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House Furnishing and Decorating: Rags

Carpet Rags. The contents of the rag bag should be first picked over, and rags intended to be used as carpet rags should be washed and ironed and afterwards ripped apart. Seams and worn spots should be rejected.

They should then be sorted according to the colors of materials, and if not needed at once, stored away for future use in paper bags. Woolen rags should be protected against moths by pasting the tops of the bags together.

Rags of fast and satisfactory colors need not be dyed. But better effects may often be obtained by dyeing all rags to suitable colors. To cut carpet rags, trim around the outside of the rag, clipping off square corners, and continue cutting round and round until the rag is all cut up.

By this means small pieces may be utilized, the rags will be of satisfactory length, and will require less sewing. Cotton rags and rags of fine dress goods make a smoother and better-looking carpet than rags of heavy woolen colors. Hence the latter had better be kept separate and made into rugs or kitchen carpets.

The quantity of rags required for a carpet may be estimated by weight.

For each yard one and one half to two pounds of rags, depending upon the material, will be required. In sewing, it is better to mix the different shades of the same color so that the stripes will be of an even and uniform shade.

Thus the breadths will present the same appearance. But if the pepperand-salt pattern is desired all the colors may be mixed together. For this kind of carpet short pieces may be utilized. Rag carpets also come by the piece and may be bought in shops by the yard, the same as others.

But when made at home or woven to order they can be ordered to fit the room, the breadths being made exactly to measure and bound up at the ends. Allowance in ordering should be made for shrinkage, as the breadths tend to become a little shorice and wider with wear.