In order to make a shirred rag rug, strips of wool must be gathered, then they are shirred in coils or rows with thread. This is not the same as a stitched shag rug in which gathered strips of fabric are sewn to a base fabric.
Shirred contemporary area rugs have very rich, deep textures and are reversible. The normal shirred rugs can be made by trying several different strategies. In actual shirring, the folds of fabric radiate from a center or line up in rows, whereas faux shirring is different in that the folds of fabric are laid around the rug in a sequence of “s” shapes instead of radiating from the center.
The different shirring methods are described below.
Stitched Center Shirring : this type of shirring is the oldest kind of shirred rugs and are quite simple to construct. This strategy is done by taking strips of fabric and working them onto a thread, then going in an out to produce folds along the thread. The shirred sections are then coiled and stitched to create the rug.
knitted Center Shirring : There are two versions of this kind of shirred rug which are accomplished by a crocheted action whereby fabric strips are shirred onto a long thin afghan kind of crochet hook.
The 1st system of this kind of shirring is known as the “hump-back hook” or “bent” hook methodology. A specially bent, long thin crochet hook is used to shirr the fabric and each fold of fabric is worked off along with a double crochet stitch or a combination of a single crochet and a chain stitch. The fold is then attached to the rug as it is worked. This crocheted shirring methodology is regarded the most advanced of the techniques. Different hump-back crochet hooks have been marked over the years that are known as the “Schirren” hook, the “Shirret” hook, or “Art rug Needle.”
The second sort of shirring strategy is the afghan hook technique. This is done using fabric strips which are shirred onto an afghan ( or bent ) hook. Then the folds of the fabric are worked off and secured to form a chain stitch. This results in a long strip of shirred fabric, which is then coiled to make the rugs and secured by sewing or knitting with a steel crochet hook. This method of crocheted shirring is the easiest for an amateur to accomplish.
Edge Shirring : this technique is done along one edge of a strip of fabric instead of in the center. The rugs are routinely underbrush and need to have a spacing strip to allow the rug to stay horizontal.
Mono-shirring : This system is used to create a thick mat or blanket by employing a single big piece of wool fabric which is gathered along many threads.
pretend Shirring : this type of shirring is generally simpler than the regular shirred strategies and have the same deep texture and are also reversible. Wool strips are stitched together with a fold at each stitch. The difference between faux shirring and shirred rugs is that the folds of fabric lay around the exterior of the rug, while in regular shirring the folds spread out from the center.
The three main techniques of making faux shirred rugs are described below.
Needle and thread : A long sewing needle is employed in this strategy which is quite similar to the construction of standing wool rugs. The difference is that each stitch is secured with a folded section of fabric.
Axe stitched : this method is done with an awl and contains a loop of thread that secures each fold of fabric. Various devices have been utilized to make these rugs, including the “texing” needle.
crocheted : These are created with a little steel crochet hook, with one crochet stitch securing each one of the folds. Since this strategy is straightforward to do, it is kind of simple to make patterns in the rug.