Next Up: The Toronto Rug

My mother has requested a rug that may or may not be 55″ x 75″. May or may not because the design will dictate and the draw-in will rule. I’ve spent days designing it after I picked fabric and was stuck on warp for a bit. Here’s a pic of me begging warp selection help from my weaving pals. The warp choices were (from top to bottom) a blue cotton seine twine,  a plain cotton seine twine (as I did for Oma’s Rosepath Rug), or a 8/2 linen rug warp:

Testing Warp options

The fabric selection started with the green / blue / grey / gold batik on the left below. Too that was added the additional colors of gold, denim blue, and grey, with a little bit of cream sateen. I bought the fabric first. Planned the design after. As I do.

The base batik fabric with the solid cotton colors to complement.

I had in my mind doing something sorta rose-path-y. So I needed the mix of colors. But other than that I had no ideas.

As my loom is only 40″ weaving width which with draw-in / etc. (and really it’s closer to 39″) a rug at full-width ends up being around 37″. Max.

55″ was going to take a bigger loom (rental at the WHAC) or PANELS! Who doesn’t want to do panels and sew them together? (Probably me, as I hate sewing together knitting, hate sewing together anything really, and can’t stand finishing most projects).

I’m gonna love this project. Mostly.

I’ve set a design now after a day of mulling it over and lots of failed ideas on Bronze (computer software for weaving freaks). I’ve got one center panel of Rosepath (my mother does like Rosepath and actually tried to steal the Oma’s Rosepath Rug from me…not happening) with about a 10″ top and bottom of a more twill pattern off the rose path (screenshot next). The center panel (some of it below) will have the top section in between the middle rose path pattern. Then the bottom is the “wave” pattern I’ll use for the beginning and end 10″ plus the two side panels.

Pattern for Toronto Rug

The Rosepath from the center will be the gold with the batik. The top sections of plain color with a pattern shot of color through them will be alternating in blue and grey with a cream shot. Then the bottom waves will be in the blue and gold with shots of grey depending on what I have left. The amount of fabric will dictate what I can do. I’ve guesstimated as best I can, but one never knows. The batik is a lot thinner so I’m not expecting it to last as long. I’ll use it for the hem as well as I’m not doing a twisted fringe not his rug (bad enough I have to sew it together).

This will be a testament to measuring while weaving. A lot of measurement.

Oh and the warp – Linen Rug Warp it is! It seems to shift in color with the colors of the fabric and I do love Linen Rug Warp. A lot. Winding the warp now and finishing the twisted fringe on Oma’s Rosepath Rug. Ugh. Cutting of fabric is coming next as I can’t sley the reed – had to get a new reed anyway so ordered a 5 and 8 dent from the Woolery. The 8 (thankfully) should arrive Friday. Just in time to sley the reed and begin threading on Saturday.

Oh and for posterity – fabric counts:

  • Batik – 6.5 yards
  • Bronze Gold Cotton – 9.3 yards
  • Cream Sateen – 4.8 yards
  • Denim Blue Cotton – 9.1
  • Grey Cotton – 7.5

I’ve guesstimated with my weaving calculator spreadsheet that I need between 25 and 30 yards of fabric. I have a bit more, but that (fingers crossed) gives me some flexibility in the pattern. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve guesstimated as well with pattern shots and size which I can use more and which less. We’ll see how that plays out.

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One Response to Next Up: The Toronto Rug

  1. Pingback: Toronto Rag Rug – Center Panel Complete » W.L. Doornik

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