Rag Rugs

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 3, 15 September 1949, Page 298

Rag Rugs

Many housewives .'have tried their hands ah some type of rug making, 'but here is a tittle-known method which combines the virtues -of simplicity, speed,- economy, and - an attractive result. For example, the” bathroom rug illustrated was made in three evenings from "waste" materials and cost about two shillings. ■ The basis is two clean sacks, the size of the rug required; on one- of which -a - design is drawn in thick black pencil or coloured' chalk. A search through the rag-bag probably will reveal enough old woollen garments, and ' pieces of cloth to suffice for the "pile.” If ■ their- colour does - not appeal, ' s they may be dyed, sT""--The. material Is cut first into lin.-wide bias strips and then into - tin. squares. The sewing, machine is threaded with strong cotton and a start made inside the border ■ at one - corner of f the , design : on ' the marked sack. ‘A square of the appropriate colour is folded in halves, put under the J machine foot fold foremost, and stitched through its centre to the , sack. Square after square is then sewn on, each jin. behind the preceding I one, covering one outline of. the pattern all round the rug without breaking th® thread., A change is 'made to another colour and another outline made until a skeleton of the pattern - is formed. - The design can-then be filled in with (rows; jin. - apart, , finishing with ' the ■ border. > The final step is to turn back the edges of the rug and wSKaT' back it with the second sack.