Tried and True: Outsmart the Rag Rug Weft Tails
- By Karen
- December 10, 2019
- 4 Comments
What do you do with weft tails on a rag rug? Normally, you wrap the weft tail around the outer warp end and tuck it back into the shed. But what about color changes? If you have several color changes in a row, you can end up with extra bulk on one selvedge or another from those tucked-in tails.
3 Ways to Outsmart Rag Rug Weft Tails
- TWO PICKS For a two-pick stripe, leave a tail of several inches on the first pick. For the second pick, lay the weft tail from the first pick in the shed. Lay in the second pick, and cut the fabric strip to overlap the weft tail in the shed. This eliminates any extra bulk at the selvedges. (All tails are cut at a steep angle.)
- CARRY IT When feasible, carry the weft up the side. If a weft is out of play for only one or two rows, do not cut it. When another weft enters the shed, make sure it encircles the idle weft.
- DISTRIBUTE Whenever possible, avoid tucking in weft tails two picks in a row. Wait, and tuck in the tail on a subsequent pick.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE:








One more thing. Cut the weft tail extra long if you are tucking it in a row with weft floats, as in rosepath (Like the center pick in this medallion). This helps keep that weft tail from popping out of place. You don’t want those tails to start waving at you.
May you pay attention to the details.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
4 Comments
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Tried and True: Five Steps for Rag Rug Selvedges and a Quick Tip Video
- By Karen
- November 12, 2019
- 26 Comments
What do you look for in a handwoven rag rug? How do you detect quality of craftsmanship? I look at the selvedges. First thing. I look for selvedges that are nice and tight, and that have a uniform twist at the edge. A few simple steps, consistently practiced, produce the kind of quality you can see and feel. It’s one more reason I find delight in weaving rag rugs.

Five Steps for Firm Selvedges on a Rag Rug
- Throw the shuttle, leaving a loop of the fabric-strip weft at the selvedge.
- Hold the weft out taut, and turn the weft under twice at the selvedge.
- Untwist the weft in the shed, straightening it, as needed.
- Pull the weft tight against the selvedge.
- Position the weft in the shed and beat it in.


Watch this Quick Tip video for a short demonstration.

May the quality of your work be the first thing noticed.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
26 Comments
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Your rugs are beautiful!
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Thank You for showing this tip. What pattern did you use for your warp. Always learning.
Dorothy
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Thank you for that valuable tip and demonstration. Can’t wait to go and tidy my edges. The wise never stop learning!
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Karen,
Thank you for the lesson. I loved the fumble of the shuttle technique. Something from my world. 🙂Nannette
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Great tutorial, and beautiful work! Maybe my selvages can improve now 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing so generously!
Have a wonderful winter day weaving!
Elisabeth -
Great tip and video, thanks Karen. I’ve already mastered the ‘shuttle-fumble’, but need some practice on the double twist!
Best wishes,
Joanna -
Hi, Karen!
These posts on weaving rag rugs are so timely for me. I am threading a loom right now to begin a small sampler for Rosepath rag rugs as I have never done one before. I kept my notes from the class you gave at our WOW meeting last year but the video really clarified the technique.
Thank you to both you and your husband. -
Thank you!
How do you handle it when there is still fabric on the shuttle? Turn the shuttle over to straighten? -
Thank you for the great tip! I will be trying it ASAP. 🙂
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Hi, Karen,
What a beautiful rug you’re working on! I wonder if your weft twist might also work on rep weave wefts. Hope you’re enjoying the Hill country.
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Hi Karen, Thanks for the video. I’ve got my loom warped up for a rag rug at the moment and can’t wait to try your technique. Love your humour in the video.
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Thank you
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That’s very helpful!
Thank you so much.
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Tried and True: Leftover Linen on the Band Loom
- By Karen
- October 8, 2019
- 6 Comments
Remember that time you miscalculated when planning your warp? You found the mistake when you were threading, and you ended up with an extra group of ends. If you have ever done something like that, then you understand where this leftover linen warp came from.

