Updated January 21, 2022.
That picture is the daybed in my studio with many of the threads I’ve picked for my rug spread out on it. The rug uses motifs from Owen Jones’ Grammar of Ornament and so that is there as well. Obviously, I have lots of stash.
Having stash to use is great for rug because you don’t need to have colors match exactly unless it is the background. When a rug is broken up as this one is, even the background can change. Mix dye lots, threads, as long as you stay in one color palette, it’s all good.
The very best thread for rugs is silk and I will be using little bits of it. But silk is expensive and rugs are large. The second best thread for rugs is wool and the bulk of my rug will be in wool.
There are three main types of wool to consider. Persian Wool, originally developed to repair oriental rugs, tapestry wool developed for needlepoint, and crewel wool, developed for embroidery on cloth. All three can be mixed and used in a rug with no difficulties. You will find the biggest variety of manufacturers in crewel wool. You should also look at wool knitting yarns if you need to buy thread for larger areas. It is a significantly better buy. Just be sure to get the correct weight. In my pile are all three types of wool.
The third best choice is wool blends. These come in two types, all-natural blends, like the silk/wool blend such as impression, Essentials, or Silk & Ivory. You can also use one with synthetic threads, such as Rainbow Tweed and Burmilana. The synthetics may not wear as well as pure wool and the wool/silk blends may be too soft for a rug.
All blended threads run the risk of pilling. Before committing to using these for a large projet, stitch a small project to check for this.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Thank you Janet as I am thinking seriously of buying a needlepoing rug, round, and doing it in the near future. The round part consists of pansies and the middle is open, I mean no design and of a vanilla color. I was thinking of using silk-ivory.
Mary Lou —
If you are going to be walking on the rug, I’d stay away from Silk & Ivory. While it’s a lovely thread, it is very soft and has lots of loft, meaning lots of air is spun into it.
This means it can pill easily, which is not good in a rug. You can avoid pilling by handling it correctly, but I’m so absent minded, I’d forget and ruin the rug after using it a short time.
I’d stick to wool or a harder wool/silk blend myself.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
Needlepoint Inc. Silk is a great silk for rugs.
Hi Janet!
Lovely to see this post! If you didn’t mind, I had another question on the proper wool for rugs. I completed a rug while abroad, using wool from a local artisan. The rug has since pilled like crazy. How can I avoid this for future projects? I see you say to stick to a harder wool/silk blend, but how will I know?
Thanks,
Ronnie
Ronnie –
Changing to a silk/wool blend will not stop pilling, in fact blends are often worse. Did your rug pill or did it shed? Often wool rugs shed considerably when you first get them. After awhile this stops. It’s happened with every wool Persian rug I’ve bought (and I have many).
Rugs get lots of wear and need to use threads that stand up to this. Other projects don’t get as much wear, so this will be less of a problem.
The only way you can avoid this is to use either silk or cotton for your rug. Silk is very expensive. There is only one cotton strong enough for rugs and that’s Hyla’s High Cotton.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
Hi Janet,
I am going to attempt to stitch a VERY LARGE rug for the floor (14′ x 10′). Which type of wool and stitch makes the most sense?
I have done some Elizabeth Bradley pillows that use a simple cross stitch, but that would take twice as long (and I’m already too old to start this project), so I’m hoping basketweave will be strong enough for it.
Thank you!