My grandmother
is in the process of cleaning out her house, and recently sent me a knotted shag rug she just finished making out of some old sweaters
of my grandfather's. Not only that, but she sent me the two knotted shag rug looms that were her mother's. The story is that my great-grandmother
drew up the design, went down to the blacksmith, and he made these for her. I know that such rug looms are often pretty simple (wood
with nails), but I thought you might be interested in these. I also enclose a picture of the rug, which I'm quite attached to already.
It's so thick and soft (extra soft because the sweaters were cashmere, merino, or lambswool)!
My mother remembers helping my
great-grandmother make rugs with these looms when she was a very small child. The cord that everyone in my family has always used
for the base is candlewicking, though I suspect that once I run out of what I've been sent, I'll just use whatever cotton cord I can
find.
I hope you find these of interest,
Naomi Parkhurst
These pictures show the Two String
Knotted Shag Rug Loom that my Great Grandfather, Charles Huff, made for my Great-Grandmother, Carrie Huff. Grandma Carrie gave the
loom and a partially completed rug to my mother when she was about 13, she guesses (about 1950). It is made from fir and the clamp
is made from maple, I think. Great Grandpa was a master builder so never did anything if a plain or simple manner. (Must have been
a "Born Engineer; nothing could be simple). He died in 1951 at age 86. He married in 1895, so the rug loom has the possibility of
being between 52 and 109 year old. More than likely, it was made after they moved from Michigan to Pasedena, CA, after 1910. My
mother thinks that he may have made the loom after he retired, maybe arount 1935. The pink rug that is work in progress was started
in 1962, when I was about 5. My mother's kitchen was pink and turquoise and I assume that she wanted a pink rug to match the pink
walls. I remember helping to knot the fabric. I have had the rug loom since I was a teenager and have ripped apart and restarted this
rug many times. I vow to finish is this year. However, since this rug loom is getting rather fragile, I have now retired it and am
using one that my son's girlfriend made for me in woodshop.
Thanks.
Carolyn Thomas
A Pelican Anchored Loop Rug from Florida Patti, from the Florida Keys has been crocheting rugs and recently got "hooked" on the anchored loop technique. This is her Pelican rug. I think Patti has a lot of potential as a rug designer, and she can be contacted at keysrugs@bellsouth.net. She is currently working on a new rug with a palm tree motif.
Somehow I've become hooked on doing rugs. I've been doing this
braided type for two years and I have made some small primitive hooked pieces that I've framed.Here is a couple of photos of my work,
the small one in the photo is an "in progress" piece. I start by braiding three strands to about 12" then turn and use one strand
as a filler piece and then put safety pins on the other two strands and start looping back into the braid, you cross over one strand
and come up from back side of rug through the braid loop, lay this down over the filler strand and repeat. Thank you so much, I'm
thrilled about sharing too! You can use my photos to share, or let me know what I need to do or what site to post on. Thanks a bunch!Diane Heisner Lincoln, Nebraska
Ruth's Wonderful Sewn Shag Rugs
Ruth Cannon of Charlotte North Carolina writes:
"First a note
to tell you how much I have enjoyed the various rug books and bulletins I ordered. I hope to be able to learn to make some of the
creative variations described.
Also, I wanted to send you photographs of a few of the sewn shag rugs I make using traditional and contemporary patterns. In the construction of the rugs, I machine sew ruffled fabric strips to canvas in lines close enough to force the fabric upward. This process creates a thickly textured surface that displays colors from the cut edges of the fabric.
To finish each rug, I hand sew a lining to the back that complements the colors on the surface. ...Normally for a two foot by three foot rug, I will use approximately twenty to twenty-five yards of fabric. I have been making this rag rug variation since 1992 and sell them at a limited number of juried art and craft festivals each year."
(A note from Diana: These pictures just don't do justice to Ruth's wonderful colors and textures--her rugs are beautiful. There are two other of Ruth's rugs pictured on the sewn shag tour stop. If you would like to contact Ruth, she can be reached at simplyrugs@msn.com --Thanks for sharing your rugs with us, Ruth!)
A
Family Mystery Solved!
Dear Diana, A quick Grandma story . . . When they were alive, both my grandmother and grandfather made rag
rugs on looms. I remember seeing mounds and mounds of rags rolled into balls for the loom. When she died, I got an oval rug that I
thought had been made (somehow) on their looms because it looks just like them -- after reading my "Crocheted and Fabric Tapestry
Rugs" from cover to cover,
I realized it is string crochet! My sister is excited for me to make one for her as it seems I've got the
only one of Grandma's left. Unfortunately, she'll have to wait. I've got so many other wonderful ideas from your book, I'm sure I
won't get to it for quite some time. Roseann
Dear Roseann, Wonderful! I love that you've read the book cover to cover, and solved the 'family mystery'. The rug you have of your Grandmothers should be treated with great care because surviving string crochet rugs are quite rare! Happy Rugmaking! Diana
More from Roseann: After I read your e-mail, I got out a hooked? rug that Grandma did
also and have included pictures as well. I then called my mom to get a little more background. She thinks the String Crochet was done
in the late '50s or early 60s and the Hook was done late '40s, early '50s or before. Grandma saved all the old silk stockings she
could get her hands on and that's what she used for both of these rugs (the hooked rug also has some other silk fabrics around the
edges). To make the String rug look multi-colored she used different colors of warp --
the silk is all the original (but faded) "natural/taupe" color. She must have dyed the stockings to make the colors in the Hook, and it was worked on an old burlap feed bag. (Mom says she never threw any fabric away and also never used "new" fabric. It was all discarded clothes, etc.) These rugs were made to serve a purpose and as far as I know were used until I got them, so they definitely have signs of wear (the string more so than the hook). They haven't been on the floor since!
Bohemian braid basket made with grocery sacks:
First found you about fifteen years ago!
Yes, I ordered a couple of your books about 15 years ago. Since then I have made many fabric tapestry rugs, but what I make most are Modern Bohemian Braid baskets.
We all know that preparing the fabric is a VERY time-consuming task, so I've experimented with different materials over the years so I can get right to the basket making!
My favorite is baling twine -- yes, the old-fashioned twine that comes in a huge roll you need to buy at a farm store. Although it's a little rough on my hands, it makes a beautiful basket with NO material prep.
Several months ago I saw a page online about how to crochet a market tote using plastic grocery bags. The wheels turned and after modifying the width of the strips, I was upcycling all my (and my co-workers) grocery bags into Bohemian Braid baskets! I cut the bags horizontally (after trimming the handle and bottom seam off) so I'm working with loops a few inches wide. I just attach new loops as I go.
I've attached a picture because I probably haven't explained it very well. Hope your followers find it helpful and start their own upcycling projects.
Thanks for 15 years of handmade gifts. I'm looking forward to the next 15!
Sincerely,
Roseann
Roseann's Modern Bohemian braid basket--I love how she handled the colors of the plastic sacks! She's continuing the long creative tradition of taking a rug method and adapting it to new materials. It's wonderful to hear from rug makers who are so ingenious.
Thanks Roseann!
--Diana Blake Gray
PART TWO OF THE RUGMAKERS EXCHANGE