Building a Rag Rug One Hexagon at a Time…

Over the past few months, we’ve been absolutely delighted to watch the Ragged Life Community Rag Rug Project come to life. What began as a simple idea – inviting rag rug enthusiasts from across the community to create a single rag rugged hexagon – has grown into a wonderfully colourful collection of creativity, storytelling and textile artistry.

In this post, we’re sharing a gallery of the finished hexagons before they are joined together into the final community rag rugs. Each piece has been made by a different member of the Rag Rug Hive community using their own choice of colours, rag rugging techniques and inspirations. Alongside the photos, we’ve included any notes and thoughts the makers shared with us about their designs, materials or creative process.

One of the most joyful things about this project has been seeing just how differently everyone has interpreted the same hexagon shape. From bold colour palettes and geometry to textured, spontaneous designs, every hexagon reflects the personality and creativity of its maker. For some of those who took part, it was their first ever rag rug project (massive massive congrats for having got stuck in!) and for some it was umpteenth project and a chance to let loose. Together, all these hexagons form a beautiful celebration of contemporary rag rugging and the community that surrounds it.

What Happens Next?

Between now and the Ragged Life Annual Open Studio Event on Sunday, 6th September 2026, Elspeth will be hard at work joining all of the hexagons together into the finished community rag rugs, so do stay posted for more updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses as the project progresses.

If looking through these hexagons inspires you to have a go yourself, we still have hexagon packs available on the Ragged Life online shop. Although any new hexagons won’t be added to the community rug at this stage, the project itself has proven to be such a fun and creative format to work within. Whether you’re completely new to rag rugging or simply looking for a satisfying small-scale project, creating a hexagon is a brilliant way to experiment with colour, texture and technique.

Below is a full gallery of the hexagons we received with a short paragraph from each maker – please do comment below to show your appreciation to the makers – I’m sure they’d love to know your thoughts. Enjoy!

Rag Rug Hexagon Gallery:

Zoë Evans – “So enjoyed making the hexagon in the loopy rag rug style, as not made anything before – only tried the short shaggy style for a rug. Loved the sari silk ribbon and its neater result. Would like to buy some now and try something else. I pondered over the centre hexagon shape colour-wise, returning back to the original seafoam colour in the end”.

Lizzie Kewell – “I so enjoyed making this! I used a lot of stretchy fabrics donated to the Ragged Life studio from “Queen of Stretch” – a costume-making studio for dance, opera and theatre. I love the burnt orange and yellow and the sparkles.”

Julie – “How lovely to help a charity. Have been doing rag rugging for some time and really enjoy it. I have used spare materials I have collected over time – old t-shirts, ribbon and an old blouse. Glad they are being put to good use.”

Sarah Goodman – “I have been rag rugging now for two years and am working on my third rug currently. I enjoy experimenting and mixing up techniques and textures and making up my own basic designs. Hence as I have recently enjoyed doing some lettering I decided to ignore the tiny hexagons and have just used the outline. I have used embroidery, sari silk and wool in my hexagon.”

Julie Buckley – “I really enjoy going to rag rugging at Great Wymondley on Thursday mornings. Elspeth’s studio is lovely to work in and chat to other nice ladies. It is therapeutic and so relaxing. We chat about all sorts, as well as rag rugging. Come and try it!”

Unknown Maker – The Ragged Life team loved getting this gorgeous hexagon through in the post. In particular, a lot of the designs had used the “seafoam” sari silk provided for the outline of the hexagon so it was fun seeing what it looked like with a different colour border. Well done to this mystery maker!

Victoria Jackson – “I was on holiday in Mexico when I made this first hexagon so I was only able to take a few samples of fabric with me. One was a beautiful-quality cotton that I loved the pattern of. I just had enough with the small scraps I took and decided I wanted to highlight the hexagons in a lighter shade. It reminds me of the place I made it which is called Izamal.”

Victoria Jackson – “I went a bit wild with this hexagon and largely ignored the honeycomb pattern. This random design was an excellent way for me to use up various blue scraps I had lying around, so it’s a truly raggedy piece.”

Jenny Dunstall – Jenny is one of our regulars at Ragged Life workshops and we were delighted to get this piece dropped off by her when she attended a class in spring. We particularly liked how she used both the recycled sari silk ribbon and leftover blanket yarn (the blue speckly part) to complete the project.

Unknown Maker – We didn’t get any blurb through with this particular hexagon but loved how different it was from all the others we received. It may just be us, but in the Ragged Life HQ we could really see the letter “S” in the design and it gave us new ideas for other ways to fill in the honeycomb design.

Julia Hinton – “Having been a rag rugger for over 10 years now, I felt that I needed to be a part of this joint venture. I try to attend the coffee morning meetings and have made many like-minded friends. Elspeth suggested that I use a black and white colour scheme having made other “scandi-style” rugs in the past. I look forward to seeing the finished project.”

