This comprehensive "natural history" of a traditional art form honors more than a hundred contemporary Finnish American rag rug weavers and loom builders, whom the author has met and interviewed during more than two decades of research, mostly in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. As in the classic Finnish American rag rug, Lockwood weaves a colorful yet subdued, artfully lasting, and deeply symbolic tribute that reclaims remnants of past Michigan Traditional Arts Program productions in a fresh composition that will appeal to rag rug artisans, Finns and Finnish Americans, scholars, and a broad public alike. Janet C. Gilmore, Independent Folklorist & Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison --

Elspeth Jackson reinvents the traditional craft of rag rugging to create contemporary and sustainable homeware items from leftover fabrics. You’ll be amazed at how simple and enjoyable it is to upcycle old and well-loved garments into beautiful rugs, pillows, artworks, bags, and other gifts, using just a few basic tools and some simple techniques. The book is arranged into three chapters: Home includes a selection of projects for fun and easy rugs in a range of colours and styles, as well as a shaggy pillow, draught excluder, wall hanging and chalkboard frame. Gifts has wonderful ideas for unique items that you can make for friends and family, from a clutch purse to flower hair clips and even a brooch. Finally, Seasonal will inspire you to turn your strips of fabric into decorations and gifts to use at certain times of the year, from a rag-rugged heart for Valentine’s Day, to an unusual spring wreath and some gorgeous Christmas baubles. With lavish color photographs and clear, step-by-step instructions and artworks, crafters of all ages will enjoy making these projects. A comprehensive section at the start of the book covers everything you need to know about which fabrics to choose, what tools you will need, and the essential techniques, allowing you to discover how to update this traditional craft with endless possibilities of color and fabric combinations.

Every weaver weaves a rag rug—or two, or three. In this long-awaited book, well-known weaver and teacher Tom Knisely shares his knowledge and expertise in this collection of favorite rag rug patterns. • The first comprehensive book on weaving rag rugs in a generation • Color planning and design advice for rag rugs • Step-by-step instructions on warping and weaving for your rag rug • More than 30 rag rug projects, from simple to advanced

Making is good for you. Exploring crafts can be relaxing and therapeutic : the projects in this book are accessible to anyone who is inspired to recycle old clothes and textiles into unique, decorative, useful projects. Our forbears improvised tools to recycle their worn clothes - mostly dark suiting or mill waste if they lived near a mill. Usually they made mats for their cold floors or as draft excluders across doors. Nowadays you can choose from so many more colors and textures - painting with rags! Try one project or more. You will be able to use the techniques to design and make your own one-off items for your home or as hand-made gifts. The techniques here are traditional and simple - you will be surprised at how drab fabrics become transformed. Simple designs work best and you can even improvise as you work. If a fabric runs out, then use another - I call that organic design! Hooking is the best technique for pictorial detail and different techniques could be combined for original wall art. Historically, rugs were made by several people sitting round a horizontal frame with the children cutting the pieces of rag which were prodded into the hessian (burlap) backing to make a shaggy mat. There is a prodded project (for purists) but you can also achieve the same effect without a frame by progging, which can be done on table or thigh (carefully). Warning – this craft can be addictive!

Well-known primitive rug hookers Jenny Rupp and Lisa Yeago combine their expertise along with the talents of 22 others to bring you an exciting variety of hand-hooked projects. Now, with the introduction of Designs for Primitive Rug Hookers, brought to you by Rug Hooking magazine, these easy-to-follow projects become clear for the novice as well as the most experienced rug hooker. Free pattern line drawings and complete material lists are included for each project to help get you started. Projects range from pillows and mats to table runners, an eyeglass case, a tea cozy, belts, and more. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to hook these unique primitive rugs today.

Illustrated guide for step-by-step beginning and advanced weaving. 424 pages; over 600 illustrations; indexed

Rag rugs have been around for centuries, but never has there been such a wealth of creative possibilities available using traditional rug techniques. Rugs are only the beginning! In Rag Rug Creations, you will discover a huge range of applications for this basic technique, such as wall hangings, bags, cushions and accessories, to name a few. This book reveals all the techniques and possibilities open to you using only a minimum of specialist tools, and a wide range of materials, including recycled and found objects, which makes this craft affordable as well as enjoyable. Every part of the process is covered in Rag Rug Creations, from planning and designing to hooking and prodding; plus instructions on additional decorative techniques such as felting, heat-bonding and fleece-carving. Armed with this book and a rug hook, you'll be producing rag rug creations in no time.