Rag Rugs Tour
1. Tambour
2. Shirred 
3. Standing wool

4. Knitted
5. Flat Wrap
6. Amish Knot

7. Chain Braids
8. Broomstick & String Crochet
9. Crocheted

10. Fabric Tapestry
11. Anchored Loop
12. Hooked, Poked, Prodded, Bodkin

13. Needleworked
14. Toothbrush rugs
15. Braided rugs

16. Knotted & strung shags
17. Loom woven
18. Patched (penny rugs) & sewn shags
19. Frame made rugs
20. Wagon wheel & frame braids
21. Odds 'n ends

Tambour rag rugs are one of the most interesting rug methods because what appears to be it's most simple form is actually the most difficult to learn to handle. It is because of this that tambour is only currently used for accents or other small items and that, as a rag rug making method, it has fallen by the wayside. 

Tambour rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric strip up through a burlap, monkscloth or canvas base with a rug hook. Each loop is interlocked with the previous loop to create the characteristic "chain". 

The placement of loops and the number of strands worked together create widely different textures in tambour rugs. Some of the various tambour patterns are shown here. Left top--striped braid. Left bottom--raised braid. Center top--2 strand braid. Center bottom--2 strand chain. Right-- basic tambour chain. 
 
 

The easiest tambour rag rugs appear to be braided. At left is the simplest of the 2-strand tambour braids shown in progress on rug canvas. (This is the one in Bulletin #9, Introduction to tambour braids.) See the tambour books and supplies page for a photo of this as a completed rug. 

There is also a single strand tambour braid that is often used as a border for other related types of rugs made on canvas. The single strand tambour braid can also be used to complete a rug (see rug at left) for a more uniform surface texture. 

The tambour method blends well with any type of rug worked on burlap or canvas such as hooked or anchored loop rugs. The tambour techniques are also very adaptable to working with wool or cotton rug yarns for lighter weight rugs. Shown is a tambour rug, made with wool tapestry yarns, still on the frame. (These types of rugs are very much the same as the Kashmiri Gebba Tapestries, but are done with a larger yarn.)

When working on a burlap base, it is essential to stretch the burlap on a rug frame, especially if the tambour chain is used, or used in combination with traditional rug hooking. Otherwise the tambour chain will distort the base fabric. In the rug shown at the right, that characteristic was used to intentionally distort a rectangular piece of canvas to create a tambour rug with a very modern look. 

At left is a tambour rag rug made with cotton fabrics on burlap called "Fireworks over the Farm". Both the tambour chains and various tambour braids were used to create textural variations.
 

Show me  Books & Supplies for Making Tambour Rugs