Do you know how easy it is to finish the ends of a rag rug that you plan to hem? You cannot trust a sewing machine to do the job. Neither a zig-zag stitch nor a serged edge adequately catches all the ends, as they do for other handwoven items. Hand-tied knots will ensure that your rug endures the test of time.
Rag rug is cut off the Glimåkra Standard loom. A warp thread header (1 cm) is woven at both ends of the rug, and about 5 cm of scrap header (scrap fabric strips) is woven outside of that. The scrap header helps keep the rug from unravelling when it is removed from the loom.
The following video details the few simple steps needed to prepare your rag rug for hemming.
Weaving rosepath is not difficult, but it requires concentration. Similar to overshot, this rosepath is woven over a plain weaveground, meaning alternating wefts that keep me on my toes. Exactly the kind of fascinating weaving experience that I love!
Low contrast in colors makes a subtle rosepath pattern. The black and brown dashes are formed by using just one of the pattern treadles.
I like to weave when I have things on my mind, when there are issues to think through. I give full attention to the weaving–placing weft, stepping on treadles, and staying mindful of the pattern. Creative energy at its best. When I get immersed in what’s happening on the loom, the storms of life take a back seat. They don’t go away, but they seem to fade for the time being.
Life brings storms. When my refuge is God in times of trouble, and when I turn to Him for strength, fear blows away. We have a shelter in the storm. A place to come in from the weather outside and rest. It’s like sitting at the loom, only better. It’s sinking into the arms of a loving Father.
I wasn’t happy with a simple “X” for the design area, but I struggled to come up with something better for this rug. And then, Steve and I went to the symphony. There, on the floor, in the long hallway, was the inspiration I needed for the pattern design on this rug!
Design inspiration is found on the floor on the way to the symphony.
Despite all that went wrong from the start, and how many things I had to undo and do over, I must tell you that I really did enjoy weaving this rug. The rya knots and loops made it fun and interesting. And this unique fluffy rug will always remind me of that sweet symphony date with my honey, when he patiently waited as I pulled out my iPhone to snap a few shots of the floor. Now that’s love.
Counting warpends on the warping reel.Dressing the loom starts with pre-sleying the reed.Ski shuttle holds doubled weft–fabric cut into 3/4″-wide strips.Three different lengths of fabric strips are used for making the rya knots.Adding more rya knots.Loops are made with the help of a wooden dowel.Brown paper cartoon under the warp has the outline for the pattern. Lines on the cartoon, showing where to change the inlay technique, are inked onto the warp as a guide.Making loops.After weaving a sample at the very beginning, I re-sleyed the reed, spreading the warp ends further apart. Excess warp ends, because of the increased width, are chained on both sides. Future band loom warps?Don’t ask. Almost finished weaving, and another do-over happened.Cutting off! Time to celebrate!!Sculpted inlay appearance is achieved by graduated lengths of the rya strips and heights of the loops.
May your design inspiration come from unanticipated places.
I am calling this miniature rag rug experiment a success! Oh what fun to play with colorful fabric to make rosepath designs in rag rugs. This sample size is great for trying out various designs and color combinations. Pure delight for a rag rug weaver like me!
I am cutting this first “rug” off. After finishing the ends and hemming the little rug, I will see if adjustments are needed before weaving the rest of the warp. It’s the details I’m interested in–sett, weft density, finished dimensions, selvedges, design, balance of color, size of hem. All of these assessments affect my plans for the remaining warp. I am excited about weaving more of these mini rugs! I smile to think of it.
Warp is tied on and ready for weaving the next small rag rug.Favorite artisan coffee mug is right at home on the cute little rug. Finished rag rug measures 6 x 10 1/2″ / 15 x 26.5cm.
The Lord is intricately involved in the lives of those who belong to Him. He delights in details that require His guidance. It is as if the Lord is holding my hand, especially when I need guidance to navigate life’s challenges. The Lord delights in helping us. After all, what He is making is much more exciting than anything found on our looms.
May you find delightful details in the work of your hands.
There are some crazy prints embedded in my rag rugs. I buy cotton fabric in five-yard lengths. When I scan the fabric bolts at the store, I look for specific colors and interesting patterns. More prints make it into my rugs than solidcolors.
Drawn to a bolt of fabric with a touch of blue on a mostly-white background, I was surprised to find the popular sci-fi vehicles in the print. Storm Troopers can hide in plain sight on this rug.
Unusual prints can add hidden surprises to a rug. Take Star Wars prints, for example. No one will know that the Millenium Falcon or Storm Troopers are in the finished rug. After all, the fabric has been sliced into strips, and is used only intermittently as weft and inlay. But the weaver… she knows, and smiles about it. Am I a Star Wars fanatic? No, not by a long shot. I selected the fabric for its colors and effect. I wanted to make something new out of these popular movie prints.
Where are the Storm Troopers? There are a few hiding among the rya strips, and some are in the weft rows that stand out as black and white.Loops are created on the rug, using a wooden dowel. And a five-yard strip of Millenium Falcon fabric waits on the ski shuttle, ready to be hidden in the weave.
This is what our Savior does for us. Jesus takes us as we are and makes us completely new. We each come marked with unusual prints, and wonder what can be made of us. Jesus is not patching and fixing things, leaving us in our original state. He is making something completely new. Our personality and individual features are still there, for our Grand Weaver finds a way to make them into something good. Perhaps he smiles at the thought.
May your unusual prints bring a smile to your Maker.
