I’ve been an admirer of Ilka’s beautiful braid-in rag rugs for many years now. In fact, she was one of the people who first inspired me to have a go! As such, it’s well overdue that we do a textile artist Q&A with the lady herself! We don’t have a Ragged Life braid-in rag rug …
My Unforgettable Trip to Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village
Opportunity Calls! As a rag rug maker and travel enthusiast, I’ve always been curious about the difference between rug making in the UK and other countries. That curiosity was one of the inspirations behind my second book “Rag Rug Techniques for Beginners”. I wanted an excuse to travel the world hunting down obscure rug making …
My Rug Hooking Trip to the USA
Wow, what can I say… it has been an amazing last couple of weeks. At the beginning of August 2024, I had the absolute privilege of heading over to the USA in the name of spreading British rag rug cheer. What on earth does that mean you may well ask! Well, the amazing guys at …
Coiled Cord Coasters & Placemats – How much cord do I need?
Today I’ve been working out how much cord I need to make circular coiled rope coasters and placemats. This coiled cord rag rug technique featured on the front cover of my second book “Rag Rug Techniques for Beginners”. It’s great for making robust rugs, baskets, bowls and much more, but up until now I’ve always …
Q&A with Natural Dye Expert Zoe Burt
Yay, it’s not long now before we have the honour of hosting expert natural dyer Zoe Burt at our Ragged Life HQ in Hertfordshire. Zoe will be running a natural dyeing workshop for us 10:00-16:00 on Saturday 14th September 2024, and personally I can’t wait to get stuck in. However, for those of you who can’t …
Q&A with Eco-Printing Expert Fiona Balding
Some of you have been quick off the mark and have already nabbed a place on Fiona’s eco-printing workshop at the Ragged Life Herts HQ on Saturday, 7th July 2024. However, for those of you who can’t make it or aren’t quite sure what eco-printing is, we thought it would be a nice idea to do a …
5 Beginner-Friendly Rag Rug Patterns
Hello, rag rug enthusiasts! Whether you’re just starting your rag rug journey or looking to expand your collection of beautiful handmade pieces, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re diving into some beginner-friendly rag rug patterns and designs which work brilliantly for the traditional shaggy (proggy), short shaggy and loopy (hooked) techniques of rug …
Circular Braid-in Rag Rug Instructions
I’ve been on the hunt for new rag rug techniques for years now and one of my latest obsessions if a form or rag rug making called braid-in (or sometimes braiding-in) rag rugs. It’s a style of rug making where strips of fabric are woven together using a basket weave then threaded through previous stitches …
My First Braided-in Rag Rug – What I Learnt
I’m always on the lookout for new rag rug techniques to try and was so happy when I came across Ilka White on Instagram. She makes braided-in rag rugs, as well as other beautiful, sustainable textile techniques. Having made a classic plaited rag rug for my first book “Rag Rugs, Pillows and More”, I was …
5 Projects from Blanket Selvedge Strips
Throughout September, four full time crafters and I each worked on a project using six balls of woollen blanket yarn (blanket selvedge strips rescued from the Yorkshire mills). We wanted to generate some fresh ideas for what could be made using this beautiful waste material and encourage people to think outside the box. The Knitting and Stitching Show …