This little linen leftover warp is now on the Glimåkra band loom. I removed two ends to get a warp with symmetrical colors. It’s perfect for making hanging tabs to go on the leftover linen waffle weave washcloths. The weft on these band loom shuttles is from one of the little linen warp chains I mentioned last week. (See Put the Linen Back to Use.)


When the thread comes to an end on the shuttle, I follow this simple process to begin a new weft.
- Place the ending weft through the shed, leaving a tail of at least 1/2”.

- Without changing sheds, lightly tap the weft in place with the band knife.
- Bring the new weft on a shuttle through the same shed, going in the same direction as the previous weft’s shuttle, leaving a tail of at least 1/2”. (There is now a weft tail extending in both directions.)


- Without changing sheds, lightly tap the new weft into place with the band knife. (This helps to make a snug fit for the two wefts in this shed.)
- Change sheds. Beat firmly with the band knife.
- Send the weft back through.

- Beat firmly, and continue weaving.

- After weaving 1/2” further, clip off the weft tails; or, clip all the tails after the entire band is woven and has been cut from the band loom.

May you put your leftovers to good use.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
6 Comments
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Your ribbon bands add such a nice touch. Asking because I have no knowledge, how does a Band loom differ from an Inkle loom in what can be made with them?
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Morning Karen…..I, too, have a question. Please. Do you sit and weave on the side of the loom, beating sideways….or at the end as with a regular tinkle…
Thanks so much..I always enjoy your blog.. -
The extra beating of the filler overlap blends the change so it is indistinguishable from the rest of the band. Who’d a thunk?
Thank you for the lesson.
Nannette
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Tried and True: Rag Rug with Surprising Rosepath Inlay
- By Karen
- September 10, 2019
- 14 Comments
The first rag rug on this 12/6 cotton warp is well underway. This rug is mostly plain weave, with one simple rosepath repeat every ten centimeters. I am weaving the rosepath motif without tabby between pattern picks. The treadling is 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1. The dark brown motif contrasts with the surrounding light-colored plain weave. It almost looks as if a thick chain has been laid across the rug. I transform the otherwise dark rosepath “chains” with a simple bright inlay strip.

Rosepath with Inlay
- Weave the first four picks of the rosepath pattern, treadling 1, 2, 3, 4 (or, if using a different treadling sequence, weave up to the center pick).
- Lay in the center pick (treadle 1, in this example). Wait to beat it in.

- Measure and cut the inlay strip to size, tapering the ends.

- Put the inlay strip in the shed, laying it directly on top of the fabric strip already there.



- Beat in the weft as usual.

- Continue weaving to complete the rosepath pattern, treadling 4, 3, 2, 1 (or, as needed, for a different sequence).

You can accomplish a similar effect by weaving in a separate fabric strip for the center pick. In that case, cut tapered ends that are long enough to twist and tuck back into the shed. And carry the weft strip from the previous pick up the side.
The inlay method eliminates the extra bulk at the selvedges, and adds a slight thickness to the center pick, helping to give it a raised look. I am leaving the inlay weft tails loose, but you could cut them a little longer and tuck the ends in, if you prefer.


