Here is a plan for making very handsome and serviceable rugs at little expense. The foundation is some strong but open cloth; as crash, drugget, or coffee sacks. The foundation should bo stretched upon a frame, and some pretty design sketched upon it; the sketch should then be filled in with silk, cotton, or woolen rags of tasty colors. Siik rags look best, of course, but worsted may be used with excellent effect. If the design is a good one, the rug will be quite satisfactory. The rags should be drawn through with a large crochet needle, and the ends cut every stitch; and when the work is complete, all the ends should be sheared off to an even length. It is hardly necessary to add that the foundation should be entirely concealed by the filling, and the wrong side lined with some coarse material. A fringe all around would add to the effect.

Rugs Of Sheepskin

Here is a field for ladies who will take the pains to follow our suggestion, to make many pretty and useful articles. Wool is easily colored, either on the skin or in fabrics. Sheepskin with the wool on can be quite easily tanned. Boil the skin a short time in strong soap suds to which has been added some sal-soda, and soak it for twelve hours in half a pound each of salt and alum with enough water to cover the skin; this process completes the tanning. To dress it, procure a large board, to which tack the skin, flesh side out, and before it is dry sprinkle it with a powder of equal parts of alum and saltpetre. Leave it to dry for thirty hours, and then rub it thoroughly with pumice stone, to make it soft and pliable. To make a rug of the skin, the ends of the wool should be colored to suit the fancy, with aniline or other dyes, after which it should be trimmed and lined.

Carriage Rugs

Very attractive carriage rugs are made by bordering some bright cloth with strips of the skin, colored to match, or to harmonize with the center of the rug.