The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-12-01
How Rugs Are Made.

How many who stop to admire the
show windows of our carpet dealers
know how the rug is made? That ii is
woven somehow is all that is apparent
as it lies there, warm, soft, bright, with
a dozen colors, and attractive in its
pretty design of flowers, fruits, birds or
figures. The rug is twice woven, and
this is its history: First, the border
and center that is to form the pattern is
designed; then painted in straight lines
upon paper containing ruled scale,
aud in the proper colors that are after
ward to appear on the rug. This paper
rug is then cut into strips, each con-
tanning two spaces of the scale, and
these papers are the pattern that the
first or weft weaver has to follow.
In weaving woft warp beam of Say
two hundred threads in width and a
wheep beam of one hundred threads in
width are required. Two threads OF the
first and one of the second pass through
the same split in the reed at regular iu-
torvals of say one-third of an inch, the
intervening splits of the reed being
empty. The paper pattern is fastened
to the middle of the work, and the
weaver follows it exactly as it is painted,
that is the pattern may need six threads
of crimson, two of black, twelve OF
ecru, ten of green olive, and so on, the
weaver filling the "spot' exactly as TO
length and color. Having woven the
full length of the paper as painted in
the left-hand space the paper is begun
again and the painting on the right
hand space is followed, and when all
tho papers which, laid side by side,
form the rug have been thus gone over,
the weft for the rug is finished.
The roll of weft-cloth is then run
through the cutting machine, q ten
inch cylinder, around which a contin-
uous thread Of knife-blades is wound.
This cylinder il revolved at a high rate
OF speed, and the weft-cloth, passing
within range of the knives, is cut into
strips by them. These strips do not
unravel, because in weaving the wheel
thread is twisted about the two warp,
threads and the filling is locked IN.
After twisting each strip to change il
from being fiat thread into a round
thread, it is wound upon bobbin and
is ready for the second weaver, who is
called the setter.
The warp of the rug is black flax;
and the setter uses two shuttles alter.
nately-a small one, containing a bob
bin of two-ply or three.ply fax, and q
large one for the unwieldy bobbin OF
weit. A white thread on each side and
one in the middle of the black war;
are the guides to the setter, who sees
that certain parts of the warp-thread
come under those white threads before
he presses the weft in. Each bobbiI
Weft will weave about three inches of the
rug; so, if the rug is one yard long, il
will require twelve bobbins, which NEAR
twelve pieces of weft-cloth, to complete
it. But these twelve pieces, having
each been cut up into ninety-six iden
tical strips, will make ninety-six similar
rugs. Therefore, should the weft
weaver put in, say, eight threads lone
half inch in lengthy of a wrong color o,
shade, the error would appear il
ninety.six rugs.
The setter having finished the ninety
six sets of twelve bobbins, the rugs nj,
ready for finishing, The machin
through which they pass cuts the sur
lace Oh evenly, anu brushes lnem ire
of fragments OF the materials used
This treatment brings out every detail
of the design and heightens the colora
Most OF the rugs made here are O
flax and wool others are of silk an
shoddy silk. The wefttor the silk rug
has eight stripes to the inch, and to cu
requires 288 knife blades, each one c
which must have a razor edge. Th
weft cloth and the blades must be sc
to nicely, since the variation of III
sixteenth Of an inch would make til
knives cut the 289 threads instead {
the filling between the threads.
There is a firm in Glasgow, Scotland
who manufacture for the royal house
of Europe such elaborate designs as th
Lord'sS upper, the weft.weaver, in.som
cases, using four hundred differer
shuttles.-. Philadelphia Record.