Hi all - enjoying becoming familiar with Inkscape tools and producing vector graphics. I took below .jpg image and "bitmap traced" it to produce .svg. These are just tests - but I'm very happy with the results (mono colour, no spotting, the thicker lines, the inverted outline produced where the shadows overlap the rug). Issue is I don't know how I produced it! Would love some assistance if the method to recreate this effect is known, as I have many final images I wish to produce :) Thanks

.jpg

I‘d try; convert the line work with Path->Stroke to Path - select „shadow“ shape and converted linework and go Path->Combine - open Fill and Stroke panel and set the fill rule to even-odd.

Thanks so much @Polygon - I tried the method you provided (see attached result), with mixed results.

Differences are:

• original .svg has no inner lines, just a single white line (see boxes in middle -right of image). I may have separated some layers originally before export (I don't recall)
• original .svg is a nice level of detail yet simple - new .svg is more messy (compare posts in bottom left of new image)
• Rug lines in new .svg don't invert as they go in and out of shadows

If further assistance can be offered I would be very grateful 

@Polygon - question solved!

Answer - I systematically applied each "trace bitmap" option and found below combo worked:

• Color quantization
• Invert Color
• Fill to "medium - grey"  

Thanks for your assistance

My initial idea was that as described per above:

1. Linework convert with Path->Stroke to Path

2. Then Path->Combine

3. Then with all selected Path->Combine: