The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-07-24

To own rug n table cover curtain on
which the maker has expended his ideas and per
sonay is pleasure quite distinct from gazing
at a machne.made article which can be dupli-
Gated in any one of a dozen stores. And the fas-
cnation of fashioning things with the hands, es-
pcciay essentials of the household or articles
that add refining touch to a commonplace ser
vice, has led many women to abandon china
painting and fancy work for the more active work
OF the loom.
Though there are many amateurs In Massachu.
sets who make no attempt to market their wares
a good many have found weaving an attractive
commercial proposition. Many of these nave en-
rolled themselves in the Arts and Crafts asso-
citation. For them, rag carpet weaving provides
the most direct method of securing rcmunera
ton for their work. Rugs Of this sort are always
In demand and there Is ample room for the cX
ercise OF taste in developing simple patterns and
I'm the variation of colors
Most of the rugs are woven with a grayish back
ground For the piazza and the summer home
there are lighter patterns. soft blends which will
absorb the sunshine or brighten up the tedum OF
drizzly day. For these it is necessary to use
white new rags in the warp and alternating cords
of pink or blue.
The simplicity of these floor coverings affects
ono with strange sense Of relief which may be
inexplicable at first. 1t is the of contrast
with intricate machinemadc designs which are
often as confusing the rattle Of the steel ten
taCled machines that made them.
Some Of these rugs are made In Boston, but
most Of them come from outside towns Deer.
field Marblehead, bingham and Lynn are regular
stations of supply. In Central square, Cambridge
the Massachusetts commission for the blind has
an established factory where men weave rugs
I'm 1904 the experiment of blind woavcrs was
frst tried They have proved in less than four
years that their work rank with that done by
anyone without prejudice buyers are agreed
to this and in many cases they insist that the
work is not only good, but superior. OF course
the rugs are made under the supervision of see
ing people, who select colors ana distribute the
materials.
An expert supervisor with the use OF his eyes
Nrst teaches the mechanism to the blind pupil
who memories everything by numerical sys'
tenn After he has mastered all the movements,
he soon can acquire the technicalities OF pattern
weaving.
Nv numerical system" is meant the numbering
or e,ch thread as well as the arrangement of the
materials near the loom, that once the position
Is memoriZed no sight aid is required to locate
any color From triangles and circles progress is
made to the more intricate patterns. For some
Of these raised proof of the design is hung above
the loom. BY touching 1t with the fingers the
nattern Is reproduced on the cloth.
The proficiency shown by the sightlcss weavers
has eliminated the question of their ability to
execute the work The question remains; where
shall they market their wares?
This problem is solving ITSELF for the number
NJ people who buy handwrought articles Is rapid
" increasing. When Charles F. Campbell, SUI
perintendent of the industrial department OF 'he
Massachusetts, commission for the blind was
asked where the department disposed of their
OUTPUT, he turned up the label of the package he
was tying. 1t addressed to Detroit. Mich.
I've have shipped stuff to Duluth and San Fran
csco" he added; so you see the folks out west
aren't going to be distanced In this new twist