A rosepath rag rug puts beauty under our toes. Strange? Yes, strangely wonderful. Let’s fill our homes with handmade goodies. Let’s make smiles happen in every corner. Let’s be different and make a difference. Live with beauty underfoot.
Three of these rugs have already gone to their new homes. (See Tied Up in Knots.) The remaining three rugs bring outdoor garden beauty indoors.
From bottom to top: Planting Seeds, Prayer Garden, Mystery Garden.
Come with me now to review the process of making these six rosepath rag rugs.
As Shelter in Place becomes a necessity for many, consider these words of encouragement from the book of Psalms: For He [the Lord] will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity. Psalm 27:5a
Every time you cut off a warp there is more to do before the woven material is ready for its end purpose. Do you enjoy tying knots? And, hemming rugs by hand? I don’t mind completing these final steps. It’s part of the whole weaving process. Three of the six rosepath rag rugs are now finished. Truly finished.
Six rosepath rag rugs. Rugs are cut apart and warping-slat dividers have been removed.
Tying the warp ends in overhand knots permanently secures the weft. These knots won’t work loose. I turn the hem, concealing the knots; and stitch the hem down. After I sew on my label, the work is complete.
Warpends are tied into overhand knots, four ends at a time.Ends are trimmed to 1 inch.Hem is folded under and pressed. The needle catches a warp end from the fold and a warp end from the body of the rug. Rug warp is used as thread for hemming.
Jesus famously said, “It is finished,” when he was on the cross. His completed good work replaces our work of trying to be good enough, trying to fix everything, trying to control our lives. Our knots won’t hold. We can trust that his finished work will never be undone. God loves you. Trusting him is loving him back.
One completed rug, named “Treasures,” for my neighbor’s home.Pair of completed rugs, named “Blessed Assurance,” for another neighbor’s home.
Welcome to my weaving studio, which doubles as our home, I said, as they walked up to the front door. Our luncheon guests were introduced to the weaving environment of the Texas hill country home that Steve and I enjoy. Our time together was refreshing, filled with lively conversation over a home-cooked meal, complete with discussions about looms, threads, and like-minded pleasures.
Steve and I enjoy lunch with honored guest, Joanne Hall, and a few members of the San Antonio Handweavers Guild. Karen, Janis, Joanne Hall, Henriette, Vesna, and Cindy.
Six rosepath rag rugs encompass the cloth beam, with the back tie-on bar just inches behind the heddles. It seems only fitting that the woman who gave me my first rosepath rag-weaving experience should be given the cherished scissors for this momentous occasion. Joanne, will you do us the honor of cutting off? I couldn’t have wished for a happier ending of this warp.
Joanne Hall, ready to cut off the rag rugs.Cutting off.Unrolling rugs from the cloth beam.Six new rosepath rag rugs, ready for finishing.
We all have wishes, some of which we make public, and some remain as closely-held secrets. It’s those deep wishes that make us who we are. God knows your name. He knows your deep desires. One day, all our secret wishes will be rolled out like a stretch of rag rugs for the Maker to examine. Amazingly, he offers grace to cover the wrongs. And He embroiders his Name on the hand-crafted souls that belong to him.
May your cloth beam keep filling up with deep-hearted wishes.
This fifth rag rug on the warp has the same classic rosepath design as the others. This rug, however, has rosepath as a whispered hint instead of the usual bold statement. Colorful beauty? Yes. Yet, it’s quiet. Restful.
Hints of rosepath pattern.Design plan sits nearby for reference as I weave.
The rosepath pattern is fully present, but soft-spoken. In the pattern areas, there is only slight contrast between the pattern weft and ground weave weft. The print fabric that is used for some of the pattern weft leaves spots of color, which also helps to blend the pattern into the background. The hint of a pattern makes you take a second look to see what is really there.
Winnie the Pooh fabric is used for some of the ground weaveweft.Texture of the raised rosepath pattern is clearly seen from the edge.
A restful person is like that, making us want to take a second look to see what’s behind that demeanor. Rest is a form of trust. Trusting God’s grace means believing that God will give us what we need. And that brings rest, the kind that is on the inside. Deep inside, where the pattern of grace is fully present, our being is transformed. And whatever is on the inside will show on the outside. Colorful beauty? Yes; and quiet, too. Restful.
I desperately want to unroll this tapestry so we can see the whole thing. The tapestry and its linen header are finished. But it’s not quite time to cut it off. First, I am weaving the rest of this beautiful linen warp. Not another tapestry, just a lacey rosepath weave using a tomato orange 6/1 tow linen weft.
With one more row of wool weft this tapestry is completed. Ten picks of linen in a plain-weaveheader follow. After that, a few rows of wool weft (leftover butterflies) are woven to secure the weft.Hemstitching secures the weft for this lacey weave.
It won’t take much time to weave this off, especially compared to the slower process of weaving the tapestry. Hemstitching, which does take time, will help keep this loosely-woven piece from unraveling when the warp is finally cut off. Soon enough, we will enjoy the full view of the completed Siblings tapestry.
View of the messy underside of the tapestry.Only a short distance remains on this beautiful linen warp.
Time. We all have it. And yet none of us knows how much of it we have. How many days have we been given? We don’t know. Time is temporary. Imagine a place where time isn’t measured. That’s heaven. Our short time here is but a pilgrimage to another destination. Our trust in Jesus opens heaven’s doors. In the meantime, the Grand Weaver’s warp will be woven, and not wasted, to the very end.
May you complete your pilgrimage in the time you’ve been given.
