Craft of Area Rugs: Sample Resources

Rag Rugs
The personal website of rag rug maker, Debbie Siniska. Debbie teaches rag rug making in venues across Britain and holds regular workshop near her home. Her equipment includes rug hooks, bodgers, shuttle hooks, and adjustable rug frames. Her rag rugs come in a wealth of designs, styles and colors and are custom made for sale through her store. A rag rug link section offers more resources.

Hooked Rugs
Here is information about the craft of rug hooking, with a wealth of historical information. Includes information about rug shading and dyeing, and how rugs were used inside homes to provide protection from cold floors. Much of the hook rug history developed in Maine, although hooked rugging has maintained popularity today.

Braided Rug Facts
Braided rug facts are included on this website, which includes rug cleaning instructions, rug materials and rug production information. Rugs made of quality spun nylon rug yarn, which makes the rugs durable, stable and fade resistant. Also includes microfilament threads, and information about making rugs. Braids are made with a 5-carrier rug braider. There are only two types of braiding machines made specifically for producing rug braid. They are the 3-carrier and the 5-carrier rug braiders. We prefer and use the 5-carrier since it allows up to 5 colors in any strand of braid. Many braided rugs on the market today are braided using "harness braiders". If you take a second look at the rug and the braid does not appear as traditional braid or as you would braid someone's hair it was produced using a harness braider. These rugs are produced as cheaply as possible by wrapping a thin strand of inferior yarn around a tube. Tube rugs are hard to maintain and every time a strand of yarn breaks the tubular core starts to show. Also note the finishing technique employed with these rugs as well as the stitch length and stitch width. By using a long stitch length and a short stitch width these rugs can be sewn very quickly but quality is obviously sacrificed. Rugs are made using zig-zag sewing machine.

Rug Hooking Courses
Over the last 25 years Heather has developed and refined Rag Rug making skills to the highest standard, she now travels widely running workshops and is Internationally recognized for her skills. Site includes a gallery of rugs, as well as rug making tools. Learn about rug making workshops, which include the use of proddy techniques and wool dyeing. A selection of rug hooking products, including spring hooks, wooden prodders, wooden lap frames and carding grippers.