The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-18
WEAVES WONDERFUL
DESIGNS IN RUGS
Woman Is Expert Loom Arti-
san-Makes Linen Suits
on Machine.

Portland, Me-, March 1S.-Spinning
wheels are not out Of date nor is
hand weaving a forgotten art.
There IL Mt least one place in Port
land where the wheel and loom are in
daily use. There is one Portland girl
who. like the Puritan maidens of old,
daily winds her thread and pushes her
shuttle through the warp upon the
loom. constructing in the process all
manner Of pretty fabrics.
Miss Jessie Thompson, of this city,
In what would be called, in technical
language. an expert craftsman. That
sounds like big title, does II not?
She Ia an artist, too. She does not
II Ia true. use brush and palette. Her
work In done with crayons upon sheets
Of squared paper, and her pictures are
not portraits or landscapes. They are
designs for the beautiful rugs and
portierres which she makes. Each
square upon the paper represent so
many threads, Just as upon map
each inch represents SO many miles.
And In these tiny squares Miss Thomp-
son works out beautiful and elaborate
designs.
With the designs comes the question
Of colorings, which most truly proves
her TO be an artist For "A certain
scheme must be selected for the col
oring and pattern of each fabric. For
one there are the autumn tones-rus-
Get and red and brown and copper; for
another the summer colors-thc soft
blues and green's and the brilliant
flower hues. Each piece SO far as
possible. liz designed with reference to
It's surroundings and TO the character
and tastes OF the person for whom 1t
In made.
Miss Thompson buys for her weav-
ing only white or natural colored
threads for some fabrics, linen for
others, while very beautiful materials
may be made from silken threads
Outing flannel cut in strips forms a
splendid material for some of the big
rugs which she makes.
Coiors Threads for Warm Tones
The threads purchased and the de.
coloring the threads 70 produce exact.
~ the warm tone that is given by the
crayons on the design. For this Miss
Thompson uses the German coal tar
dyes. She does not, however, rely up.
on producing by the use OF the dye
exactly the shade OF tint which she
desires. She uses only four colors.
red. yellow. blue and gray. From
these mixed In the right proportions.
she produces all the colors which she
wishes to ues. And gorgeous hues
they are-deep warm greens. the very
tone Of the forest leaves: blue as
bright as the azure sky, the brilliant
scarlet Of the poinsettias. the copper
tint OF the low sinking sun; the som.
bre purple of the clouds upon a dreary
day--these and a host of other beau
tiful shades. blending into one har-
monious mass.
Now the threads, the design. the col.
oring are decided upon. The thread
must be wound upon bobin in order
TO be placed In the shuttle for use.
For this the old fashioned spinning
wheel Ia just the thing. Then come
the looms. There are two OF these. n
small one upon which doilies. table
runners and smaller articles are
made: the big loom for rugs and por.
tierres. They are modelled after the
Swedish looms. although the plans
were Miss Thompson's own, and she
had the looms built according to her
fancy. The threads for the warp of
he x,1A
at one side Of the loom. so that il is
necessary only to unwind the spool in
stead Of restringing when one has
worked once across the top surface up
on another spool at the opposite side:
the cloth Is rolled us as fast as ii is
woven.
Make Other Things on Loom.
Not only rugs and porticres and other
things OF this sort may be made upon
the loom. but the material for dress
goods may be woven-linen goods par
ticularly. Miss Thompson wove this
spring enough heavy linen to make
suits for all the feminine members of
her family. Some was woven from the
white threads. others from linen
threads Of the natural colors. The
quality OF the linen itself was much
heavier. Nor was that the only advan-
tagc. for the cloth was less expensive
than a like quantity would have been
II bought outright. for the expense of
the suit was only the cost of the lin
en- threads from which IL was woven
and the dressmaker's bills for the
making Of II.
The time can not be far distant
when the women of moderate means
will resort to the loom for the mater.
ials for her summer wardrobe. For
not only can heavy linen goods be