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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
April, 1906 
Weaving as an Occupation for Women 
By Mabel Tuke Priestman 
PERE KF LATE years there has been a general de- 
mand for home made rag rugs, not only for 
the bedrooms, but for piazzas and_ bath- 
rooms. ‘Ihese are most serviceable, as they 
can be washed many times, and are strong 
i enough to stand a good deal of hard wear. 
The difference between the rugs of to-day and long ago is 
that new material is now used, instead of old, and care is 
taken in using materials of the same weight in the same rug, 
to give a smooth, even appearance to the finished rug. An old 
fashioned rag carpet was usually made of soft muslin, or 
harsh prints, or dingy linings, sewn together in a “‘haphaz- 
ard” way, so that the carpet presented an uneven home made 
appearance, which is thought to be somewhat slovenly to-day. 
There is no end to the number of materials which can be 
used in making the rugs. Lawns, percales, prints, cretonnes, 
ducks, denims, sateens, cotton flannels, and roving yarn, give 
a range of material and colorings large enough to suit any 
colored room, and to give a varied choice of texture. 
The looms of to-day save a little time, and possess certain 
advantages over the old wooden looms of our grandmothers, 
but to all intents and purposes, the old-fashioned rag carpet 
loom, which can be picked up for five or ten dollars, in coun- 
try districts, will make just as good a rug, as a new hundred 
dollar steel loom. Most of the old looms wove carpet one 
yard wide, and this width is a good one for modern rugs. 
These can be woven any length, six feet or five and a half 
being the prettiest proportion to the width. As weaving 
makes a good deal of lint, it is well to keep the loom in a 
room that is not used for other purposes. 
Looms may be found at junk shops. An advertisement 
placed in a newspaper will also be the means of obtaining a 
loom. The sellers of warp are usually in touch with weavers, 
Trying Harmonies in Colors for Borders. Only One Foot of the 
Warp is Visible, as the Balance Has Been Cut Away to 
Avoid Wasting Material for Experimental Work 
Cutting a Loaf of New Material with a Sharp Knife. 
Strip may be Thirty or Forty Yards Long 
Each 
and can often help the purchaser. Before buying a loom, it 
is advisable to have it examined by a practical weaver, for if 
any parts are missing, it would cost nearly as much to supply 
the odd parts, as to buy the whole loom. ‘The loom should 
possess a beam, heddles, one or two reeds, shuttles and trea- 
dles. Sometimes a wheel, on which to wind the cops, comes 
with it, but the winding can be done by hand, if the wheel is 
not forthcoming. 
Warps are made in many colors, but for a beginner it is 
advisable to use white, so as not to go to the expense of extra 
beaming, until proficiency in weaving is obtained. In every 
city there are special stores where warps are sold, and where 
beaming is done, which means that the beam out of each 
loom must be sent to the warp man, who has it beamed and 
delivered at the house. In country districts, where warp 
must be bought from the country store, it may be necessary 
to learn how to beam, so as to save the delay and trouble of 
sending the beam away. 
In using white warp, some people prefer the heavy grade, 
which is 4-4 or 4-8, as it makes the rug a little more solid. It 
presents, however, the great disadvantage of possessing a 
good deal of white surface, which catches the dirt. If the 
warp Is very thin, it sinks into the material, and the color of 
the rug is more noticeable than the white threads of the warp. 
Sometimes the fringe is a little soiled, and in that case it can 
be washed with a nail brush on a kitchen table, without 
wetting the rest of the rug. 
Preparing the Loom for Weaving.—After the beam is 
placed in the loom, the warp threads must be carried up and 
threaded in the loom. Four hundred and fifty warp threads 
to the yard, has been found the most serviceable. After car- 
rying the warp over the shaft at the back of the loom, each 
thread must be rove through the heddles. There are two 
sets of heddles, one of which is worked by the right foot 
and the other by the left, and which are always of different 
heights. The threads are put horizontally through the lower 
and upper heddles. When this is complete, there are two 
surfaces of warp threads. 
The shaft in front of the heddles is called the lay, and in 
