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 …

A Colourful Trip to Mexico

Hola amigas and amigos. I’ve recently returned from one of my bucket list holiday destinations… Mexico! I’d been meaning to visit for a while for a number of reasons – artisan craft markets, flavourful food, ancient pyramids, beautiful beaches, Frida Kahlo… and so much more. Although this holiday was very much a “holiday holiday” to …

The Beauty of Alberto Burri – Burri Collection at Ex Seccatoi del Tabacco

Exploring Umbria: I’m often asked where I get my rag rug inspiration from, but it’s really difficult to give a straight forward answer as it comes from lots of places… pottery in the V&A, architecture, old embroidery… you name it, I probably have an interest in it. Although design inspiration can come from anywhere, it …

Design Inspiration from Aitutaki

December, 2016 will go down as one of my most memorable Christmasses of all time after I jetted off to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands for two weeks. Where on earth are the Cook Islands you may well ask? Well they’re pretty much as far from the UK as you can possibly get and, just to …

Spello Infiorati Flower Festival 2014

We’re always on the look out for rag rug design inspiration and it doesn’t get much better than the Spello Infiorati in Italy. Every year the inhabitants of this beautiful Italian town line the streets with art made entirely of flowers. With over a hundred pieces throughout the town, every type of flower under the sun and …

Rustic Tile Inspiration

Rag rugs work particularly well with bold striking patterns because of the imprecise floppy nature of the craft (the shaggy texture makes it harder to create detail). One of our favourite sources of inspiration for our rag rugs is handpainted tiles. The geometric lines, symmetry and bright colours look gorgeous in rag rugs and the choice is …