| Making a rag rug can be hugely satisfying, it's fun, | | | | attract the dirt more. A cotton rug would be great for |
| creative, and also gives you the feel-good factor of | | | | the summer, whilst a woollen rug with lots of warm |
| knowing that you are recycling old materials that would | | | | tones would be wonderful by the winter fireside. |
| otherwise be discarded, and also carrying on an old | | | | A search through your wardrobe or attic may well |
| tradition and craft. In the nineteenth century rag rugs | | | | bring suitable items to light, such as old bed linen, |
| were often created by the American Shaker and | | | | dresses, etc and friends can often be persuaded to |
| Amish communities. They believed in living a simple life | | | | contribute unwanted fabric. If you're still short of |
| without waste and a rag rug was a wonderful way of | | | | material, then remnant sales and car boot sales are |
| doing this as well as creating a beautiful item for the | | | | the places to visit! Be sure to wash all your fabrics |
| home. Rag rugs were also popular in English and | | | | before you use them to make sure they don't shrink |
| Scandinavian farming families. | | | | unevenly when you wash your rug at a later date. |
| These rugs were designed to be used however, and | | | | You must use loosely woven fabric for the backing. If |
| having experienced hard wear, very few early | | | | you want to make a wholly recycled rug then ask |
| examples survive. In some homes they were laid | | | | your local grocer or whole food shop if they have old |
| upside down for day-to-day use, being turned the right | | | | sacks. If not, then it may be easier to buy some |
| way up to show the pattern, clean and bright, when | | | | hessian. The only equipment needed is a rug hook or |
| visitors were expected. As they became more and | | | | large crochet hook and, to make handling the rug |
| more worn they would be relegated from the parlour | | | | easier, a rectangular quilting frame to which you attach |
| to a bedroom or the kitchen and maybe even used as | | | | the hessian. |
| bedding for the family's animals, before ending their | | | | Don't be too ambitious on your first attempt; go for a |
| lives on the compost heap. | | | | very easy design and a small mat so you don't |
| Methods of making these rugs varied. The early | | | | become too discouraged. After you've washed and |
| American settlers would plait old cloth and coil it round | | | | hemmed your backing, then draw your design onto the |
| and round, whilst in Scandinavia where there is a | | | | fabric with a wax crayon. You will work your rug right |
| strong tradition of hand weaving, they were often | | | | side up from side to side and top to bottom if you're |
| made on looms. Usually however, old hessian or jute | | | | using a frame, or from the centre outwards if you |
| feed sacks were used as a backing and strips of | | | | don't have a frame to keep the tension even. |
| fabric were hooked or prodded through. Usually the | | | | Hold a strip of fabric beneath the hessian with your left |
| sack was unpicked and washed before use, then a | | | | hand (if you are right-handed), with one end at the |
| design drawn on it. Depending on the creativity of the | | | | point where you want to start. Then push the hook |
| rug maker this could be flowers, fruit or animals, or for | | | | down through the backing fabric and pull the end of |
| those less confident of their abilities a simple message | | | | the strip up through the fabric. Make the next hole as |
| such as "welcome" would be transcribed. The rags | | | | close to the first as possible and hook up enough of |
| were then torn into short strips for the prodded rugs or | | | | the fabric strip to make a loop about ½ " high. |
| longer strips for hooked rugs, sewn end to end if | | | | Repeat until you reach the end of the strip, pulling the |
| necessary. | | | | end up to the right side and trimming it to the same |
| Rag rugs became less popular through the 1920s and | | | | length as the loops. Start your next strip in the same |
| it became most unusual to see them in the home with | | | | hole as this end strip. |
| the introduction of fitted carpets in the 1950s. Today | | | | You can clean your completed rug by hanging it over |
| though, they are popular again for their unique nostalgic | | | | your washing line and beating the dust out of it. If it's |
| appeal, bringing thoughts of simpler times. | | | | heavily soiled then wash it with carpet shampoo and |
| If you want to make a rag rug, it's best to choose | | | | hang out to dry. |
| cotton or wool fabrics as synthetic materials will | | | | |