Rug making

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Woman passing a shuttle through the warp on a loom. RugMakingWomanPassesShuttle.jpg
Woman passing a shuttle through the warp on a loom.

A rug is a piece of cloth, similar to a carpet, but it does not span the width of a room and is not attached to the floor. It is generally used as a floor covering, or as a decorative feature. [1]

Contents

Braided

Braided rugs are made by using three or more strips of fabric, usually wool, folding the raw edges to the middle and braiding them together. For an oval rug the centre braid should be one inch longer than the width-length in feet. example 2' x 4' rug centre strip would be 2'2" long. The centre braid is laced together and new strips are sewn on to make the braid longer as lacing continues. [2]

Hooking

A latch hook for rugmaking. Jehla 01.jpg
A latch hook for rugmaking.

Traditional rug hooking is a craft in which rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, rug warp or monks cloth. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a latch hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. [2]

Rag rugs

Rag rug constructed from T-shirts and bed linen RagRug.jpg
Rag rug constructed from T-shirts and bed linen

Rag rugs were commonly made in households up to the middle of the 20th century by using odd scraps of fabric on a background of old sacking. Rag rugs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution to the nineteenth century, but by the 1920s the craft was dying out except in areas of poverty or where tradition had a stronger hold. The necessity for thrift during World War II brought a brief revival, but it did not last long. [3]

Prodded

Proddy rugs are made, as the name implies, by prodding or poking strips of fabric through hessian or linen from the back side. Rag rugs made this way have many names, such as clippies, stobbies, clippers and peggies. [4] In Northumberland they are called proggy mats, and in Scotland they are called clootie mats. They were often made for more utilitarian use such as by the back door, their pile hiding dirt well.

The Museum of English Rural Life has a collection of rug-making tools and thrift rugs. [3]

Woven

Cushion embroiders at the shop in Yelizavetpol governorate, Russian Empire (now Ganja, Azerbaijan). Late 19th century. Carpet manufacturing Ganja XIXcentury.jpg
Cushion embroiders at the shop in Yelizavetpol governorate, Russian Empire (now Ganja, Azerbaijan). Late 19th century.

These are both handmade and machine-made (see carpet). Woven rugs include both flat rugs (for example kilims) and pile rugs. [2] The more tightly a rug is woven or knotted, the more detailed a design can be. "It is generally believed that the density of knots, the age, the material, and the rarity of the design or knots determines the value of a carpet. ..."[ This quote needs a citation ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile arts</span> Form of arts and crafts using fibers

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Towel</span> Absorbent fabric or paper, used for drying or wiping a surface

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpet</span> Textile floor covering

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webbing</span> Strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube used instead of rope

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian carpet</span> Term for a handmade carpet from Iran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rug hooking</span> Craft technique for rugs and hangings

Rug hooking is both an art and a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle for leverage. In contrast latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn.

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Anatolian rug is a term of convenience, commonly used today to denote rugs and carpets woven in Anatolia and its adjacent regions. Geographically, its area of production can be compared to the territories which were historically dominated by the Ottoman Empire. It denotes a knotted, pile-woven floor or wall covering which is produced for home use, local sale, and export. Together with the flat-woven kilim, Anatolian rugs represent an essential part of the regional culture, which is officially understood as the Culture of Turkey today, and derives from the ethnic, religious and cultural pluralism of one of the most ancient centres of human civilisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berber carpet</span> Type of carpet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knotted-pile carpet</span> Hand weaving technique

A knotted-pile carpet is a carpet containing raised surfaces, or piles, from the cut off ends of knots woven between the warp and weft. The Ghiordes/Turkish knot and the Senneh/Persian knot, typical of Anatolian carpets and Persian carpets, are the two primary knots. A flat or tapestry woven carpet, without pile, is a kilim. A pile carpet is influenced by width and number of warp and weft, pile height, knots used, and knot density.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pile (textile)</span> Upright loops, tufts, or strands of yarn extending from the ground of a fabric

Pile is the raised surface or nap of a fabric, consisting of upright loops or strands of yarn. Examples of pile textiles are carpets, corduroy, velvet, plush, and Turkish towels. The word is derived from Latin pilus for "hair".

Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest human activities. The oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. In order to make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fibre from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving to create cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. Cloth is finished by what are described as wet process to become fabric. The fabric may be dyed, printed or decorated by embroidering with coloured yarns.

Moroccan rugs are the weaves, carpets, and textiles that have been traditionally hand-woven in Morocco. Rugs have been woven by the indigenous people of Morocco since the Paleolithic Era. Traditionally, Moroccan rugs have been woven by tribal peoples for their utility rather than for decorative purposes. Twentieth-century Moroccan rugs are widely collected in the West, and are almost always woven by tribes people who do not seek nor possess formal artistic training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soumak</span>

Soumak is a tapestry technique of weaving sturdy, decorative fabrics used for carpets, rugs, domestic bags and bedding, with soumak fabrics used for bedding known as soumak mafrash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rag rug</span>

A rag rug is a rug or mat made from rags. Small pieces of recycled fabric are either hooked into or poked through a hessian backing, or else the strips are braided or plaited together to make a mat. Other names for this kind of rug are derived from the material or technique.

References

  1. "RUG | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ask An Expert: Types of Weave: Hand Knotted, Hand Tufted Flat Weave". RugScout. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Hemeon, Maidie (rug maker)". The Museum of English Rural Life. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  4. Barile, Mary Collins (28 May 2013). Hooked Rugs of the Midwest: A Handcrafted History. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. ISBN   978-1-61423-948-2.