With all the emphasis in today's world on recycling, going green rather than wasting our natural resources, I believe we would be better off today if we had compensated more attention to the ancestors. They had the practice of reusing items and never wasting anything right away. One of the items that these people recycled is something many people would throw away. Rags! I was fortunate enough to end up with my Great Grandmothers loom that my Mother cherished and made fantastic use of by switching our old sheets, jeans and garments into beautiful, sensible rag rugs. I can remember Mom sitting down for hours and tearing old clothes or perhaps sheets into narrow strips, sewing or perhaps knotting the ends with each other and them moving the "rags" into balls that she would later wind around the shuttle to incorporate into her area rugs.

contemporary area rugs To weave any rag rug, one thing you need in addition to a loom and rags of course, is warp string. The actual warp string can be a stronger, heavier wool that is held tight by the loom's frame. Twist has to be strong, since it is held in a lot stress during the entire process. Be certain when you are stringing up your loom, you have even tension to make your rugs more durable. With today's technology, we're able to use cotton wool and artificial fibers, but traditionally extremely high was wool, bed linen or silk fibers. Usually, the twist is more of a neutral color to blend along with your rags nevertheless it does come in a number of colors to use. When stringing up your loom, be very careful to not cross the warp threads. You will have to thread your warp through the heddle, which is a comb just like item with video poker machines and holes that you will alternate the warp through. Most looms will come with complete instructions, but if you pick up a second hand loom, try searching on the internet for instructions. Unfortunately, the particular loom that I have doesn't have a manual, so I am very careful to add my new twist thread to an existing string and take it through the heddle like that. This step will require some patience, you have to be sure that you don't cross the warp string, which you alternate it involving the holes and slot machines and that you have restricted even tension. It will take me a good day to string my loom, but once it is strung, I can incorporate several rugs before I have to string it again.

Once the loom is actually strung and you have your own rags torn and able to go, the fun commences. Your rags or as they are called "weft" has to be wound on a taxi. A shuttle is generally a flat stick with notches on the ends which you wind your weft on lengthwise. The width of one's rag strips may differ depending on the thickness you wish on your rugs. I will typically use among 3/4" to 1" strips with regards to the heaviness of the fabric. My partner and i make my whitening strips of blue denim jeans into narrower strips than what I would any linen fabric. You should use both types of material in the same rug; just make sure the quality fabric is in wider strips to make the rug more also. The fun thing about using rags may be the assortment of colors that you may have and how they will weave a pattern within your rug. You are able to weave by raising as well as lowering the heddle and sliding the shuttle from the open space within your warp threads. Whenever you raise the heddle, the strings that you have put through the particular holes will raise, while the strings you have in the slots will stay stationary. Once you improve the heddle and slide your shuttle through, you will have to make sure that the welt is actually tight against the earlier row. Most looms could have a type of comb club that will aid in this method. Now you change the placement of the heddle by decreasing the holes and elevating the slots, slide the shuttle through, tighten the welt and repeating the process. It won't be long until you attain the desired length of carpet that you want. rug I nearly forgot, you will also need a "stretcher" to hold the finishes of your woven carpet to the original thickness while weaving, so you don't end up with an shapely shape.

To finish the rug, carefully minimize the warp from your front of the loom, leaving behind enough warp in order to tie two guitar strings together in a knot, about 4" works well. This can not only secure the rug from unraveling, nevertheless it adds a nice fringe to your finished carpet. All you have to do is actually repeat the same procedure to your rug on the back of the loom and you're finished. Area Rugs You will adore how rag carpets wear and are easy to clean by working them through the rinse with a mild cleaning agent. Vary the thickness of your warp to make place-mats, table runners or even use your imagination to make a selection of things. Just tear, string, weave and luxuriate in!