Rosepath Rag Rugs

I realized a few days ago that I need to do some catch-up with blog posts.  I originally started this blog to keep a record of my weaving projects.  I was finding I didn't even remember a lot of them until I ran across photos as reminders.

Tina Ignell's book, Favourite Rag Rugs, has some beautiful Scandinavian rug projects.  One that especially caught my eye was the Rosepath pattern.

I started my first one using a variety of cotton and rayon fabrics from my stash.

The light blue background fabric to the rosepaths is a sheet that I dyed using the snow dye technique.  I also used the same technique for the wider light green bands.  The pink is rayon, and after using it, I would say it wasn't the best choice, since it tends to fray easily.  The turquoise and black were a gauzy cotton.

After finishing, it went to my granddaughter Peyton for her birthday.

I was quite excited about this one.  The dark mottled stripes are from a cotton printed velveteen, the tan stripes are wide wale corduroy, sewn together with the nap in opposite directions to give a varigated look to a plain color fabric. The narrow red dotted stripes were from a striped fabric.  The rosepaths were six different colors of linen fabric with a background of a light cotton.  I was very pleased with how rich it looked when completed.  I decided to keep it, and my cats really like it too.  It is great for rolling on to get tummy rubs.

Click on the photo for an enlarged view.

This is the start of a polyester doubleknit rug being made as a gift for a friend's kitchen.  The warp will probably wear out before the weft, since that type of fabric wears like iron.

Completed using black, grey, red and white.

I have one more rug on the warp to complete, but it is at a standstill, hoping I can come up with the "right" colors for another granddaughter for a bedroom rug.

I removed two rugs off the looms today.  One was on Fanny, and the other on the Weaver's Delight.  Both were woven with the same fabrics.  I started cleaning out the old fabric stash, and found some polyester double-knit, that I already had cut into strips.  The rug on the left was woven first, on Fanny.  I had leftover strips after completing the first one, so evaluated how many strips I had left, and started designing the next rug.

The rug at right was woven on the Weaver's Delight.  I decided not to unweave and fix the two sleying errors.  I like how different the rugs can be with different colored warp and weave structure.  The above rug was threaded in a twill, and the one on the right was plain weave, threaded in a log cabin rug pattern.  I doubled the warp threads in the rust colored stripes, but the rest are threaded 12 epi.

I prepare for hemming my rugs in a couple different ways.  When I finished weaving the rug on Fanny, I spread some Tacky Glue on the last 2-3 rows of weft, and let it dry.  If you click on the photo, you can probably see it.  After the glue is dry, I can cut the rug off without worrying about it unraveling.  If I am going to immediately start weaving the next rug, I wouldn't use the glue, and would just weave a few extra rows of hem, to allow for unraveling.

I did that with the other rug, and then ran it through the serger to secure the last 2-3 weft rows.

I don't worry about the little bit of glue that gets folded into the hem.  It is water soluble, so will eventually wash out.

I fold the second part of the hem so it partially covers the first fabric pick.

I don't use sewing pins.  I have been poked too many times, so I switched to clothes pins.  Avoid buying them from the dollar store, because the spring isn't strong enough.  I found mine in my local grocery store.

Five clothes pins on each hem is plenty.  I start my hem by closing up the end, turn and stitch the hem, then close the other end.  It helps to stretch the hem while stitching.  I don't use a home machine for the hems, because I own an industrial upholstery machine.  If you have to use a home sewing machine, follow my tips to avoid breaking needles while sewing heavy fabric.  It was published on my blog on 10-20-11.

I took a little time last night and this morning to fix the sleying errors, using one of my current favorite tools.  It is a slick little sleying hook that I picked up this past spring while on my trip to go get my Weaver's Delight loom.  The blade is super thin, but strong.  I have caught myself with the hook a few times, when I wasn't being careful, and it can draw blood!

The reed hook is available from The Woolgatherers, in Wisconsin.  I'm glad that Sara, the owner, suggested it.