Colors

This is what I love about rag rug weaving. The colors. These are a couple of rugs I made to match the fabric in the photo. Except that the request was for a "light and bright" rug. I usually
scour the studio for fabrics that will work. I paw through boxes in the attic, climb up on the ladder in the pantry to see all the rolls on the top shelves, and trudge out to the barn to see what I have stashed out there. I usually have a pile of samples that I cut off, then with several spools of warp thread, I lay them all out to see what will work. When I figure out what I want, I get a plastic bin, and start cutting and winding strips of fabric until I have more than enough. This rug was woven with two strips at a time, instead of one wider strip. Winding two thinner strips of different colors on to the shuttle at the same time, creates a rug with a lot more life and movement, in my humble opinion.
I have to admit, once I have settled on colors, I design as I go, in a really hit or miss fashion.
I always love to see the result when I take the rug off the loom, and throw it down on the floor. Only then does it reveal whether or not it is going to work.
These rugs worked for me, and luckily, for the lady that I wove them for. That's what counts.

This week was a bust. An 11 ft rug that turned out 5" short, another rug that just didn't suit me, and a knee that persisted to cause me distress 24/7. So today, with snow turning to sleet, I quit early, came home and made beef stew and biscuits and brownies. I think I need a day off.