Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-08-08

To own a rug a table a curtain on
which the maker has expended his ideas and per-
sonaty is pleasure quite distinct from gazing
at q machine-made article which can be dupli-
Gated in any one of dozen stores. And the fas-
cnation of fashioning things with the hands, es-
pecially essentials of the household or articles
that add a refining touch to a commonplace
vice, has led many women to abandon china
Wanting and fancy work for the mere 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 attractive
commercial proposition. Many of these have
rolled themselves in the Arts and Crafts
citation. For them, rag carpet weaving provides
the most direct method of securing remunera-
ton for their work. Rugs of this sort are always
in demand, and there is ample room for the
ercise of taste in developing simple patterns and
III the variation of colors
Most of the rugs 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 tedium of
driZzly day. For these it is necessary to
white new rags in the warp and alternating cords
Of pink or blue.
The simplicity of these floor coverings affects
one with strange of relief which may be
inexplicable at first. 1t is the sense of contrast
with Intricate machine-made designs which
often as confusing as the rattle of the steel ten
taced machines that made them.
Some of these rugs are made in Boston, but
most of them come from outside towns Deer
field, Marbehead, bingham and Lynn are regular
stations of supply. In Central square, Cambridge,
the Massachusetts, commission for the blind has
IN established factory where weave rugs.
In 1904 the experiment of blind weavers was
first 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 made under the supervision of see
ing people, who select colors and distribute the
materials.
An expert supervisor with the use of his eyes
first teaches the mechanism to the blind pupil
who memories everything by numerical sys-
TEN. After he has mastered all the movements,
he soon acquire the technicalties of pattern
weaving.
BY numerical system is meant the numbering
of each thread, as we'll the arrangement of the
materials near the loom, that once the position
is memorized sight aid is required to locate
any color. From triangles and circles progress is
made TO the intricate patterns. For some
of these raised proof of the design is hung above
the loom. BY touching it with the fingers the
pattern is reproduced the cloth.
The proficiency shown by the sightless 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
of people who buy hand-wrought articles is rapid
" increasing. When Charles f. Campbell SUI
nerintendent of the industrial department of the
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 was addressed to Detroit, Mich
I've have shipped stuff to Duluth and San Fran
cisco" he added; $50 you see the folks out west
aren't going to be dstanced in this new twist