The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-05
RAG CARPET GOSSIP.

IL ldIUeT uduSu JeT Virtues DIS lOllOWS.
Rag carpets and their manufacture form
an essential branch of domestic economy
among farmers; for being made principally
from casteff clothing, the expense, aside
from the labor, need not be very great, and
the old garments are thus made to do
double duty. Furthermore, the carpets are
not too fine for use; yet, when well made,
and the colors nicely blended, are really
handsome, and give an air of cheerfulness
and substantial comfort to the dining and
living room of the farm house, not easily
attained by a. shabby, threadbare, ingram
or three-ply.
81 know many farmers whose chambers
and sitting room and, in fact, every part of
the house except it may be, the parlor, are
carpeted with this home made tapestry;
the sensible 'woman-folks prefering plain
furniture to the privations attending SO
many fine things, and the difficulty of
keeping up style to correspond upon the
not always immense income of the working
farmer. If any of the family can engage
in any employment, which will enable them
to get carpets for the parlor or chambers
more easily than to make them at home, it
would, of course, be better, and Brussels
or ingram would give better satisfaction;
yet for more common use, for the sleeping
rooms of the family and the dining room,
which in Winter at least, is often used as a
kitchen, too, give us rag carpets.
"Some people take great pains in pre-
pairing their rags. l do not wish to reflect
upon those ladies who make them in so
short time, for l know nothing of their
method. But l know there is vast differ
ence in the quality of rag carpets. Some
cut the rags very fine, and instead of cut
ting around the corners of an angular piece
of cloth, cut every strip off and sew on the
next one, in order to avoid the uneven
places and ragged corners sticking up in
the carpet. This necessitates an amount of
for two months work.
"Again, instead of tearing any of the
cotton rags they cut them all to avoid the
fringed and ravelled edges. Hence, the
fingers No doubt all this seems to many
like useless labor, Just for rag carpet
But there is perceptible difference in
carpet made in this way, and the shabby
affairs we SOM times see which were made
years ago. Besides, those of us who de-
pend upon rag carpets for our best rooms
naturally wish to carry their manufacture
to the highest possible degree of perfection.
GAS to hip. ship or hit or miss car,
pets, they are very pretty while new, and
the colors are bright, but with constant
use and frequent sweeping even the fast
coors will grow dim long before the web
begins to fail Then they are no long
chene, but all of a color, and their want of
design or form makes them seem very
homely, while a stripe holds it's own far
better. OF course it need not be glarng
contrast of red and yellow, or green and
orange, but shaded greens, a little red and
less yelow-almost none at all of the latter
rich brown, maroon, etc. Two or three
shades of color are almost as necessary to
produce pleasing effect as in embroidery
and worSteds.
GA light anline red shading into ma
room, or if you are partial to brighter
colors, cochineal scarlet, maddered, which
usually has yellowish tinge, and orange.
Blue was always perplexity to me. l
could not find place for it anywhere in a
stripe; it would not harmonic with any
thing. should have left it out entirely if
| had had my own choice in the matter.
But finally after looking at some green and
plaid dress goods, bright idea crossed my
mind. / put thread of black and thread
of blue alternately until had five of black
and four of blue, and on either side two
shades of green, the darkest next the black
and blue.
"This proved to be the handsomest stripe
of all, and the blue did not look out Of
place or jar upon ones nerves Of vision.
Black and white, thread and thread,
makes a very pretty centre for red stripe.
Many of these colors, blue, yellow, orange,
and two or three shades of green, may be
colored upon cotton, and are as durable as
anything in a rag carpet. Old calico dresses
and aprons dyed with clutch make good
brown; and an old worsted dress, either
gray or brown, if not too dark, dipped in
an aniline dye, will make a garnet or
maroon"