Rug Making is Your Perfect New Hobby

Rug making is having a comeback as a useful and fun craft. The repetitive motions and emerging patterns are perfect for stress-elimination.

Care

There are few things better than stepping onto a rug on cold winter mornings. A rug is also a pet's favorite spot and a great play space.

It's hard to invest either the time or money on something beautiful, only to put it on the floor and step on it. This doesn't happen with other types of art.

Any current or prospective rug owner needs to be prepared for the inevitable time when their rugs will either become dirty or have something spilled on them. Instead of rugs becoming sources of allergies or worse, rug cleaning is a good thing to look into before the situation needs immediate attention.

Once it's known how to keep them clean, work can begin on a new rug masterpiece.

Hooked Rugs

Hooked rugs are probably the easiest and most soothing type of rug to make. It all starts with a canvas or burlap backing that has a pattern printed on it. Kits are available that include everything needed to complete a rug. 

More experienced crafters can buy a blank piece of material for the backing and draw their own design, later purchasing wool in the proper colors. Small pieces of wool are the most common fibers to use in a rug. Occasionally, though, other materials like tiny pieces of fabric are used.

The third and last thing needed is a latch hook. This specialized tool is used to push the pieces of wool through the natural spaces in the backing and secure them there. 

Braided Rugs

Braided rugs are also known as rag rugs because they were traditionally made out of old, ripped-up clothes or sheets. These rugs can be made extremely cheaply or made from relatively expensive fabrics.

The only tools needed to make braided rugs are a pair of scissors and a sewing needle.

For a completely free and green project, these rugs can be made of old, worn sheets or clothing. Instead of throwing them out, where they will end up in a landfill, they can instead be turned into a useful and attractive object.

Putting the rug together is fun and soothing. When all of the fabric has been cut or ripped into similar lengths, three of the strips are braided together. When that braid is done, a hole is cut in one of the strips of the previous braid to attach the new one.

When the braids coil into the preferred size, they will need to be attached to each other by sewing them together. In theory, this can be done on a heavy-duty sewing machine, but it's probably easier and quicker to do the sewing by hand. 

Woven Rugs

Rugs have been woven on looms for thousands of years. In fact, part of a rug found by archeologists has been dated to the 7th century BC. 

Looms come in all sizes and some are small enough for home use. The basic principle is that wooden frames hold the vertical threads of the rug in place. Then a piece of wood called a shuttle is passed in and out between the other threads. The shuttle is like a giant needle and carries the thread through to complete the weave by making the cross threads.

The shuttle is also what carries contrasting colors of thread to make a pattern in the rug.

Very small looms can also be purchased for children. They can just work on a design or colors that make them happy or they can make an actual small rug for a favorite doll or stuffed animal.

Although the art of rug making is ancient, it is still something to be enjoyed today. Rugs can be made in several different ways and in many shapes and colors. Whatever method is chosen, the end results will be less stress and a useful object.