of two colours1 one in the warp and one in the filling1 but in certain places1 as in upholstery1 a solid colour produced by piece-dyeing would be preferable4 ,linsey woolsey dyed in fast and attractive colour would undoubtedly be a good material for upholstery of simple furniture1 because of its strength and durability1 but it seems to me its chief mission and probable future is to supply an exceptional art textile2 one which has the firmness and flexibility belonging to hand-woven stuffs1 and can be at the same time beautiful in colour1 capable of hard wear and reasonably inexpensive4 ,i am tempted to modify the last qualification1 because no hand-woven goods ought to be or can be inexpensive1 in comparison with those manufactured under every condition of competitive economy4 ,and in truth1 domestic weavings are sure of their market at paying prices1 simply because they are what they are1 hand products4 ,i have shown in a limited way some of the possibilities of artistic hand-weaving without touching upon cotton or flax diapers and damasks1 since these cannot readily compete with power-weavings1 but ,i have not spoken of the difference it would make in the lives of the mountain weavers of the ,south if their horizon could be widened by the introduction of art industries4 ,only those who know the joy and compensation of producing things of beauty can realize the change it might work in lives which have been for generations narrowed to merely physical wants2 but there are many gifted ,southern women who do fully realize it1 and we may safely leave to them the introduction and encouragement of art in domestic manufactures4 ,,neighbourhood ,,industries ,,after-,,word ,i am often asked by women who are interested in domestic manufactures1 how one should go to work to build up a profitable neighbourhood industry4 ,to do this one must know the place and people1 for anxious as most country women are to earn something outside of farm profits1 they are both timid and cautious1 and will not follow advice from unpractical people or from strangers4 ,in every farming community there will be one or two ingenious or ambitious women who do something which is not general1 and which they would gladly turn to account4 ,one woman may be a skilled knitter of tidies1 or laces1 or rag mats2 another may pull rags through burlap1 and so construct a thick and rather luxurious-looking door-mat2 another may have an old-fashioned loom and weave carpets for all the neighbourhood2 and each one of these simple arts is a foundation upon which an industry may be built1 important to the neighbourhood1 and in the aggregate to the country4 ,the city woman or club woman who wishes to become a link between these things and a purchaser must begin by improving or adapting them4 ,she must show the knitter of tidies an imported golf stocking with all of the latest stitches and stripes and fads1 and if the yarn can be had1 undoubtedly the tidy-knitter can make exactly such another4 ,when a good pair has been produced1 the city friend will not have to look far among her town acquaintances for a golf fiend1 even if she herself is not one1 and to him or her she must show the stocking and expatiate upon its merits3 ,that it is not machine-made1 but hand-knit2 that it is thicker1 softer1 made of better material than woven ones1 and above all1 not to be found in any shop1 but must be ordered from a particular woman who is a phenomenal knitter4 ,all of which will be true1 and equally so when the demand has increased and it has become a neighbourhood industry4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lucy ,,rug ,a golf player hardly need be told how to create a demand for hand-knit stockings1 or how to assist the knitter by advice1 both in the improvement and disposal of her wares2 but it should be a veritable golf player and not a philanthropic amateur4 ,it is the same with other industries4 ,the adviser must study them1 improve them1 adapt them1 and find the first market1 after which they will sell upon their own merits4 ,as far as ,i know1 nothing has been done in the way of improvement of knitted mats or rugs1 although a very beautiful manufacture has been founded upon the method of pulling rags through burlap4 ,knitted rugs have much to recommend them4 ,they can be made of all sorts of pieces1 even the smallest2 they wear well1 and can easily be made beautiful4 ,the building up of a rag carpet or rag rug industry is a much simpler matter1 because the demand exists everywhere for cheap1 durable and well-coloured floor covering4 ,in my own experience ,i have found that the thing chiefly necessary is to teach the weavers that the colour must be pleasing and permanent1 and to put them in communication with sources of supply of rags and warp4 ,the rugs sell themselves1 and probably will continue to do so4 ,the thing to remember when one wishes to be of use to their own and other communities1 is that they must be sure of a commercial basis for the products before they encourage more than one person to begin a manufacture1 and that the demand must be in advance of a full supply4 ,kindly and cultivated women who wish to be of real use to their summer neighbours will find this a true mission4 ,their lives lie within the current of demand1 while the country woman lives within that of supply1 and it is much easier for the city woman to bridge the space between than for her working neighbour4 ,all good and well-founded industries take care of themselves in time1 but until the merchant finds them out1 and interposes the wedge of personal profit between things and their market--inciting and encouraging both--it seems to be the business of women in every lot of life to help each other4