Rugging workshops at Knitting & Stitching show

The show is 10-13 October at Alexandra Palace, London (info at theknittingandstitchingshow.com/london) - and a couple of rugging workshops are offered -

Proddy/Proggy - Upcycled Rag Rugging!
Jenni Stuart-Anderson
From the nineteenth century our forbears
used mill waste or old clothes to make
warm rugs for the bed and floor. Learn
how to push small fabric pieces through
hessian backing with half a clothes peg, like
granny used to, then use a ‘bodger’ rug tool
to achieve the same shaggy effect more quickly. You will be able to
use this traditional technique, Progging, to make rag rugs and other
projects of your own design later, at home. Granny called it Proddy,
now it’s called Upcycling! (Can be addictive. Suitable for any level
including children aged 7+

Rag Rugging
Make Do and Mend
You will learn how to make a fabulous rag rug using recycled and
vintage fabrics. You will learn the various techniques of this ancient
craft and come away with a sample, the knowledge and confidence
to get creating! This is a gorgeous way to brighten up your home with
your own handmade treasures. Suitable for any level.

More information is in the leaflet at http://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/london/files/ap_pdf_of_workshops.pdf

Rag rugs in Morocco

They're called boucherouite and they're woven, rather than hooked - but it's that same thrifty spirit and love of making beautiful things at work. There's an article about them (with more photos) at http://handeyemagazine.com/content/mushmina.

Red sky ...

From the Rag Rug Gallery at dizziebhooked - go have a look at Chrissie Freeth's other rugs!

Hooked in London: The wave

Hooked in London: The wave: By Giselle McHarg - found on Maryjane's Rugs blog.

Thanks for sharing this amazing rug Margaret....every success with your Open Studio this weekend ....Jill

The wave

By Giselle McHarg - found on Maryjane's Rugs blog.

What we're working on

Lucille's rug - almost done!

Gladys's cushion cover - yes, that's definitely a butterfly amid the flowers

Ruth keeps changing her mind on the colours

Janet K's motif comes from the 1854 Grammar of Ornament

Joan's latest chair cushion

Sarah's new project

Jill's small pieces - with her pile of kantha projects in the background

Janet B's "scream"

Margaret's chair pad

Sandra, apologies for omitting to photograph your project!

It was great to see everyone at Hooked-in-London on Saturday - so many different projects being 'hooked' or 'progged' and one finished article = Sarah's Speed Shuttle Rug...

Thank you for bringing it along to the meeting so we could all see it - beautifully made and finished. Enjoy your rug Sarah.

Jill

Ebor Ruggers exhibition at York Cemetery Chapel

This was a wonderful exhibition - there was so much variety, from hooked and prodded rugs, to wall-hangings, cushions, bags, pet baskets and jewellery!  The chapel is a great space for exhibitions with large windows giving lots of natural light, especially when the sun is shining.  The day I went was the first really sunny day after all that cold grey weather, the daffodils were just coming into bloom round the castle walls and it was actually warm!



Main photo by Angela Gray showing the chapel and the variety of exhibits



Cartoonist turns hooker

Roz Chast, who supplies cartoons to the New Yorker magazine, also hooks rugs. There's an article about her work in Hand/Eye magazine (read it, and see further photos, here).

The aspects of hooking that interest her most are colour, texture, limitation ... and leisure.

Ruth's Visit

 Thanks for sharing your lovely photos Ruth following your visit to The Ebor Ruggers Exhibition in York....would love to see more pix on this blog...please....

Hooking as art - Altoon Sultan

 Altoon Sultan is a prolific artist who has used hand dyed wool in her textile work, both as part of the surface (as above) and to cover the entire surface (as below).

These images were found on Tamar Zinn's blog, where you can get an overview of a selection of Sultan's work, or you can see more on Sultan's website - go here for the textiles.

She puts new textiles on her blog (altoonsultan.blogspot.com) - this is the most recent -

"Carpet World" was hooked by hand - the artist is Charley Freedman, who lives and works in New York and Nebraska. It's 6 feet in diameter.

Rug and Quilt

Clare's Bedside Rug

(see previous  article)

 

which coordinates with the quilt she made for her Bed

Beautiful rug making and quilt making - Jill

Only Proddy Mats: Blue Red Absract

Only Proddy Mats: Blue Red Absract: Blue red abstract made and designed by Clare Hutchinson Skipton Nth Yorkshire. I dreamed of a nice soft proddy rug to step onto whe...

Unusual

Nathalie Lett lives and works in Paris. Among her production are handtufted rugs.

"Log cabin" rugs

Part of a selection of "American Log Cabin Hooked Rugs, early 20th century" at http://whereinthewot.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/american-log-cabin-hooked-rugs-early.html

Hooked in London: Rosettes

Hooked in London: Rosettes: Tiny rosettes for making into brooches or adding to bags etc...each one hooked in silk and sheer fabrics.  Happy Hooking - Jill

Rosettes

Tiny rosettes for making into brooches or adding to bags etc...each one hooked in silk and sheer fabrics. 

Happy Hooking - Jill

Rag rugging in The Gambia

More photos of Gambian rugs and ruggers are at makings.co.uk, which is another source of rag rugging tools.

I found the site while looking for information on the "Browns tool" but that should be a separate post!

The Brown's tool

The "Brown's tool" is also known as the Brown's rag rugger tool, or simply as the rag rugger tool (not to be confused with a hook or proddy...). In Yorkshire it's called a bodger.

Complete information on how to use the "Brown's tool" is on the Makings Handicrafts website - as well as basic technique, you learn a secret and get tips!

This family history web page has a photo of rag rug tools used in the 1940s/50s, one of which has the name Brown's and a patent number RD673864 and "made in England". That probably explains why the tool is known as the Brown's tool - Mr (or Ms) Brown invented and patented it.

The vintage tool has a different configuration of spring and lever; this one sold recently on ebay.