The Distressing Thing

Weaving rag rugs, of course!

May has come - and gone - and it was… a roller coaster.¹

But, I took my own advice and took a breather. I worked on a couple of projects that I wanted to try - and found some success!

Rag Rug #1 - using my dad’s shirts cut into 1” strips on an 8/4 rug warp at 5 epi.

Though the project is not a very interesting or profitable one, suppose a modern hand-weaver is seized by an overpowering impulse to weave rag rugs - just how should the distressing thing be done?²

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at rag rugs for a long while - probably since I first started weaving. I kept stalling on the idea though. I’m not sure why - I tend to just dive into much more difficult weaving projects!

I think the thing that gives most of us pause on the “weaving with fabric” projects is the actual fabric preparation. You can’t just go “buy” the weft yarn - you have to prepare that for yourself. That can be daunting for some folks.

Then there’s the fear that we will take all of that time, and not have a functional rug at the end of the effort. I can tell you that by just following some basic guidelines, you will have fabric that can be used for *something* - even if it’s not the fabric you expected. My first rag rug is much thinner than my second one. It’s working nicely as a rug, but it would also be great fabric for sewing something like a bag, or used as a table runner. The possibility of utter failure is pretty slim.

Several folks have also been told “you can’t weave a rug on a rigid heddle.” I almost always hear “you can’t do *that* on a rigid heddle” as a siren call to try! Obviously, you can do it. The biggest thing that differs when making a rug on a rigid heddle is that you simply cannot beat the weft in firmly enough using the rigid heddle/reed as a beater (the way you would for other kinds of weaving.)

I used a supplemental beater for each weft pick, which makes a simple plain weave project take a LOT longer than otherwise. It’s not difficult to use a supplemental beater and it will make the project far more successful than otherwise.

Rag Rug #2 - again, using shirts from my Dad’s wardrobe cut in various widths, some denim jeans, and a 7.5 dent heddle with 8/4 cotton warp. I lost track of the sizes of the light cotton and ended up with some unintentional asymmetry, but it’s not unpleasing. I folded the “header” under, so there’s no fringe on this one.

Now, if you wanted to make a lot of rag rugs - perhaps sell them at festivals or do a deep dive into all things related to rag rug structure, materials, sizes, and fabrics - you might consider acquiring a rug loom. These are floor looms - they can start at 2 shafts and go up to 8 shafts - and are built to be sturdy enough to hold a high warp tension and beat firmly for rugs.³ Not all multi-shaft floor looms meet the sturdy requirements needed to do production rag rugs, so it’s worth doing some homework.

Some Sad Irony

I’ve talked a bit about the small town in which I live. It’s a tourist destination, located in the hills, and has been known as an artist community. We have at least three different co-op stores of locally crafted items using almost any medium you can imagine. There’s an annual studio tour for folks to go see the artist’s working in their space. It’s pretty amazing.

But in early May, one of our local shop owners had to suddenly retire for health reasons. “Daisy”⁴ operated a shop that, originally, focused on making and selling rag rugs, amongst other types of weaving. Over time, the weaving itself became too much for her and she started selling imported woven items. Then she closed up shop rather quickly.

I had an…interesting…relationship with Daisy. I work the occasional day in the local yarn shop, located in the same area of town as her weaving shop. Daisy would occasionally pop in to chat or leave a message for the shop owner.

One day I had my 10” rigid heddle with me in the shop and Daisy talked with me about my weaving for a short while. The next time she saw me, she said, “You need to get a grown-up loom.” This started an on-going repartee where Daisy would tell me, other shop owners, and even customers, that I needed a “real loom.”⁵ I usually responded with a humorous, “Daisy, them thar are fightin’ words,” and leave it at that.

The Free Bench

A couple of days after the shop was cleaned out, I walked past and, on the bench where Daisy used to put things out for “free,” I found a 1986 reprint of The Shuttle -Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving” by Mary Meigs Atwater. I didn’t hesitate to bring it home.

