The Braided Rug Go-Round
(Page 3 of 6)
November/December 1971
By Nancy Bubel
Strips are always sewn together on the bias . . . that is, at an angle. If you were to sew them straight. across the ends, you'd have a bulky, hard-to-manage lump whereas a diagonal seam distributes the bulk and keeps the braid pliable (Figure 3).
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To make a true bias, overlap two strips—right sides up—for as many inches as they are wide and cut diagonally across the lap (Figure 4). Then, with "right" sides facing, line up the newly-cut edges at right angles and sew them firmly together (Figure 5). Matching thread is a nice extra touch but isn't at all imperative.
We use colors as they come for our actual braiding and I've never yet specially dyed strips for a rug. That's my idea of too much work (no offense, though, to those who'd like to . . . let us know how it turns out). Faded coats and such are usually good as new on the underside so that's the side we turn out.
I do keep spools grouped in boxes of blues, reds, oranges, brown-green-tans and—in the largest carton of all—grey. (There are more grey clothes around than anything. . . makes you think.) One special carton hoards a small collection of wool strips with extra POW! . . . rich burgundy, bittersweet orange, old gold, fern green. I often begin a rug with these special shades since I can generally get the most impact with the least wool in the starting braid where less is needed to go around. Otherwise, I dole out the hoard very sparingly.
If I have only a little gold, for instance, and want its mellowness in a brown, earth-tones rug . . . I start with the gold (braided with two contrasting colors), continue with browns and use the gold again in a single band toward the outside edge of the piece.
In other words, it's a good idea to plan the colors of a rug before you begin. Even a hit-or-miss pattern needs enough colors to give it an "everything" look. Of course, if you happen to get stuck with a lot of something like purple, you'll just have to make an outrageously PURPLE rug . . . and chances are someone will like it!
When I began my first rug, I dutifully used three of those clanking metal tube-form braiding aids . . . but they jangled around and got into their own kinds of trouble. Besides, they made the process less immediate, less hand-controlled, less satisfying. For me at least, braiding goes much better with my fingers smoothing and folding the strips as I proceed.
Start the braid by folding each of three strips—good side out—in fourths. To do this, fold each side to the center and then put the sides together by creasing the strip along its imaginary center line.
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