Tag: hem

How I Remember Woven Details

Karen

A picture works better than memory. By the time I get to the opposite end of this rug, I doubt I will remember the details of this starting hem. Technology makes it simple. This is one reason I keep my iPhone handy when I am at the loom. Click. Now I have a visual record of the hem that will do the remembering for me.

Take picture with smartphone to remember hem details.
Four picks of rug warp between hem sections gives a good edge when turning the hem under.

Some things are worth the effort to remember. Remember the good. When times are difficult, waiting to see the Lord’s goodness requires strength and courage of heart. It requires remembering the good from before. Wait for the Lord with faith–the faith that looks like courage. Faith is that picture of good that made an impression on your soul, that’s been tucked away for a while. Maybe it’s time to pull it out and remember.

May you build many good memories.

Yours Truly,
Karen

Rag Rug Tapestry

Karen

Bold striped hems and four white stripes across this rug stabilize the unpredictable design. This is the rug that uses up several remnants from my fabric stash. My main agenda was to use up fabric.

Double binding twill rag rug.
Final rug from this warp of double binding twill rag rugs. The striped hem is created by alternating picks of dark and light fabric strips.

I like rugs for the way they give the impression of a pathway. A place to put down your feet and walk. This rug does look like a path to me. Like a tapestry, this rug tells a story. I can see irregular changes of scenery. And the white stripes are like scheduled events that add structure and definition. It is good to have a path for your feet, and for your life.

Life is filled with changing seasons, and with schedules and interruptions. It isn’t always easy to see the right path. The Shepherd leads us on a path lined with goodness and mercy. These qualities are woven in. Like this double binding rug, mercy is always on the other side of goodness. And goodness backs up mercy. When these elements of kind-hearted design can be seen in our lives, though only as remnants and fragments, that is when we know we are on the right path.

May goodness and mercy follow you around.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Wear and Tear Rag Rugs

Karen

If the ends are not secured first, before hemming, the rug will unravel. Therefore, I end the weaving with ten rows of rug warp, and then three inches/eight cm of a scrap fabric header. When I cut the rug from the loom I leave four inches/ten cm of warp for tying knots.

Information for hemming rag rugs.
Walking weights hold the rug in place while I carefully remove the header and tie knots.

The header is removed little by little as I make my way across the rug, tying pairs of warp ends into square knots, and cinching them up to the edge of the rug. I trim the ends to 1/2 inch/1 cm. Next, I fold and steam press the hem. With a blunt tapestry needle and a length of warp yarn 1 1/2 times the width of the rug, I stitch the hem closed by catching the warp threads. The warp ends are fully secured and closed up in the hem. This rug will endure through years and years of wear and tear.

Tips for hand hemming rag rugs.
First I stitch the side of the hem closed, and then I stitch the hem, catching the warp ends with a blunt tapestry needle. This creates a nearly invisible hem seam, making the rug completely reversible.

Guard what you believe. It is what you believe that determines what you think, from which your behavior is formed. When beliefs are convictions, rather than mere philosophical ideas, they are firmly knotted in place, hemmed in by wisdom and truth. Nothing will unravel this cloth.

May your convictions stand the test of time.

Happy Finishing,
Karen

Hand-Hemmed Rag Rug

Karen

A good rug lasts many, many years. The finest rugs outlast their owners, being handed down as useable heirlooms, like the two aged rag rugs I have that were woven long ago by my grandmother’s neighbor. I get excited about making colorful rugs that are meant to be walked on for years and years.

Finishing rag rug warp ends before hemming.
First step after cutting the rug from the loom is pulling out scrap rag weft with a long tapestry needle, and securing warp ends by tying groups of ends into square knots. Walking weights (again!) hold the rug in place.

I am hemming this rug by hand, using 12/6 cotton seine twine rug warp and a tapestry needle. This makes a tidy hem, with nearly invisible stitching. I secure the ends of the hemming thread by weaving them back and forth into the woven hem with the tapestry needle. (Refer to Related Posts in the sidebar to see other ways I finish rug hems.)

Hand-stitched rag rug hem.
After trimming the warp ends to 1/2 inch, the hem is folded under twice and pressed. Hem is stitched down, including the selvedge sides, with short stitches in the rug warp.

Pursue truth. That means doing what it takes to find answers. It’s as simple as examining what we are walking on. What are we basing our life on? It means seeing the created and looking for the Creator. Taking a closer look at a unique rug that catches our attention, we see evidence of the weaver and the stitching hand. Discovering truth is like finding a handmade rug that is intriguing enough to put on display, yet is placed on the floor to satisfy our needs for daily living. It gives our feet a sure place to walk, and it’s worthy of being handed down for generations.

Finished double-binding twill rag rug. Karen Isenhower
Finished double-binding twill rag rug.

May you experience a satisfying walk through life in all respects.

(This rug is called “Improvisation,” and you can find it in the Warped for Good Etsy Shop.)

Weaving rugs,
Karen

No Motivation Needed

Karen

You never need to motivate me to sit at the loom, or convince me to make time for weaving. I’m not sure why I am this way, but something in me longs to make fabric. I weave nearly every day, not to be productive, but simply because I love to weave.

Nine goose-eye towels, pressed and ready to hem. Karen Isenhower
Nine new towels, with hems pressed. Each towel will have a matching hanging tab stitched into the hem.

Ten meters / eleven yards gave me nine towels and two generous samples (Just wait. Next week I will show you what I am making from the samples!). Now, I am weaving hanging tabs on the band loom to match the towels. Meanwhile, the linen dice weave is progressing nicely on the big loom, as well. I am not just a person with weaving looms. …I am a handweaver.

Band loom weaving, making hanging tabs for handwoven towels.
Short two-yard warp will weave up quickly, giving me plenty of hanging tabs for the towels, plus extra length of woven band to put in my “band stash.”

You do what is in your heart to do. The commitments you make from the heart define you. Fruit in my life reveals what is in my heart. What does good fruit look like? Unselfish generosity, showing integrity in every interaction, and treating others with respect. I want to be the kind of person that lives this way, not because I “should,” but because that is what is in my heart to do.

May your good fruit basket be full.

(These towels will show up in my Etsy Shop soon. If you have your eye on one, let me know, and I will be happy to reserve it for you.)

Have a fruitful day,
Karen