Making a rag rug can be hugely satisfying, it's fun, creative, and also gives you the feel-good factor of knowing that you are recycling old materials that would otherwise be discarded, and also carrying on an old tradition and craft. In the nineteenth century rag rugs were often created by the American Shaker and Amish communities. They believed in living a simple life without waste and a rag rug was a wonderful way of doing this as well as creating a beautiful item for the home. Rag rugs were also popular in English and Scandinavian farming families.

These rugs were designed to be used however, and having experienced hard wear, very few early examples survive. In some homes they were laid upside down for day-to-day use, being turned the right way up to show the pattern, clean and bright, when visitors were expected. As they became more and more worn they would be relegated from the parlour to a bedroom or the kitchen and maybe even used as bedding for the family's animals, before ending their lives on the compost heap.

Methods of making these rugs varied. The early American settlers would plait old cloth and coil it round and round, whilst in Scandinavia where there is a strong tradition of hand weaving, they were often made on looms. Usually however, old hessian or jute feed sacks were used as a backing and strips of fabric were hooked or prodded through. Usually the sack was unpicked and washed before use, then a design drawn on it. Depending on the creativity of the rug maker this could be flowers, fruit or animals, or for those less confident of their abilities a simple message such as "welcome" would be transcribed. The rags were then torn into short strips for the prodded rugs or longer strips for hooked rugs, sewn end to end if necessary.

Rag rugs became less popular through the 1920s and it became most unusual to see them in the home with the introduction of fitted carpets in the 1950s. Today though, they are popular again for their unique nostalgic appeal, bringing thoughts of simpler times.

If you want to make a rag rug, it's best to choose cotton or wool fabrics as synthetic materials will attract the dirt more. A cotton rug would be great for the summer, whilst a woollen rug with lots of warm tones would be wonderful by the winter fireside.

A search through your wardrobe or attic may well bring suitable items to light, such as old bed linen, dresses, etc and friends can often be persuaded to contribute unwanted fabric. If you're still short of material, then remnant sales and car boot sales are the places to visit! Be sure to wash all your fabrics before you use them to make sure they don't shrink unevenly when you wash your rug at a later date.

You must use loosely woven fabric for the backing. If you want to make a wholly recycled rug then ask your local grocer or whole food shop if they have old sacks. If not, then it may be easier to buy some hessian. The only equipment needed is a rug hook or large crochet hook and, to make handling the rug easier, a rectangular quilting frame to which you attach the hessian.

Don't be too ambitious on your first attempt; go for a very easy design and a small mat so you don't become too discouraged. After you've washed and hemmed your backing, then draw your design onto the fabric with a wax crayon. You will work your rug right side up from side to side and top to bottom if you're using a frame, or from the centre outwards if you don't have a frame to keep the tension even.

Hold a strip of fabric beneath the hessian with your left hand (if you are right-handed), with one end at the point where you want to start. Then push the hook down through the backing fabric and pull the end of the strip up through the fabric. Make the next hole as close to the first as possible and hook up enough of the fabric strip to make a loop about " high. Repeat until you reach the end of the strip, pulling the end up to the right side and trimming it to the same length as the loops. Start your next strip in the same hole as this end strip.

You can clean your completed rug by hanging it over your washing line and beating the dust out of it. If it's heavily soiled then wash it with carpet shampoo and hang out to dry.

About the author :

Ellie Dixon lives in deepest rural Devon, England in an old farmhouse with husband Mike, and an assortment of other animals! Read about her often hilarious experiences on her website Visit ScruffyandFriends that's Ellie's site where you can also see recipes, home and garden hints and buy unique quality gifts and books.

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