Carpets and Hearthrugs.
The worst of having a house papered and painted a fresh colour is that it means getting all the furnishings to match, and carpets, hearthrugs, curtains, etc., are expensive items, if you have to buy them. But one must have a change in the doll’s cottage sometimes, so suppose, to-day, you learn how to make a pretty carpet and hearthrug for it.
THE IN-AND-OUT PATTERN FOR A RUG.
You can make your carpet and rug of whatever shades you like, and it would be best to choose colours that will go nicely with your wall paper. For instance, if the sitting-room of your doll’s cottage is going to have a paper with pink roses and green leaves on the wall, you had better decide to have pink and green for your carpet and rug. If you have yellow walls, a carpet in a lovely shade of brown, and just a little yellow in it would be delightful. Of course, if the doll’s cottage has white or cream walls, you can choose whatever colours you like for the floor.
The In-and-Out Pattern.
Let us make this little rug first, as this is a particularly easy pattern. Cream Congress Canvas has been used for this, and on [page 78] there is a picture of a little bit worked on canvas, that you may see which way the stitches go. This rug measures 4 inches long by 2½ inches wide when finished, but it does not matter at all what size you make it. This has been worked in Baldwin & Walker’s Ladyship 3-ply Fingering, pink and green. This is a lovely soft wool to use.
Commence by turning the canvas in all round and tack it. Run the pink wool up a little way at the back of the canvas, leave a loop at the end, then start the first row between 2nd and 3rd threads from the left side, * pass the pink wool under 1 thread of canvas; then over 6 threads and under 2 threads 6 times, now over 6 threads and under 1 at end of canvas, leave a loop at end, and start the next row between the next two threads of canvas. *