| =========== Joining Rugs =========== >I want to try to lace or sew 2 or more rugs together for >a large area rug. The rugs are cotton blend. Do I just put >them together with warp or should I use something else. >Any advice would be greatly appreciated. >Jeanette Groeger --------------------------------------------------------- I just recently finished a large rug in this manner. I laid the rugs side by side and pinned them together with large safety pins. Then I laced them together up one side and then back down the other side, using carpet warp. The results were exceptional. I was trying my best to have a flat seam that was not noticeable. This was my first attempt at doing this. The rug was for a customer and she was very happy. Cindy Springer --------------------------------------------------------- I have woven very large rugs for about 20 yrs., both retail and through interior designers. I will give you some suggesions that may help. - First: I try to avoid these orders. I recently turned down an order for a 9x12 rug (carpet at that size). If your loom weaves wider than 72" then you could weave a 6' strip to join another 6' strip for the total width you need. The take in for this width rug may be more than 2" so keep this in mind. Some customers don't mind if the rug is a couple of inches narrower but I suggest you have that point discussed with the customer before starting the rug. After discussion, have a contract written up with the specs. and allowable changes both agree to. - Second: The rug should be placed flat on the floor for several days before joining the strips. The warp has been under tight tension and it needs to relax back into it's original length. I did this even with linen warp. Finish the edges after the rest period. Do you have the space needed for the length of the rug? You can place one section on top of the other while it is resting. - Third: Are you going to join the sections at the customer's house or are you going to join them at your studio and ship it? If you are going to join sections at your studio again consider the space needed. Is the space available to join the two sections side by side? You can roll the outside edges in while you work on the interior edges but you still need width & length space for the rug. - Fourth: If shipping, first check by which means. UPS etc. have size and weight restrictions so the rug may have to be freighted. - Fifth: This is the last item but very important, Can you lift the rug? A large rug is very, very heavy. Even a single section is very heavy when removing it from the loom. Weight of the item was the biggest reason for turning down the above order for the rug. Good luck, Kathleen Stevens PART II Several people have contacted me off line for more info on sewing strips together. Having the two (or more) strips side by side I use the same warp in the rug as thread for the sewing except for cotton 8/4 warp which I generally double (depending on the thickness of the weft). I don't double 8/5 or 8/6 linen warp. The doubled 8/4 warp thread has more strength as there is some torque with people walking on the rug, vacuuming, and the typical house dog who doesn't have any regard for your work. I will write about the rag rugs instead of wool yarn weft at this time. I generally measure half the length of the rug for the thread length just because it makes it quicker and easier to sew. With the strips laying side by side I pin the edges every 3 ft.or so with large safety pins, diaper pins, kilt pins, or my favorites, old blanket pins c. 1920, use what ever you have. These pins will stabilize the edges so they stay together at the right spot. If the rugs have horizontal stripes it is easy to see if one edge is moving slightly out of alignment but if the design doesn't have a clear line, you may find one edge longer when you get to the end. If your weaving measurement hasn't been as accurate as it should be, now is the time to push the edges together and hold with a pin until you sew it. This will not really fix a truly bad measurement but works ok if out 1"-2". This is important so design stripes are exact across the width of the finished rug. The reason the strips may move is because I have the strips on the floor and am on my knees on the rug doing the sewing, (good time to say a few prayers too). Secure the knotted thread end hidden inside a weft rag and sew in a "Z" motion always putting the needle (a large eye tapestry or rug braiding needle) through the loop of weft and every few inches also around the doubled selvage warp of the rug (I do that just for added stability). The sewing thread should not show. Do not pull tightly or you will buckle the rug edges. After sewing a few feet in length I sometimes use a rubber mallet to flatten the edge. Continue to the end of the strip and finish off as at the beginning. When all strips are sewn, I remove the junk fabric headings of the woven rug and work across the entire hem to finish. If the stripes are to be taken apart later for cleaning or transporting, (or whatever by the client), then I finish each rug hem individually and sew the edges of the stripes with a finer seperate thread for ease of taking the rug apart. The largest "rug" carpet I wove was a strange size, 16' x 18', a project I would be reluctant to repeat, even if I were able. The measuring had to be exact. I assembled the rug at the client's home and it took 3 people to help lift the strips. I was much younger then. Do hope this info helps. Kathleen Stevens ------------------------------ I personally have a 2 person loom that I believe has a 7 or 8 foot width but we have it set up at a 6 foot width. We get alot of orders for 10 x 12 and such. They always want what you don't have, am I right!? I have never joined 2-6ft. wide by any length, but I can tell you if you have any type of a pattern on them it will be difficult to match that part up exactly. Every rug condenses up differently. One thing that I have found is that to account for shrinkage on MOST rugs that wide is to add 2 inches of weft to the length of your rug for every 10 inches that you need . That has worked pretty well for us as to coming up with the customers requested length. I have made 27" wide rugs super long for customers by sewing velcro to the hems of the rugs. This is excellent for the person that doesn't want to go to the commercial laundromat to wash all of this long rug together. Clear fishing line can be used to join two rugs together side by side. Just another tip for these wider width rugs, I have washed them commercially in the laundromats in the big tumble washers up to 6x 15' long and they wash up very nicely. No damage at all, nice and clean! Drying, of course, is dependant on your space available in a basement, etc. in the winter time. Summer is nice if you have a deck to lay it on, or over a railing , not the short way, though. Too much stress on those threads, even that nice poly/cotton warp that I love so well. Hope that gives someone some insite into those big, beautiful, area rugs! Lori in Wisconsin --------------------------------- I would just like to tell you of a big mistake I made on a room size rag rug. I wove two sections using a temple. The third and middle section was narrower so I decided not to use the temple. I was so shocked when I went to sew them together. The middle section was not as thick. 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