Rags-to-Rugs.net
The Craft of Handmade Rugs
By Ami Mali Hicks
Simple crafts were handed down by our great-grandmothers and grandmothers. These women pioneered the art of rugmaking skills and techniques. During the Arts and Crafts Movement in America, rug making was widespread and a revival of those techniques and skills were put to use. One woman, Amy Mali Hicks wrote a book which describes these different type rag rugs. Included are woven rugs, braided rugs, Colonial rugs, crocheted and knitted rugs, and hooked rugs. Countrywomen proved that these rug making techniques were a valuable addition to the modern decorating in the home during the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Farmhouses all over the country usually had a rag rug gracing one of it's floors. Pioneer women had the task of making their floors not only warm and cozy but also adding some color to them. These women would use rag scraps of fabric or used old clothing torn into strips to make rag rugs. Nothing would be wasted in the olden days. And of course, it wasn't unusual to see a rag rug being used on a dirt floor. Most of the time in the pioneering days the only floor covering would be some thatch or rag rugs.
This site is dedicated to keeping the art of rug making alive. "The Craft of Hand-made Rugs" is a public domain book originally published in 1914 by Amy Mali Hicks. Hopefully, it can bring the knowledge of rugmaking to the young people who need to keep this art alive for centuries to come.
Some Old Time Rugs - Chapter 1 A Word About Dyes - Chapter 2 The Braided Rug - Chapter 3 The Scalloped Doormat or Tongue Rug- Chapter 4 The Knitted Rug- Chapter 5
The Crocheted Rug- Chapter 6 The Hooked Rug in Cotton and Wool- Chapter 7 The Needle-Woven Rug- Chapter 8 The Colonial Rag Rug- Chapter 9
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These paragraphs are copyrighted, but feel free to use the PD book "The Craft of Hand-Made Rugs", or use this site as a reference.