Kathryn Jones – “This is my first piece of rag rugging and I have enjoyed the experience. I have mostly used silk ribbons as I had these in my ‘stash’. I also used colours to represent spring. I hope you like it. I will be doing more rag rugging, using up some of my fabrics collected over the years. Thank you for the inspiration – it is a lovely idea. Kathy”.

Lesley Hart – Lesley is one our regulars at the fortnightly rag rug coffee morning in Hertfordshire and has completed some really large, beautiful rag rug projects over the years. Here, we love her simple but effective colour palette and know for sure that Lesley enjoyed this smaller, more bite-sized project.

Ros Dollman – “I started rag rugging with a few friends at an afternoon course in Elspeth’s garden about six years ago. I started this hexagon at home but took it on holiday to Rajasthan, so rag rugged in Dehli, Jaipur and Udaipur. Some of the fabric is from India but most is leftovers from dress-making projects and an old t-shirt.”

Catherine Rossiter – “My hexagon is made from an old breast cancer awareness month t-shirt, some of my later mother’s clothing and some of my own clothing that is now too big. My design started out as a flower against the sky then became a motor neurone, before finishing up as “Clockwork Orange Eyeball”! Happy hooking to the other community rugmakers.”

Sarah Gull – “I’ve used scrap fabric from my stash – bits of old t-shirts and remnants mainly of jersey fabric. I have made a rag rug in the past but haven’t done anything recently. Really enjoyed doing this hexagon and am planning my next project. Still have plenty of fabric left 🙂 ”

Elspeth Jackson – “This was the first hexagon I rag rugged as an example for the project itself. If you look carefully enough, you’ll notice that I ran out of an exact shade part way through one of the small hexagons (I was using up scraps), so I had to fill the centre in a slightly different fabric. I hope this exemplifies how rag rugging is made to be imperfect – it just became part of the pattern”.

Elspeth Jackson – “This second hexagon was an experiment to see what happened when I highlighted just a few of the small hexagons themselves. In the previous hexagon I’d used only plain colours so I wanted to also include some patterned fabric in this particular design. Even though there are only four colours in the design, each is a different material – teal sari silk ribbon, yellow jersey, patterned cotton and an old light pink flannelette sheet.”

Rowan Cervantes – We’re a big fan of Rowan’s and couldn’t believe the intricacy in this design – just look at those lovely little loops! We found the design incredibly inspiring when it arrived on our doorstep and loved the woollen materials used. Well done Rowan on a brilliant piece of rag rugging 🙂

Sue Calverley – “As a beginner, this is my first finished piece. I used my pyjamas, my partner’s t-shirt and sari silk ribbon. I think I’m now well and truly hooked!”

Tania Testa – “Having joined the Ragged Life team a couple of years ago I still class myself as somewhat of a rag rug beginner. My go-to-craft has always been crochet but I thoroughly enjoyed the mindfulness of completing my honeycomb hexagon in the loopy, rug hooked technique. It’s definitely given me the confidence to try another project. I used mainly the beautiful sari silk but there is also some t-shirt material included.”

Kay Meiklejohn – “Enjoyed completing both hexagons. Novice really. Previously made a sunflower at a workshop with Elspeth at Hyde Hall in Essex about three years ago. Have made a shaggy rag rug and a coiled rope trug in 2025. I liked the idea of the hexagon project – creating something with other enthusiasts. Refresher videos were perfect, instruction booklet great. Took me a month to complete. I used charity shop, t-shirts that I had also worn and other t-shirts from my decorating reserved items. I’ve always loved trying new crafts – lots learnt from my mum, Nanna and Granny. I’m 70 now, developing arthritis in my fingers but this exercise helps incredibly. Thanks.”

Suzanne Belbin – “Using sari silk to outline the star, I then used shiny fabrics to complete the project. I like to rag rug to use materials and time creatively. Thank you Elspeth and team for introducing me to this craft. My star is called “Starburst” as it appears to be bursting with colour and texture!!”

Carole Boyle – “This is my first ever project after meeting Tania at the Stitch Show in London this year. I’m signed up for a workshop in June and look forward to learning more. I loved choosing the colours for this project and hope you like them!”

Elizabeth Marshall – “I used predominantly cotton fabrics, some of my own scraps but supplemented with bought material to maintain the colour scheme. The silk is scattered throughout the hexagon.”

Elspeth Jackson – “In some of our beginner rag rug classes students make rag rug sunflowers using yellow jersey and cotton leopard print fabric. This yellow and teal star was a great way to use up those left over yellow fabric pieces. The multicoloured fabric in this star design is actually the fabric from a broken umbrella which was beyond repair.”

Elspeth Jackson – “Once again, I was super keen to use this challenge to use up scraps that I had lying around so I rooted around the studio for colours that had hung around for a while or odds and ends in baskets. Even though the red in the star looks homogenous, it’s made up of about ten different reds and pinks that I wanted to use up. The brown around the outside of the star isn’t a colour I’d ever normally pick for a design but as the whole point of this challenge was to experiment, I thought I’d go outside my comfort zone.”

