Press enter after choosing selection

Bag Carpets

Bag Carpets image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
July
Year
1871
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Li]e(ktganr9íis Tho indispensable ameles of the houso are made and highly prized in nearly all families in the country. The suggestions of the experieneed muy lessen the labor of making them to tho oxperienced, besides making a better looking carpet. First, the rags or old garments ought to bc washcd cl?an ; then rip them to pieaeSi rejecting the parta too worn to be Tisod ; ifnotreadyto color them, tie in bundies all that are to be colored each color, and any that do not necd coloring may be cut and sewed, or tied up by t.iemselves, ifeo rea ly to commence tho work. All wooluii ones ought to bo kept in a linen sack, to exulude the moths from them. Any light, mixed, or plaided woolens may be improved in color by dipping in a good red dye. Clean white rags can bc colored yellow, orange, blue, or green. Dingy white rags will look well colored hemlock color and set with lime. This is a cheap, pretty and durable color foreome of the rags and tho warp. Bits of bark may be gathered around aaw milis, when orie cannot get it elscwhere ; boil enough bark to make a strong dye, and add to it a little clear lime water, aftcr removing all bits of bark or strainiug the dye. If dregs remain in any dye, it will spot the cloth or yaru. If a siuooth parlor carpet is wantod, the rags must be cotton, and othcr rags that are mado of fine yarn. Coarso threaded woolen raga make a carpet look rough, and though it may do well enough lor a kitchen it is not so nice tor a parlor. Unless the rags are light, it will take a pound and a huif, and sometimes more, tor caiih yard of carpet. To know when suih'oient rngs are prepared for the number of yards wantod, the prepared rags must be weighed. If the rags are light, it will not take quite a pound and a half ; but if they are coarse threaded or woolen rags, it will titke some more than a pound and a half, if the carpet is well beaten up. If a striped carpet is wanted, tcar each color scpanitely, and mix together the different shades of the same color when sewing ; this will make tho carpet more uniform in color and prettier than if some stnpei co&tained all tlic brightest colors, and others paler one, which thoy will, if the shades of tho gaine color are not mixed in bewing. A carpet always looks aiuvh better if all the breadths are uniform in color, and ïcy mixing the bhades of the same color in sewing them it will be so. For a hap-hazard carpet, all different eolors may be mixed in Bewing, This will nse np uil short rags, of any color or shade, and often nuikes a very pretty car p-t, which may be wovon easier and cheaper than a striped carpet. Short pioces, or those not more than three or ibur yards long, alternated with shorter ! ones, look the bestin this kind of carpet. For warp, good Hrong prepared yarn is the best, and Sftves much labor. It inay be reeled into ski.ins :f five knots before coloring, allowing one skein to a yard and about three kn:ts over, to be woven in at the end of each breadth, for binding. Measuie tho insido of tho room and let the weaver know how long to make each breadth. Ciirpets will slirink a little in length from the weaver's measuie aftcr tney cinre oator' the loom, but will often stretch a little in width. The stripes will match the best, if the edges on the same side of thp loom are sewed together, as the different sides of the loom sometimos vary a little.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus