Historical Information About the Rag Rug and Renewed Popularity


Way back in the pioneer days, women designed and made rag rugs to help keep the families feet warm and to decorate their homesteads.  They were usually made from old clothing that could no longer be used for wearing and the pioneer women were very innovative and frugal about how they did things.  Later, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were recognized as part of the arts and crafts revolution of that period.  It seemed as though the tradition of rag rug making all but disappeared during the Roaring 20s and WWI and then made a huge comeback during the Great Depression of the 30s.  Today, rag rugs have made yet another comeback and people are either making their own or are buying them from manufacturers or from people who are making them.

Don’t let the name fool you because these rugs can be quite decorative and useful. They are also machine washable in most circumstances which makes them easy to keep clean.  That’s a big plus.  You will be amazed at the different patterns you get when you see homemade rag rugs online.  The rag rug can be a solid color or have various patterns due to the various fabrics used to make it. Some rag rugs are woven, but most homemade rag rugs are crocheted.

There are plenty of options when it comes to buying these interesting rugs. These rugs can be found made from cotton, silk or from old worn out clothes. Prairie Rugs has cotton rag rugs in gold, green, red, blue and just about any color you might want. Handcrafted by Artisan designs multi-colored rag rugs in rich hues that are quite attractive.  A Natural Home produces organic cotton rugs in nice neutral tones.  Amish Wares has Homemade Amish rag rugs that are made from the clothing of their children when they are no longer able to pass them down.  If you prefer to do-it-yourself, there are also rag rug instruction books, patterns, how-to guides and kits that you can use to design and create your very own rug from your old clothing or from whatever material is in a kit.

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