Wayback Wednesday this week is looking at handmade rugs. I recently watched a British video about hooked rugs. The lecturer mentioned that in Britain, people used what they had. In contrast, she suggested that in the U.S. folks used kits instead.
I know that some printed rug backings were sold. Some of them you can see hanging up in this old photo of a local drygoods store:
I don't know about the rest of the country, but I know in my state women didn't just rely on kits. Many were designed by the makers and possibly because it was a more frugal way to create. On this blog post at the Silly BooDilly, there are many rugs featured that weren't kits and women used what they had or drew things themselves.
I don't know if my great-grandmother made hooked rugs or if her own mother did. But she sure did make braided ones. Grandma was always making something and I remember watching her braid. My mother has three of these pieces at her house. Here are two I took photos of:
Do you remember having handmade rugs in your world while you were growing up?
Have a safe and happy day!
My mom made braided rugs that look just like your last two photos! I wonder what happened to them. The whole family moved from Rochester, NY, out here to Colorado when I was about 18 (early 1970s), and I don't think any of the rugs made the move! Aren't they the ultimate scrap project?! I think that's what she used - strips from old clothes, curtains, etc, all braided and then hand sewn together to make the oval.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember braided rugs in the homes of either my grandmother or my parents, but I remember my mom collecting old clothing which we would rip into strips, then sew end to end. After she'd collected enough, she would take them to a weaver in the next town over to be made into woven rugs. They are some of my favorite rugs of all time.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago--well, about 25--I made a braided rug from wool. It's about worn out now but it's served us for a lot o years.
Your grandmother's rugs are very pretty. My Eastern European grandmother had a loom from Sears Roebuck in the basement. She made plenty of woven rag rugs for us. Also an endless amount of embroidered pillow cases. Somehow she got them from Minnesota to us in New Jersey. Can't imagine what the postage for a rug would be today.
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