Uglies to Ruglies

As a child, you kind of take things in your home and family for granted.  When I was growing up, our home was filled with colorful rag rugs that were made by my grandfather on an old, handmade floor loom.  I guess I assumed everyone's grandpa made rugs.  My grandmother would take old clothes, cut the buttons off them, remove any zippers and rip or cut the cloth into strips which she would then wind into balls.  Gramps would take these balls of strips and weave them into sturdy rugs.  There were stacks of neatly folded rugs of every imaginable color and combination in their house.  Some were given as gifts and the whole family was supplied with them.  It was always fun to look through them and pick out which designs and colors I liked best.   I still have a number of those rugs and treasure every one.  I don't think Grams and Gramps ever heard the word "recycling" but they certainly had the concept mastered.

Back home on the farm (in Illinois) waiting for my return is the same old loom.  It's been moved a few times but ended up back where it started (although it was old when it came to our family so who knows where it started or how old it is).  It's set up in a big sunny room on the second story of our garage.  I used to help my aunt warp it for her rugs so I learned how she did it.  The method was effective but very time-consuming.  I figured there had to be an easier way if one only knew it!

Fast forward a few years to living here in California.  I discovered a local adult ed program offered weaving classes.  There aren't many places where you can learn to weave any more so in January I started the class.  My hope was to learn more about looms so I could work with our old loom better.  The class has been great and I am working on a smaller loom there but the principles will all carry over.  I'm looking forward to getting the old loom up and running again when we move back.  There's just something about weaving that appeals to me.

To that end, I thought I'd clean out my fabric stash and get ready to make my own rag rugs.  Most people who sew have a fabric addiction to one degree or another and I'm no exception.  My stash fills a good sized armoire.  In sorting and organizing my fabrics I came across a number of pieces that made me shake my head and ask myself, "What was I thinking when I bought that piece of fabric???"  But now I've started a fabric recycling project that I call my Uglies to Ruglies Project.  I'm taking the "What was I thinking?" fabrics (and other remnants) and ripping them into strips which I wind into balls.  Eventually they will find their way into rugs.  Even the most heinous fabric design will work when it is scrunched up and woven into a rug.  One quilter I know says, "If it's still ugly, you just haven't cut it small enough yet."  The same goes for weaving - rip it into thin strips and it works.  Here are some of my balls of "uglies" that are waiting to become "ruglies". 

And here's Mary and me learning to use a warping board at our class.  It's a simple but brilliant invention.  

And finally, the loops and braids of warp ready to be tied on to the loom.  Unbelievable but it really worked!  Gramps would be proud of me.