Auckland, New Zealand
RAG RUG MAKING DEMONSTRATION.
Rags to mats.
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Rag rug front
Rag rug back
Watch the rug making process and discuss the method, tools and techniques with the costumed presenter, suitable as a demonstration craft in Historical Houses.
These floor coverings are a traditional English craft. In many homes rugs made from recycled household materials provided homemade mats that withstood many years hard wear. New ones would be used by beds or in front or the hearth, older ones used by the door. A quick shake or beating with a carpet beater would keep them looking fresh.
Sacking is washed and cut open; the raw edges turned in and hemmed before drawing a design on the back using chalk.
The tool required to push the material through the sacking is called a podger; this is a small piece of pointed stick, a blunt pencil works well.
Strips of material about 3 ¾ inches by 1 inch are pushed through the sacking to form loops on the back and evenly spaced. One loop joins to the next like a chain. The loops are about half inch spacing, with half inch spacing between the rows.
The material used should be of a similar texture and design to provide a good result.
Once finished the pile can be trimmed if required and the rug backed with a further piece of sacking to give extra weight and strength.
Copyright RPL 11/2/2007
