How many people get to have a handmade article right under their feet? You come in from the world, with your feet dusty and weary; you look down, and the rug says, “Welcome home.”
After the weaving is complete, the only thing left is finishing. For rags rugs, that means securing the warpends, and finishing the ends with fringe or stitched hems. I prefer the look of hems over fringe, so my rugs usually have turned-under hems (occasionally, I do a bound hem, but I’ll save that for another time). The hem area is woven with narrower strips (about 1/4 in. or 1/2 cm) than the rest of the rag rug, to make it less bulky for turning under, and it lays nice and flat on the floor. Ah, rosepath rag rugs, I shall truly miss seeing you on the loom!
The end is the beginning. The end of the warp means the rugs are ready to be unrolled from the cloth beam.Rosepath rag rugs being unrolled and cut from the loom. This always feels like the moment of truth: I ask myself, “How do they look?” (Note, this view is the underside of the rugs.)Step 1. An upholstery needle helps separate warp ends from the header. A clothespin keeps finished ends out of the way.Step 2. Secure the hem with square knots. Four ends at a time, pulled out of the header, are firmly tied into knots.Step 3. Trim the warp ends about 3/4 in / 2 cm from the knots.Step 4. Fold hem edge to the back side of the rug, keeping the knotted ends inside the fold. Press. Fold again to complete the turned hem. Press.Step 5. Stitch close to the fold of the hem. Stitch the side edges of the hem closed. Be sure to use sewing thread in the needle that matches the underside of the rug, and bobbin thread that matches the top of the rug.Rosepath rag rug, hemmed and ready, with the look of a breath of fresh air.Let’s call this one the “Welcome Home” rug. We’d love to have you stay a while.
May weary feet find your home to be a welcoming place.
