To create a shirred rag rug, strips of wool must be gathered, then they’re shirred in coils or rows with thread. This is not the same as a sewn shag rug in which gathered strips of fabric are stitched 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 techniques. In exact shirring, the folds of fabric radiate from a center or line up in rows, while faux shirring is dissimilar in the folds of fabric are laid round the rug in a sequence of “s” shapes instead of radiating from the center.
The different shirring techniques are described below.
Stitched Center Shirring : this type of shirring is the oldest sort of shirred rugs and are quite easy to construct. This technique is done by taking strips of fabric and working them onto a thread, then going in an out to supply folds along the thread. The shirred sections are then coiled and stitched to create the rug.
knitted Center Shirring : There are 2 versions of this type of shirred rug which are accomplished by a crocheted action wherein fabric strips are shirred onto a long thin afghan sort of crochet hook.
The first system of this type of shirring is known as the “hump-back hook” or “bent” hook method. A specially bent, long thin crochet hook is used to shirr the fabric and each fold of fabric is worked off together with a double crochet stitch or a combo of a single crochet and a chain stitch. The fold is then attached to the rug as it is worked. This knitted shirring method is regarded the most complicated of the strategies. 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 kind of shirring methodology is the afghan hook method. 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 leads to a long strip of shirred fabric, which is then coiled to create the rugs and secured by stitching or knitting with a steel crochet hook. This technique of crocheted shirring is the easiest for an amateur to do.
Edge Shirring : this technique is done along one edge of a strip of fabric rather than in the middle. The rugs are typically scrub and need to have a spacing strip to allow the rug to lie flat.
Mono-shirring : This strategy 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 mostly simpler than the regular shirred techniques and have the same deep texture and are also reversible. Wool strips are stitched together with a fold at each stitch. The difference between fake shirring and shirred rugs is that the folds of fabric lay around the outside of the rug, whereas in regular shirring the folds spread out from the center.
The 3 main methods of making faux shirred rugs are described below.
Needle and thread : A long sewing needle is used in this technique which is quite similar to the development of standing wool rugs. The difference is that each stitch is secured with a folded section of fabric.
Awl stitched : this technique is done with an awl and contains a loop of thread that secures each fold of fabric. Numerous devices have been employed to form these rugs, including the “texing” needle.
knitted : These are created with a little steel crochet hook, with one crochet stitch securing each of the folds. Since this strategy is straightforward to do, it is quite easy to make patterns within the rug.