Sherry Taylor – “Hi, I’m Sherry and I’ve only rag rugged a couple of projects. I used the dyed fabrics I had in my stash. I thought it would be nice to be involved in a community project even though I live on the other side of the world 🙂 Hope you like it? I’ve included leftovers in case they are needed. Thanks for allowing me to contribute. Cheers, Sherry.”

Sally Foreman – “Second attempt. Been rag rugging two months. Used mainly stretch denim.”

Christine Kirby – “I loved doing this. My friend had just given me the dark pink and pale blue / green fabric and I thought it went well with the sari ribbon. The pale pink was a gift from another friend and the coloured fabric in the centre was a charity shop floral blouse. I love how it all looks so different when put into a rag rug. Can’t wait to see the end result – but I don’t envy you joining all the hexagons together!”

Annette Meramo – “I’m a complete beginner. Used sari silks, cottons and jersey materials.”

Natalie Whelan-Hind – “This is my first “completed” project! My rug is still a work in progress one year after coming to a class. The short shaggy is blanket wool and rug hooked part is sari silk and a mix of an old duvet cover and a t-shirt of my dad’s. I look forward to seeing the rugs once completed.”

Wendy Boarer – “This is the first rag rug piece I have made so I hope it is okay.”

Pat Jeffrey – “I began rag rugging at The Settlement in Letchworth with Elspeth sometime ago. Was pleased to get back after a while by completing this hexagon. I think a community task like this is a great idea. Perhaps another one in the future? Besides the sari silk ribbon, I used t-shirt fabric.”

Helen Pighills – “The red / green segment and white (spots) segment are the top of my hexagon. The segments are inspired by the colours of the months of the year. Jan / Feb – whites / greys. Mar / Apr – blues. May / Jun – pinks. July / Aug – multicolour. Sept / Oct – browns and gold. Nov / Dec – greens and reds. The yellow star is the sun. The blue is the seafoam that links us all together. This is my first attempt at the short shaggy technique. I wanted to create lots of textures as well as colours.”

Helen Bond – “I absolutely loved being part of this project and feel really proud to have taken part. I have attended a few Ragged Life workshops but haven’t quite finished a full project yet. I used a few different fabrics, finding some worked better than others. I completely fell in love with the sari silk ribbon and used a yellow / gold silk ribbon left over from a Christmas tree project. I was pleased with the finished sample. I am looking forward to seeing the finished rugs.”

Sylvia Richards – “I like the idea of this community make. I found the red difficult to work but think it looks great. The t-shirt and silk were much easier.”

Philippa O’Callaghan – “I have loved rag rugging since I made my first three rugs six years ago. At that time, my mum had just passed away and I felted her twenty seven cashmere jumpers to make rugs to remind me of her. Every photo of her has a connection with one of the rugs. This project has helped me on my journey to recover from mental health problems. I have used sari silk fabrics in all the colours of the chakras. The green heart chakra is in the middle and is the largest – it symbolises that I am worthy to be loved. Thank you!”

Catherine Rossiter – “My partner calls this “The Death Star” but I prefer “Birth of a New Star”. It is made from old clothing, odds and ends of blanket yarns cut for other projects and even the strands that join blanket yarns together that we often throw away. It was very calming and relaxing to make, which is why I love to rag rug! I hope our community projects inspire others and get them hooked!”

Lindsay Eaton – “Star: sari silk, red t-shirt, red patterned top. Hexagon – turquoise, greens and blues in memory of my parents who loved those colours.”

Beverley Inkles – “Hi Elspeth and Lizzie, thoroughly enjoyed rag rugging this piece for you. I’d like to dedicate my piece to my brother who sadly and unexpectedly passed away on news years day this year (heart attack). His name was Russell Duke. Thank you, Beverley x”

Janice Gledhill – Janice has been attending our rag rug coffee morning in Great Wymondley for many years now so we’ve had the pleasure of seeing lots of lovely projects from her. When she dropped off this piece with us, it made us think of a celebration. There’s something about the texture and colours which evokes parades and parties.

Pat Chapman – “I really liked the idea of participating in a community event and the challenge of using a pre-printed pattern I saw as two triangles. I’m relatively experienced, having made rugs, both hooky, proddy and mixed (mainly hooky). I used two t-shirts, the white silky lining left over from one of my children’s coats many years ago, and the sari silk. Looking at my materials, I was inspired by the colours of the women’s suffragettes – not just political equality but for all the women artists airbrushed out of art history, but for the recognition of “women’s art” in textiles and being acknowledged.”

Thanks for Browsing & Comment Below

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking through this wonderful collection of community-made rag rug hexagons as much as we’ve enjoyed receiving them. Every single piece has added something special to the project, and we can’t wait to see them transformed into the finished community rag rugs over the coming months.

We’d love to hear which hexagons have caught your eye, so do leave a comment below and share your favourites or any thoughts about the project. And if you’d like to follow the progress of the community rugs, hear about future creative projects and stay up to date with all things Ragged Life, make sure you’re signed up to the Ragged Life newsletter for future updates.

Elspeth and the Ragged Life Team