Quote from Forum Archives on October 16, 2001, 5:53 pm

Posted by: empalo <empalo@...>

there is a nifty little tool that I use that feed the fabric in such a way
to make the braiding
easier. I use wool cut into strips for my rugs. I go to thrift stores and
buy old wool
coats, then cut them apart. They are usually made out of heavy wool that
wears well.
As the braid gets big enough I start stitching it together. If I want an
oval rug then I
start with a straight length so many inches long. If I want a circular rug
then I start stitching
a circle. Its really not hard, but you must use carpet thread, other
threads don't hold up
so well.
here are some on line directions I found, they say it lots better than I
can

How to braid a rug
Braiding rugs is one of the simplest and least expensive hobbies anyone can
have. These rugs can be made from old fabric remnants, ruined nylons, scraps
of old clothes or even dried grasses. The best part of braiding a rug is
being allowed to choose your own colors to fit into the theme being used in
the room you are making the rug for. These rugs can be small throw rugs or
can even be made into one large enough to fit a room.
To begin braiding a rug you will need to gather the fabrics in the colors
you prefer. Decide if you will use bright, dark or neutral colors. Perhaps
you would prefer to use a patterned fabric. All your materials should be
medium to heavy weight and densely woven. When figuring the amount of
material you will need, one yard of 54 inch fabric per square foot of rug is
sufficient. Buying remnants by the pound from your local fabric store is a
great way to start. You will need about one pound per square foot of rug.
You will also need sewing and lacing needles, carpet thread, braiding cones
to fold the fabric strips and clothes pins to clip to the braid when you are
not working on your rug.
The first step in rug braiding is to tear strips of fabric that are 1 14
when using heavy fabrics to 2 12 inches when using thinner fabrics, wide
along the grain of the fabric. Join the ends of the fabric strips into
continuous lengths by placing the ends at right angles and stitching on the
bias. For the best results, prepare enough fabric strips for the entire rug.
Once the strips are joined, they can be separated by color and rolled into
rolls. Now that you are ready to braid, insert the end of three of the
strips into braiding cones and slide the cones about a foot along the strip.
Join two of the strips with a bias seam, making a T. Attach a vertical strip
inside the first two with the single fold of the horizontal strip face up.
If you need better tension before you begin to braid you can sew a piece of
string to the top of the T and then tie to to a table leg.
Begin braiding your rug by crossing the right strip of the cross bar over
the vertical strip and then the left strip over the strip now in the center.
While you are braiding be sure to twist the strips so the single fold edge
is facing left. As you reach the center of your rug you will notice that the
curve is becoming more round. In these turn areas you will need to change
your braiding technique a bit. Bring the left strip over the center, then
the strip that has become the left center over the new center strip. Then
bring the right strip over the center strip and tighten to cause the braid
to curve to the right. To begin the center of a round rung use between 6 and
12 round turns and then begin to straight braid.
After you have made the center of the rug, you will want to begin joining
the braids with a large needle and carpet thread. You will need a flat
surface or table to lay out the rug. Put your stitches through the folds of
the inner loops, stopping just past the second turn. Using the blunt edge
lacing needle, begin to lace the braids together by working under the inside
loops and out to the top of the braids. Skip a loop occasionally on the
outer braid to prevent the rug from bucking. Be sure to pull your thread
tight. To finish the rug, taper each strip to a point 6 inches long. Fold
the raw edges under and stitch, then stitch the points into the matching
loop.
Author's name omitted by request

Here is a catalog that sells supplies for braiding rugs and hooking rugs.
they sell insturctional videos too I think
www.braid-aid.com/catalog.html

Pat in texas
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