Rugs: evolution

Rag rugs and braided rugs are also machine-made today. Scraps from clothing factories are collected to make these fabrics so they can be sold at a very reasonable price. They are durable and attractive—and will be more so as the col­ors soften with use.

Spanish designs "went out" way back in the 1920's, but there Have always been a few good French and English florals and these are increasingly plentiful.

They are the most successful of all machine-made period designs, because the modern Axminster is so similar in texture to the hand-knotted European fabrics.

n good qualities the weave is fine and the pile is luxuriously deep. There is no limitation to the number of colors in an Ax-minster, so the subtlest shading can be used in the vines, scrolls and flowers.