September, 1917 
17 
HOW TO BUY RUGS AND CARPETS 
Weaves and the Wearing Capacity—What to Expect 
From New Carpeting—Size and Color in Rugs 
AGNES FOSTER 
ASSOCIATED in our minds with 
ii seashell-loaded what-nots and 
thrift is “Body Brussels.” I wonder 
if its popularity hasn’t something to 
do with its trade name, for “Body 
Brussels” is a wonderful mouthful. 
In any case, our mothers considered 
it infallible, the most trustworthy of 
all carpeting. From this same stand¬ 
point should we make sure to judge 
carpeting to-day. 
A shoddy carpet is one of the poor¬ 
est possible buys, because it does not 
wear well, and the main value of 
carpeting lies in its wearing capacity. 
Therefore, the first rule in purchas¬ 
ing carpets and rugs is to go to a 
reliable house which will stand back 
of its goods. If a carpet wears shoddy, a repu¬ 
table house will replace it. 
We are often alarmed to find, however, that 
in the first few weeks of wear and brushing, 
the carpet “comes off.” This is especially true 
of carpets with a high pile. The “coming off” 
is nothing but the short wool surplus brushing 
off. Almost every carpet will go through this 
moulting process at first, but the pile should be 
thick enough not to suffer from it. In the case 
of a flat weave or tapestry weave rug the wool 
cannot be so easily spared, and before purchas¬ 
ing one should see that the wool is securely 
woven into the rug by hard, twisted threads. 
Tapestry Weaves 
Tapestry woven carpeting, carpet and rugs 
have a flat weave with no woof and warp such 
as velvet has. These are best for bedrooms and 
porches where no elegance of texture and rich¬ 
ness of depth of pile is desired. 
The simplest tapestry weave carpeting is the 
rag rug. Against this is the general objection 
that it is so thin and light as to prevent its 
staying in place. It also wears out and soils 
The velvet Wilton has 
a fine texture. About the 
same is found in Ax- 
minster and Aberdeen 
Chenille carpeting has 
a coarser weave. The 
pile is long. It holds 
the footprint, however 
The average housewife has a knowledge of good 
value in dress goods when she sees it, hut the same 
cannot be said of her knowledge of value in house¬ 
hold furnishings. With this article starts a series 
on merchandise value in the materials of furnishing 
and decoration. Furniture, upholstery and hang¬ 
ing fabrics, lighting fixtures, wall finishes and pic¬ 
tures will be among the topics covered by this 
series. The articles will be written by decorators 
of standing and representatives of houses that deal 
in special lines.— Editor. 
quickly. There are places for which the rag 
rug is the best buy—for a country place or an 
informal bedroom. To me the indiscriminate 
use of rag rugs in a finely paneled room with 
exquisite and delicately turned mahogany fur¬ 
niture is utterly astounding. The tiresome 
craze for the Colonial is partly responsible for 
it. If the furniture and walls are crude, sparse 
and simple, then rag rugs are permissible. 
But Sheraton and Hepplewhite never designed 
their elegant pieces with the view to setting 
them on old rags woven into a helter-skelter, 
hit-and-miss patterned rug. If the poverty or 
niggardliness of our ancestors caused 
them to place their heirlooms upon 
woven rags, let us at least give them 
the proper and dignified setting of a 
finely woven pile carpeting. 
Ingrain and Felting 
The trouble with buying ingrain 
carpet, which is cheap and of good 
weave, is that the colors used are 
usually hideous. Ingrain carpeting 
has the most possibilities as a ground 
for rugs. Gaudy figured carpets 
have rather pushed it out of style, 
but I believe ingrain carpet will come 
into its own again. It can be found 
in the better class old, conservative 
stores. Unfortunately it shows seams 
plainly, and one or two rugs should be used 
over it for best results. 
Felting has taken the place of ingrain today. 
It conies 50" wide and at the same price in a 
medium grade 27" carpet. Of course, felting 
shows the dirt, but it can readily be cleaned and 
it has a fascinating, smooth texture. Besides 
it is very smart. 
Another flat weave carpet which comes in 
many grades and under many trade names is 
the American art square. Unfortunately it is 
often disfigured by a common glaring design. 
Klearflax, to quote trade names, has. excellent 
shades and wears well. It has a rough texture 
like wool and jute. Larnak and Seminole, 
which have practically the same weave, are 
softer and more pliable. Choice will depend 
on the use to which one wants to put these rugs. 
These are only a few of the trade names, the 
others are legion. But they are domestic] and 
that is something in their favor. They also can 
be made up in any size desirable. The Scotch 
rug, an importation, is made in the same sort 
of flat weave. 
(Continued on page 80) 
A cotton rug with a high pile suitable for bed 
and bathrooms. While the rug is good looking 
and comes in various colors, the pile crushes 
and shows dirt 
A Chinese carved rug in which the pattern is 
brought out by following the outline of the 
design with a three-corner groove. There is 
good wear in these rugs 
A section of tapestry weave carpeting, 
showing ridge weave, basket weave and 
tapestry weave. This type of carpeting 
is excellent for bedrooms and porches 
