I dislike cotton fringe on most anything but especially on rugs. I know that that before long, that cotton fringe will start to look shabby and it will eventually disintegrate. ( I have a carpet in my living room that reminds me of that fact every time I go in there.)
I recently finished a couple of fleece rugs, and I made sure to pack the fringe between the rugs with several rows of fabric to keep everything in place while I chose my hem treatment. The warp on these rugs is set at 4 EPI so that the fleece weft is made more visible, but it also makes a normal woven hem less appealing.
I turned to my newly acquired, "The Techniques of Rug Weaving" by Peter Collingwood. Peter has a chapter dedicated to rug finishing. Among the hem treatments, I found one that I really liked, it is simply called a "woven edge" I added a little interest to the edge by starting with a 2 strand overhand knot to hold the weft in place as I learned how to do the woven edge.
I started on the left side of the rug with the first 8 ends, the first 2 ends are the weavers and they weave thru the next 6 ends. Once that is accomplished the ends go through the little knot that I added and then through the 4 shots of doubled carpet warp that was the start and end of the rug. Then you weave the next 2 end through the following 6 ends, burying the ends into the knots and hems as you go.
The first rug I did, I had just barely enough length on the fringe to do the weaving, but I managed it and luckily the first edge I did was the shortest. (8 inches of fringe are not too much) I was weaving it with my fingers only and I felt like I was constantly fumbling with the threads trying to keep them tight because I was not weaving into the knot and hem as I was going, it was difficult to do. Once I was done with that one, I put my thinking cap on and changed my approach a little bit.
The first thing I did was thread the "weaver" through a tapestry needle, and I wove the ends all the way through the knot and hem as I went. That did 2 things, it anchored those loose ends so I didn't feel like I was fumbling, and it speeded up the whole process.
Next I took a simple wooden clothes pin and clipped it around the ends I was weaving thru. This small change made all the difference. I then knew that I could and would finish those hems in time for show this weekend. When I had started the first rug I wasn't so sure!
Then eventually you come to the end of the row, when you have to do something with the final 6 ends. So far, this is what I have come up with, still a tiny bit of fringe, but not nearly as much!
I have a few ideas that I would like to try on the next few rugs, and if I come up with something interesting, I will be sure to post about it.
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
I recently finished a couple of fleece rugs, and I made sure to pack the fringe between the rugs with several rows of fabric to keep everything in place while I chose my hem treatment. The warp on these rugs is set at 4 EPI so that the fleece weft is made more visible, but it also makes a normal woven hem less appealing.
I turned to my newly acquired, "The Techniques of Rug Weaving" by Peter Collingwood. Peter has a chapter dedicated to rug finishing. Among the hem treatments, I found one that I really liked, it is simply called a "woven edge" I added a little interest to the edge by starting with a 2 strand overhand knot to hold the weft in place as I learned how to do the woven edge.
I started on the left side of the rug with the first 8 ends, the first 2 ends are the weavers and they weave thru the next 6 ends. Once that is accomplished the ends go through the little knot that I added and then through the 4 shots of doubled carpet warp that was the start and end of the rug. Then you weave the next 2 end through the following 6 ends, burying the ends into the knots and hems as you go.
The first rug I did, I had just barely enough length on the fringe to do the weaving, but I managed it and luckily the first edge I did was the shortest. (8 inches of fringe are not too much) I was weaving it with my fingers only and I felt like I was constantly fumbling with the threads trying to keep them tight because I was not weaving into the knot and hem as I was going, it was difficult to do. Once I was done with that one, I put my thinking cap on and changed my approach a little bit.
The first thing I did was thread the "weaver" through a tapestry needle, and I wove the ends all the way through the knot and hem as I went. That did 2 things, it anchored those loose ends so I didn't feel like I was fumbling, and it speeded up the whole process.
Next I took a simple wooden clothes pin and clipped it around the ends I was weaving thru. This small change made all the difference. I then knew that I could and would finish those hems in time for show this weekend. When I had started the first rug I wasn't so sure!
Then eventually you come to the end of the row, when you have to do something with the final 6 ends. So far, this is what I have come up with, still a tiny bit of fringe, but not nearly as much!
I have a few ideas that I would like to try on the next few rugs, and if I come up with something interesting, I will be sure to post about it.
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
4 comments:
I'm with you Tina, I am not a fringe person at all. My Dad would have liked that rug finish. He did a braided thing similar he learned from a Collingwood class but it isn't as lovely as yours!
Oh, for crying out loud, now I have to try that!!!!!
This technique gives such a clean finish to the rug! Great job!
I love that rug finish.
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