May you experience the simple pleasure of doing something unexpected.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
14 Comments
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Beautiful! You explain it so well that I’m adding it to my to do list. Thank you
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How wide is your Ideal? It looks bigger than mine!
I admire your weaving so much! I started too late to achieve such mastery, but I love weaving. Warping, not so much! It is still too much of an adventure!
Marjorie
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How pretty! I love the variety of colors in the background stripes, too! When you do it this way, is the bright rose path center fabric visible on the back?
Elisabeth
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You are amazing. such beautiful colours. I made a couple of rag rugs a few years ago but did it the cheap way using old denim jeans that took forever to prepare. I am currently finishing a throw in alpaca and considering what to weave next. so many weaves to explore. I love warping by the way, it is always a challenge to try to get the perfect warp. Thank you for for your inspirational blog.
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The loom is waiting a little while longer. There is work to he done on the outside of our primary home and more preparation on the inside of our retirement home.
I look forward to one home and all my crafts under one roof. And finding a way to keep the wild creatures on the out of the basement.
Today a coyote walked though the yard. Something to get used to.
Your weaving provides order in my wild world. It is beautiful and functional.
Blessings
Nannette -
Very pretty rug Karen!
Another technique you can use when weaving a single pick of a color is to cut that strip twice the width of the rug plus overlap but only half the width of the other strips. Lay it in the shed with both ends hanging out. Wrap them around the edge thread and arch them back in the same shed, overlapping the tapered ends. I think it is less fussy than trying to tuck the ends in at the edges.
JennyPS:
My loom is working fine, although I did have to stop after weaving a bit and fix one shed that went wonky. I have seven of the twelve table napkins woven for our guild exchange. I’m hoping each warp will become easier to set up the treadling. -
I notice you are using a metal temple on this rug. Do you recommend metal rather than wooden temples for rag rugs?
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Tapestry Butterflies and Video Tutorial
- By Karen
- August 27, 2019
- 12 Comments
Wool butterflies are my crayons. I use them to color the spaces of my color-by-number cartoon that’s under the warp. I am using Borgs 6/2 Tuna wool and Borgs 6/1 Fårö wool in this tapestry, combining strands of various colors to get just the right hue, value, and intensity. Getting that right is the hard part. Winding butterflies is the easy part. Especially if you learned it from Joanne Hall, as I did.

It is essential to know how to make a good butterfly when you want to weave a tapestry on a big floor loom like this. A good butterfly is compact enough to easily pass through warp ends. And secure enough to stay intact through all those passes. It also needs to have a tail that is simple to extend. A good butterfly never ends up in a knot or a jumble of threads, but instead, gives your hands pure delight as it flows through your fingers to color your tapestry.


This video shows how I make my tapestry butterflies.
May your days be colored with delight.
From the crayon box,
Karen
12 Comments
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Beautiful colors! 🙂 Nice, simple video. 🙂
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Good morning, dearest! What a lovely way to start my day…a fresh cup of coffee and your sweet video. I am so thankful that we were able to take Joanne’s workshop. I finally finished my sample and realize how much I like the movement in the cloth. There isn’t a cartoon in mind, for me. But, I hope one day to dream up something and put it on the floor loom.
Thank you for blessing me with your faithful love and kindness…
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Well, isn’t that slick?! Thanks to you and Joanne for sharing this trick!
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Thank you for the video on butterflies, Karen! I have tried them from a book illustration and was thoroughly disappointed. They were loose and sloppy so I bought tapestry bobbins instead.
I am saving this video for a future planned project.May you have a blessed day. I am looking forward to seeing what you create with with these butterflies.
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Butterflies were used on a cardboard tapestry loom for a 1973 high school art project. The slick wrapping was not taught.
It would appear there is more to learn, even I areas I was confident..
Don’t know about West Texas, but after a humid, rainy and sunless Monday..Tuesday is dry and cloudless. Beautiful day! New skill! God is in the heavens today.
Nannette
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Thanks for this video. I’ve struggled with using butterflies, but now realize I haven’t been winding the tail end tight enough and too few times. Allison
I’ve thought of doing a post like this as a visual for my students. Now I don’t have to! I will just refer them to your beautiful rug!
One thing you didn’t mention was the single black pick. How I do a single pick is to cut the strip half the width of my other strips. I cut the length a bit longer than twice the width, allowing for the angle and the overlap and tapered ends. I insert it with a stick shuttle leaving both ends hanging out and beat. Both ends then wrap around the end warp or the weft being carried up the side and have the tapered ends overlap somewhere in the center.
Excellent tutorial!
Jenny Bellairs
Hi Jenny, Basics like this are always good to review. Thanks for your encouragement!
Your method for weaving a single pick is excellent, and eliminates another tail at the selvedge.
I don’t usually take that extra step, though, of cutting a strip half width. So my single picks do have a long tail tucked in.
Thank you!
Karen
Brilliant! Thank you.
I’m working on a strip quilt project with an abundance of leftovers. 4″ will be cut down to 1″ widths and woven into the extra rose path warp on the loom.
A very timely posting.
Nannette
Hi Nannette, What a great idea to take your quilting leftovers and give them purpose in rosepath weaving. It will be beautiful.
Happy weaving,
Karen