Our New Ragged Life Company Rag Rug

As some of you already know, I teach and exhibit at some of the largest craft fairs across the country. I’m an expert tutor at the Knitting and Stitching Shows and Living Crafts Fairs, for example. A lot of work goes into getting prepared for these shows, particularly if you’re a perfectionist like I am. Whenever …

My Mum’s Latest Beautiful Rag Rug

You may have seen a sneak peek of this beautiful rag rug over on the Ragged Life Instagram or Facebook page, but finally you get to see it in all its gloriously quirky glory. Below is the story of how this Sicilian Rag Rug came about (as told by my mum, Victoria) and plenty of …

A Social History of Rag Rugging

A Social History of Rag Rugging: In my line of work, I’ve spoken to thousands of people about the history of rag rugging, and what has really struck me from all these encounters is the feelings that the craft evokes. Some of us remember relatives making rag rugs, others were forced to cut up the fabric against their …

My Pacific Island Rag Rug

Last Christmas I was lucky enough to spend two whole weeks in the closest place to paradise I’ve ever been – Aitutaki in the Pacific Islands (you can see a few photos I took here). When I returned home I vowed that I would create a pacific island rag rug or two based on the beautiful landscapes I …

Ragged Life Students’ Rag Rug Designs

Since 2017, I have been featuring former students’ rag rug designs in a Student Spotlight section of my fortnightly Rag Rug Inspiration Newsletter (which you can sign up to here if you’d like). It seemed a shame that these photos disappeared into the ether once they’d been sent out so I thought I would compile …

Ragged Life in Mollie Makes!

We’re so excited that our denim rag rug was featured in Issue 71 of Mollie Makes last week. Our classic denim rag rug is one of the designs included in the rugs section of our new book “Rag Rugs, Pillows & More” and makes a lovely addition to any home. If you decide to give this project a go then we …

How to Clean a Rag Rug – Dos & Don’ts

In case you are new to the Ragged Life Blog, I’m Elspeth Jackson, author of Rag Rugs, Pillows & More… hello! I may be relatively young for a rag rugger, but over the fifteen years I’ve been rag rugging, I’ve made hundreds of upcycled rag rug creations, ranging from rugs and cushions to draft excluders …

Rag Rug of the Month: Rustle

September’s rag rug of the month is the simple, yet stunning “Rustle”. Rich colours have been used to evoke the sights and sounds of autumnal leaves. We hope you like it!

Rag Rug of the Month: Pepper

This month’s Rag Rug of the Month goes to our gorgeous monochrome rag rug “Pepper”. Inspired by a cool Scandinavian colour pallet, this rug is made up of over 100 different pieces of recycled fabric and took around 80 hours to make. The use of patterned and textured fabrics elevates a very simple colour scheme, giving it depth …

Making a Rag Rug

“Hooked on Rag Rugging” – the story of a rug in production:  I find it positively rewarding and compulsive to turn a pile of old clothes… …into a beautiful and useful item for the home. It can be a real challenge to stay motivated when making a rag rug as they take so many hours …