Rag Rugs

Lila's beautiful blue-themed rug

Alison's ingmar bergman rug

Taylore's wonderful experiment with velvet and sari fabrics

Jackie's colorful striped warp

Lynnette's a wizard when it comes to unique color combinations

Amidst all the weaving of warm floor coverings that's been happening around the barn, there have been several beautiful rag rugs flying off the looms.

The warps have been set up with a 8/4 cotton, set differently according to whatever pattern the weaver wishes the warp to contribute to the overall design. We had started using a standard white yarn, but then Lila, Kate's 12-year-old apprentice, decided to use a blue warp, and her rug was the stunning beginning of people experimenting using color in the warp.

For her weft, Kate used some printed linen scraps that she had in her rag bag, but for the most part the rest of us have been using rayon dressmaking scraps from a local clothing manufacturer, which are often beautiful textures and colors. Lynnette mixed old flannel sheet scraps with rayon, to great effect. Taylore brought in velvets and old sari fabric from her stash at home, which make for a rich, luscious texture and visual appeal. 

There really seems to be no end to the spontaneous creativity possible with this kind of rug making. It's a quick and gratifying useful sort of project.