North American Orientals: Part Two

In our first article, we discussed the importance of straight, on-grain patterns: Oriental patterns that are drawn straight to the warp and weft of the background fabric. Drawing pencil lines up and down the rug will also help determine that the motifs and sections are symmetrical, in case any of those need to be redrawn or adjusted.

There are, however, occasions when the pattern is drawn straight but the warp and weft have “gone off.” Sometimes it is possible to align the threads and the design by pulling on the opposite diagonal corners several times. Enlist a friend to help.