Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-01-28
Rue.MAklNe MADE Easy.
Two Ways to Make Rugs with but Little
Labor.

Two Ways to Make Rugs with but Little
Labor.
The careful housewife whose con-
science will not allow her to throw away
or put into the rag-bag the small, bright
bits of new goods, flannels, cashmeres,
delaines, tricots, and other wool goods
sure to accumulate in every household,
and yet who has little or no time at her
disposal in which to utilize them, soon
has large stock of such material on
hand, and is apt, as she looks at her
ever-increasing stores, to look with
longing towards her neighbors' drawn
rugs, thinking how beautifully her own
rolls of pieces would combine with other
material to work up in that way if she
had but the time to give to the work.
Rugs are so Inexpensive and add so
much to the cosy and homelilze appear
ance of any room that it is really pity
all can not have them; the drawn rugs,
especially, if carefully done, are pretty
enough to adorn any room, and as they
last almost forever they amply repay
the time spent upon them if one has the
time to use in that way.
But rugs that cannot bedist inguished
from drawn work, except on close ex-
animation, may be made in two ways,
neither of which require half the time
and labor that must be bestowed on a
drawn rug. They may be worked in
patterns, or made with ''hit-or-miss''
center and border OF one color. These
| are pretty and are more easily and
quickly made than if worked in
patterns
The material should be soft wooden;
cut it in bias strips about one inch in
width, mix the colors thoroughly, then
run gathering thread down the middle
of each strip, making long strings of
gathered rags, say as long as your rug
is wide. They need not be sewed like
carpet-rags, but can be gathered one
after another on the thread without
sewing. When you have a sufficient
| quantity done sew the strips close to-
| gether on burlap, or bed-ticlling. or
whatever you are using for a founda-
ton, by stitching down through the
center where they are gathered, either
on the sewing-machine or by hand. One
can hardly get the rows near enough to-
gether on the machine; two rows, how
ever, may be stitched and one put be-
tween them by hand.
| The checked flannel goods, red and
white, black and white, gray and red,
red and black, make handsome borders
for these rugs. When completed they
can be sheared the same as a drawn
rug, but if the rags are cut evenly they
need but little shearing.
For the other, procure piece of
strong wire that will not bend easily; it
should be nearly yard long; bend it in
the form of a hair-pin, leaving the
prongs full inch apart. Cut the rags
and sew them as for carpet, but finer
than carpet-rags are usually cut, and
wind them over the prongs of the wire,
crossing them each time in the mid
die, just as one winds hair on a
hair-pin to crimp it; as soon as
the wire is full put it on the
sewing -machine and stitch down
through the center, where the rags are
crossed, stitching it to the foundation of
the rug at the same time if you wish.
AS soon as stitched draw out the wire.
Finish by shearing.
If you wish n pattern instead of a
mixed center, mark the pattern on the
foundation and fill it out with the gath
cred strips, or the wound ones, by hand,
putting in the filling around the pattern
afterward.
These last may be made of yarn, and
yarn that has been used is much pref
tier for the purpose than any that has
not, winding it and stitching it the same
as heavier material.
If one wishes to buy material, carpet
waste-that comes in all colors, mixed
is sold for the purpose. 1t can be
bought for about twenty-five or twenty
seven cents pound, and one and one.
quarter pounds will make a center
piece one yard long and one-half yard
wide. The border should be made o1
but one color, or shades of one color
and may be wide or narrow, according
to taste, or the size of rug required
Household Monthly.