The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-03-04
Thibodattx Sentinet.
RAG CARPETS.
They Are Serviceable and Admirabl,
Adapted to Farmhouses.

Inv AK a IN AuulIEdDly
Adapted to
In nearly all farmhouses rag carpets
are used, and they are admirably
adapted for the purpose, though the
making of them is no inconsiderable
task for the busy housewife, but this
may be rendered less formidable by a
little forethought. Each week when
the ironing is being done, discard all
such garments as are unfit for further
wear, remove the buttons and cut and
tear the rags ready for sewing. Place
each color in a bunch by itself. if you
are intending to make your carpet
striped. Try to get the rags all sewed
up once "a year at least. Take a day or
evening, when other duties are not
very pressing, thread the machine with
No. 40 thread, of a color to suit the
rags, lap and fold the ends of two
strips as if to be sewed by hand, start
in at the side just back of the begin
ming of the lap. run slantingly
to the center, sew the length of the lap,
n slant to the edge, insert another
without breaking the thread or lifting
the presser-foot, and continue adding
length after length. When the bunch
of rags is finished, clip all the threads
first. and then wind the rags into balls.
Do not mix mems heavy cloth in your
carpet with the finer cotton rags, but
make them into rugs instead, using
only co%tton-rags, cut fine and sewed
neatly, if you wish a nice smooth car
pet, and one hat will not be so heavy
as to be troublesome to make, lay and
clean. Its freedom from wool will also
prevent the attack of moths.
Brown is the most se~rviceable and de-
sirable color for the warp. as it adds
depth and richness to the general ap-
pearance of the carpet. The present
fancy runs toward plain. rather than
striped carpets, but if one wishes a
bright, mixed effect, it will be neces-
sary to color some of the rags before
sewing, Or, a dark ~rich-looking CARPET
can be produced from all light rags, bv
coloring them after sewing, first a deep
yellow. then tying the skeins in several
places very closely with stout strips Of
heavy cloth, and coloring them a rich
brown. If the room to be carpeted is
large, a width at each side may be made
a. d OOTucF, anu Une central breadth
woven proportionately shorter, having
a smaller border fitted across their ends
to match the side breadths.
When getting materials ready Tor a
new carpet, be sure to make an allow
ance for a stair carpet. Wind a pretty
fancy stripe for this, edging it with a
four-inch stripe of sober color. To-
gether they should form a strip a little
more than half the width of the stair.
way. Between each strip Of carpet
should be woven in a three-inch space
of warp for hemming. The selvedges
should be very even. Two extra strips
should be woven to replace any that
may YEA out before the rest. If the
colors are we'll chosen, the hemming
and sewing carefully done, the stair
carpet, when neatly laid, will present
a very attactive appearance, and be
much more durable and appropriate
where the other carpets are rag ones,
than a more expensive one would be-
American Agriculturist.