Atwater was a huge influence in reviving weaving in the United States from the 1920’s (when it was almost a completely dead craft) and pre-dates the mid-century weavers who promoted weaving as an artform. Atwater proved weaving could provide women with a means of income as well as be an accessible handcraft and a tool of occupational therapy.

Atwater also held firm opinions and, as she was one of the earliest of the 20th century weavers to publicly write newsletters and books, no doubt her words were taken as Gospel. This book is an overview and Atwater clearly is aware that weaving can be done in a wide variety of ways, referencing Bolivian ground weaving and Guatemalan back-strap weaving.⁶ However, she goes on to write that, “Looms only a few inches wide are simply toys and have little or no practical use, but on those that weave 20 inches wide many small articles may be woven with success.”⁷

Obviously, the doyenne of weaving left her mark on future attitudes towards the small loom! But don’t judge Atwater based on this alone. She had some other gems that were truly worth noting.⁸

I should like to urge weavers to use the “cant” of our craft carefully and accurately. To use technical terms hit-and-miss causes confusion and misunderstanding.⁹

I try not to be rude, but I can’t let an, “Oh, you are looming,” comment go by without correction.

Two Take-Aways

First, a resounding YES to the question of “can I weave a rag rug on my rigid heddle loom?” I actually documented the process for the Mingo’s Corner Designs YouTube channel. I’m still editing, but the first few parts are up! Do take a look, especially if you have questions or have felt the “impulse” to tackle “the distressing thing!” I won’t be writing this up as a pattern, but there will be a PDF in the “more” section of Part 3 where I will give you the bare bones details of warp length, material quantity, etc.

If you’ve joined me from that same YouTube channel - thank you! I just realized I have 133 subscribers there - which is just awesome!

Second, I partner frequently with Chris Acton of Acton Creative for weave-alongs and other activities. Chris is firmly in the multi-shaft loom camp - it’s her jam and that’s what she (rather awesomely) teaches. Neither Chris, nor myself, would tell you that “you need a grown-up loom.”

However, I know a fair number of folks do, eventually, add a multi-shaft table or floor loom to their herd. I get it - even though I have worked out a lot of the kinks for doing multi-shaft patterns on my rigid heddle, there are a few that I don’t find enjoyable weaves. My “pain tolerance” is pretty high, of course, but there are limits.

Chris is offering an online “Summer Weaving Camp” later this June. It’s for “inquisitive crafters” - no weaving experience required! If someone you know might be interested in learning some basics about weaving, this might be the ticket. The link takes you to the check-out page, which also has Chris’s email at the bottom if you have questions.

I’ll get back into the swing of things this month! It’s the season for yarn and fiber festivals, so I will have some extra days working in the LYS. I’ve got some Little Looms deadlines coming and we’ve started sampling for the October Weave Along! There are THREE patterns working their way to the Etsy shop! One of them just needs the second sample completed, one is in the “weave the project” stage, and one is in the writing stage.

Until the next newsletter - enjoy your weaving! And don’t let it become distressing!

1. Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to just “follow my inspiration” for a bit! It really helped. May was also Mother’s Day and my mom’s birthday (she would have been 98). Those two days were harder than I expected and spaced perfectly to disrupt most of the month for me.

2. Atwater, Mary Meigs. The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986 (12th ed.). Page 278.

I will get to Atwater in a short while, but I found this quote imminently amusing in her chapter on weaving rag rugs.

3. There are, I am sure, many makers of “rug looms,” but two that I am familiar with are Harrisville Designs and Macomber. Keep an eye on local weaving loom and tool markets, too, as rug looms come up for sale pretty frequently.

4. Not her actual name. Daisy could be annoying at times, but she was the kind of character that also made you feel she would always be there with her pointed remarks. Rather like some of my mom’s friends when I was growing up - always an opinion on how you should improve yourself.

5. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard this and it won’t be the last!

6. Atwater, Page 30.

7. Atwater, Page 37.

8. I will, no doubt, refer to her again in the future.

9. Page 25. Do I hear an Amen? “Cant” is a term that has shifted meaning since Atwater used it here. She meant to refer to the collective words that are unique to a specific group or profession, but since then “cant” has taken on the additional burden of being used disparagingly of those words or the group.