How to do Rag Rugs

All about rag rugs

If this is the first time you have considered making rag rugs, then you have come to the right place. I have just finished my second rag rug, as a birthday present for a friend where I work. I teach rag rug making as well as other arts and craft, mosaic tables and mosaic mirrors, wall sculptures and other craft work in a special needs community near to where I live.

Equipment

To start your rag rug you will need a certain amount of equipment. Apart from the tools and the canvas you will have to gather the material together that you intend to use. Choosing as many different colors as you can will give you more options for your rug.

What you need

1. A wooden frame no larger than 20”x 20”
2. A rug hook (these are available for a few dollars from specialist stores) the best ones have lovely wooden handles and are made from brass, cheaper ones are made from steel with a wood handle.
3. Base fabric this is made from hessian or sacking (a sack is actually ideal for the purpose though harder to get now, as food more usually comes in paper sacks or plastic) it is not important how fine or coarse the sacking is.
4. A selection of fabrics in different colours and textures cut into strips approximately ¼” wide depending on thickness of the fabric.
5. Thumb tacks or staples and staple gun.
6. Needle and cotton thread for finishing.

Getting the rug started

Draw out your image design for your rug and use colour pencils or markers to get an idea of how the finished piece will look. It can be useful to Xerox your design a few times and use different colour combinations to see which looks best. Your design will always be enhanced by creating a coloured border around your image to contain it and set it off.

Cut a piece of fabric at least 5” wider than the frame all round. Stretch the fabric and either staple or thumb tack it tightly around all the edges. Fold the remaining fabric under the inside of the frame.
Take a sharp pencil and draw a line 1” in from the edge of the frame, this is your working area. (If the rug you want to make is larger than your frame, it is possible to move the hessian and complete it little by little) Draw your design on to the front of your fabric using an indelible (permanent) marker (so the ink does not run into your rug if it gets wet)

Fabrics

The colours and fabrics you use reflect your personality in your rug. Cotton fabric is ideal as it comes in a variety of types and in many different colours. Fleece fabrics give a wonderful surface texture to your rug and are easy to use as well as being available in many bright colours. Wool fabric can be cut into strips and give a luxurious feel to your rug, if the wool tends to unravel felt it in a hot wash in the washing machine before using. Tee shirts are a great fabric and are good to use as they do not fray and can be cut thinly. Cotton towelling is not suitable to use as it frays badly and leaves bits over the surface. Denim fabric from jeans is also unsuitable as it is too thick and tough for the job although denim skirt fabric may be used.

Hooking your rug

Push the rug hook through the fabric and draw the strip of fabric to the surface. Leave two threads of hessian between holes and push the rug hook through for the second time draw the strip of fabric up into a loop and leave on the surface, repeat leaving two threads between each time. The rug is made up of fabric loops which are compressed so close together they do not fall out. When you start on the next row, again leave two threads between, each way.

Finishing work

When you have completed every section of your rag rug, remove it from the wooden frame and double turn the sides under at the back of the rug so that all the raw edges are finished. Mitre your corners so that they are neatly folded and use sewing thread to sew down each corner and down the sides with a hemming stitch or slip stitch.

It is a great feeling every time you complete your rag rugs or braided rag rugs (as shown), it is an achievement to be proud of and you will have an heirloom to pass down to your children and their children, so give it a go.