Many years ago when our children were quite young I decided to make a braided rug. I had dabbled in many crafts – decoupage, antiquing, making nature collages of seedpods or seashells.
I saw this activity as an opportunity to create an object of utilitarian art and also recycle discarded woolen clothing. Besides, a handmade rug would add a bit of homespun charm to our family room.
The inspiration for this project struck one summer when we stopped to see my mother on our way to the campground for our annual week of “back to nature.” In a box of clothing she was discarding I discovered some moth eaten skirts from my high school days.
“Don’t throw those away,” I said. “I’ll use them to make a rug.”
This was before the days of the internet, which now provides detailed instructions for almost anything you want to create. I had no idea how it should be done and I knew no one who had experience and could teach me. But I reasoned that neither did housewives of the past have directions for such an endeavor. The good old American way was to figure it out as I went along. I knew how to braid hair and that would be a starting point. All I needed would be three strips of cloth.
While the children played at the campground, I worked on my rug. I tore three strips of woolen material, folded the edges inward so they wouldn’t unravel and braided a beautiful blue strand. Once it was twice as long as I supposed the center should be, I doubled it and sewed the two braids together using fishing line and a needle from my sewing kit. I proceeded with the blue wool until all the material was used, and then added strips of other colors, making a continuous braid, braiding and stitching until it gradually formed an oval.
By the end of our camping trip, I was hooked!
But responsibilities at home and at school left little time for braiding and stitching, so the rug-in-progress went into a garbage bag stored with our camping gear until the next opportunity.
Meanwhile, I stayed on the lookout for wool blankets at yard sales and flea markets. I tore strips and wound them into balls in preparation for the next opportunity to braid. Some of the strips were dyed to provide the colors I needed.
Every summer when we packed for camping, Mom’s rug and the extra wool strips were added to the trailer. A pattern evolved as I worked. Eventually I could not wait for summer camping time and decided to set up a card table in the family room and continue braiding while I watched television.
A friend in the real estate business informed me that he found a box with many rolls of wool strips in a house he was to sell (So someone else in Roanoke was also a rug maker?) He offered them to me and I gladly accepted. These strips were all dark colors and contrasted nicely with my brighter ones.
Eventually my rug measured twelve feet nine inches by six feet nine inches – not conventional dimensions, but large enough to use in the seating area of the family room. And there it is today, some forty-five years later. Recently I had to do some mending. The stitches holding the braids together wore out in numerous places — especially where I used regular sewing thread. I found myself again stitching while I watch television – this time using stronger carpet and button thread.
My interest in rug braiding did not end with that large rug. I also made smaller rugs for each of my children and my sister. Today I still have boxes of rug material stored in the basement. I was ready to dispose of it when my son requested that I keep it. He is considering making a rug himself!
Think you might be interested something? Give it a try and figure it out as you go!
