Lines in frieze seams

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McBrides

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
101
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Since that showhome (under McBride's New Project), we have worked with that frieze product two more times. The pile is composed of a random two-tone colour. The second install was a darker colour, and we found that when we cut the seams and put them together, dark and light lines would appear where the fibre colours were twinned at the seams. In our last install, we had to nap out some of the twinned colours in order to make the seams disappear. Shifting the fills did not make those lines disappear, but just appear somewhere else in the seam.

We were asked to do another install of this product (even though we had grumbled about it) and this time, we did something a little different; we cut the seams just a little off-square (slightly diagonal), and those lines did not appear at all.

The product is Mohawk's Quiet Escape.

Hopefully, this will save some other installer out there a little grief.

D&D
 
Have you tried a serpentine straight edge? We used one for multi-colored sculpture back in the 80's. It breaks up the color lines and hides the seams.
 
Thats a good idea McBrides.

Rusty, I don't think you can even buy a serpentine straight edge here any more.

Kinda makes you wonder if these carpet people even try and makes seams in this stuff they dream up.
 
I met a guy once who free handed (double cut) his serpintene edges. He got fired immediately. :D
 
I noticed that problem with friezes about 5 years ago. If you run a row, you have to make sure the two sides are not the same color. they rotate every other row with the two colors.If you straightedge your seams, then you need to do it slightly off kilter.
 
I noticed that problem with friezes about 5 years ago. If you run a row, you have to make sure the two sides are not the same color. they rotate every other row with the two colors.If you straightedge your seams, then you need to do it slightly off kilter.

We didn't start seeing friezes until about 2 1/2 years ago, which is the usual lag time for American product making it into Canada, and most of the friezes we have worked with have been here in the Peg in the past year. This product, so far, has been the only pisser. On the last install, we were shaving rows off to try to eliminate the lines.

We only row cut berbers and patterned goods, but it is the patterned goods we usually end up arguing over. I am far better than Dave at finding and making the pattern match.

Rusty, we haven't seen a serpentine straightedge in well over 10 years. That was the suggestion made by our insurance estimator, but even if we had access to one, we have never used a wide iron and wide tape would probably be a special order.
 
The serpentine I have, you only need a regular iron. Don't know if it would work on that carpet or not anyway and you have found a solution. But for anyone interested, Crain still makes a combination serpentine straight edge.
 
Hear , Hear .
Had a large loop berber one time , cut it about five different ways . called the mill , the told me to take a pair of scissors and cut out every other loop.

You can figure out for yourself what i told them . :mad:
 
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Hear , Hear .
Had a large loop berber one time , cut it about five different ways . called the mill , the told me to take a pair of scissors and cut out every other loop.

Uou cna figure out for yourself what i told them . :mad:

The ole step-over stitch?
 
Is this one of those friezes that has a little black and white barber pole yarn between the shaggy yarns? If so I found the best way to cut it was from the back following the warp yarn in between the rows. Leave the black on one side and take it off on the other. Took me 5 times of trying to make a customer happy because of the dark lines.

Daris
 
Did you straight edge or row cut?
Some friezes are done in two multi-stranded colors with every other row the same. These need to be row cut with light color on one side, dark on the other.
 
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This one is comprised of a solid colour fibre, with a two-tone twisted fibre. Looks totally random.

We walked into the warehouse on Wednesday, found one of our colleagues getting ready to make cuts in a 30 footer of the same product. First thing I told him was to cut his seams off square to eliminate the lines. When we were at the shop on Friday, the warehouse estimator told us that the same installer had reported to him about having lines in his seams.

My response? "What do I know, I'm just a GIRL."
 
Highup has the answer, the carpet will have to be row run to get the best seam. I have been running into that type of carpet for years. The frieze carpets are more difficult to follow the rows so it is a bit of a pain.

The best thing is roll the carpet out and try not to disturb the nap lay, then use a row splitting tool and open up the row, after a few times you will get used to how it works. The key is to not brush the nap up too much before you cut the seam.
 
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