Rag Rugging
Learn the traditional nineteenth-century art of rag rugging, using hand tools and recycled woollens and cottons to create your rug on a hessian backing.
The tradition of making ‘rag’ or ‘thrift’ rugs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, however by the 1920s the craft was dying out as it was associated with hard times. The necessity for thrift during World War II brought a brief revival and interest in the craft grew again in the 1980s.
You will learn the three main techniques of rag rugging: ‘progging’, using a peg to produce a shaggy texture; ‘hooking’ with a rug hook to produce a looped surface; and ‘braiding’ with a needle and thread to make a three stranded coiled mat.
Saturday 3 October 2026
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Learn the traditional nineteenth-century art of rag rugging, using hand tools and recycled woollens and cottons to create your rug on a hessian backing.
The tradition of making ‘rag’ or ‘thrift’ rugs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, however by the 1920s the craft was dying out as it was associated with hard times. The necessity for thrift during World War II brought a brief revival and interest in the craft grew again in the 1980s.
You will learn the three main techniques of rag rugging: ‘progging’, using a peg to produce a shaggy texture; ‘hooking’ with a rug hook to produce a looped surface; and ‘braiding’ with a needle and thread to make a three stranded coiled mat.
Saturday 3 October 2026
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