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Rag Rugs Tour
4. Knitted
7. Chain Braids
10. Fabric Tapestry
13. Needleworked
16. Knotted &
strung shags
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Rag Rugs Tour
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 A standard crocheted heart rug made with wool strip. |
 A standard crocheted heart made with cotton strip. |
See the new page with more color photos of the rugs from the book "Crocheted & Fabric Tapestry Rugs". |
Fabric strips used for crocheted rugs should not be more than
2 inches
wide (1-1/2 inches is ideal), and it is essential to have a reliable
increase
pattern so that the rugs lie flat. 
Standard
crocheted rugs use a single crochet stitch and are all worked in
'rounds'
of stitching. Standard crocheted rugs can be made in a wide variety of
shapes from the traditional rounds and ovals to squares, rectangles,
hearts,
heelprint (half rounds), multiple centers, hollow centers and freeform
shapes. 
Lightweight Crocheted Runners
These rugs are made with 3/4 inch strip, worked back and forth in rows,
usually of single crochet. Other stitches for runners have included
urchin
stitch and attached double crochet (the regular double crochet is too
loose
for solid rug construction). To determine quality, look for a smooth
surface
(raw edges are ok in this variety), and a straight edge. Some rugs of
this
type had added fringes on the ends.
One Way Crocheted Rugs
These rugs were crocheted with relatively short strips of fabric,
always
worked on the same side and the same direction. Typically these runner
style rugs had fringed ends and the rows of stitching run the length of
the rug.Often these rugs were made with 'fancy' stitches which tended
to
disguise the crocheted nature of the rugs. Appearance widely varied
depending
on the stitches used, some even appear to be knitted on one side.
Cross Woven Crocheted Rugs
These rugs were made by crocheting a filet mesh and then weaving fabric
strips through the mesh in both directions. Fairly light weight and
easily
identified by the crocheted mesh.
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LETTERS
CLEANING AN OLD RUG
I have a very old crocheted rug, about 4' x 5' that I
sneaked
into a laundramat even though most laundramats don't want rugs run
through
their machines. I first tried washing this rug in the bathtub and
putting
it outside to dry, but it didn't dry quickly enough and got a bacterial
odor. (that's why I ended up going to the laundramat.) LJB
Good morning, With your old rug, you did the right thing with the bath tub, but your rug is just too large for that to work very well. As you found out the big rugs are heavy when wet. Most soiling on crocheted rugs occurs on the surface, not deep in the fabrics, so the soaking of the whole rug doesn't accomplish much-- even at the laundromat. In the winter, I recommend 'snow cleaning' (see the articles), and if you have a heavily soiled rug, wait until warmer weather and do the following... Take the rug outside and hang it over a stout railing or rope. Use a spray on foaming type carpet cleaner, and work over the whole surface (both sides), just like it was a carpet, and vacuum dry. (The woolite cleaner works nicely--just follow the directions.) That usually does the trick, though with a rug that was used as an entry mat, and had a lot of dirt embedded, I hung it up and turned the hose on it (with the power nozzle). It took several sprayings to get everything out, but is a lot easier on the back than the bathtub method.
Also when drying the rug (if you use a wet method), make sure you turn it every couple of hours to make sure it gets thoroughly dry before you lay it down again. Hope that helps, Diana
A CROCHETED BED RUG
Dear Sir/ Ma'am: First off, your web site is WONDERFUL! It
has,
by far, the MOST information on rag rugs on the internet! I have
literally
searched over several hundred sites looking for a place with as much
info
as your site has! So you have my deepest thanks!
Have you ever heard of making rag blankets? I heard a little bit about it somewhere, your supposed to do the same thing in making crocheted rag rugs.....are you supposed to use a lighter cloth and how wide would you cut the strips? Any info you would have on this would be much appreciated! Annie
Dear Anne, Thanks so much for the kind words about our
website-- it
is so nice to hear from folks that appreciate the efforts to try to
preserve
these old techniques. As to your question, there were a number of old
rug
techniques that began as "bed rugges" in the 18th century. However,
crochet
was not one of them. There isn't anything to say however that you
couldn't
make a bed cover with the technique, but you would need *very* light
fabric
to make it with. I have used drapery sheers for lightweight projects
(cut
1" wide). For something as large as a bed cover, that's about what you
would want since otherwise it would weigh *too* much for practicality.
Happy rugmaking! Diana
RELIABLE DIRECTIONS
Since I work in sales one of my favorite mottos is "A lack
of
planning on the customer's part does not constitute an emergency on my
part" and with that said I have an emergency! I planned on having 4 bar
stool cushions crocheted by tomorrow (company coming Friday evening!)
which
leaves me one day. I had purchased a L----- Arts leaflet for this
project
and all the fabric and I've done two and they will not lay flat no
matter
what I do. I've ripped them out and tried adding stitches too many
times
to count this week and I'm pretty ticked off if you know what I mean.
Anyway,
if I order your book, "Crocheted and Fabric Tapestry Rugs" by Diana
Blake
Gray how soon will it ship? I'm just lost and don't know what else to
do...I
threw the old cushions out last weekend thinking this would be an easy
project and while the crocheting goes really quick I'm losing time
trying
to figure out what is wrong with the pattern! I await an answer!!!
Sincerely,
D. D.
I'm afraid you got rooked by L------- Arts.. they put out a fancy looking brochure, but their directions really don't work, so you have come to the right place.
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