Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This comprehensive guide celebrates the therapeutic and sustainable aspects of crafting, making it an ideal resource for anyone interested in transforming old textiles into unique and functional art.

Stuart-Anderson begins by exploring the historical context of rag rug making, detailing how our ancestors repurposed worn clothing and mill waste into practical items like floor mats and draft excluders. This historical foundation sets the stage for understanding the evolution of rag rug techniques and their cultural significance.

The book is rich with practical advice, starting with the basics of designing and preparing templates, and moving through the necessary tools and materials. Stuart-Anderson emphasizes the simplicity and accessibility of traditional techniques, reassuring readers that even drab fabrics can be transformed into beautiful creations. The techniques covered include hooking for detailed pictorial designs, prodding for a shaggy mat effect, and a variety of others such as knitting, knotting, coiling, plating, binding, and braiding.

NetGalley, June Lee

An Introduction to Rag Rugs – Creative Recycling is a fantastic book for anyone who loves crafting or wants to be more sustainable. As the title suggests, rag rugs are the perfect recycling project.

Starting with the history of rag rugs, this book contains some beautiful examples to inspire you before sharing the different techniques used to craft each type. All are easy to do; you need basic tools, fabric, and time.

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Craft Invaders

This book is what the cover says - an introduction to rag rugs. But it is a really good introduction to rag rugs.

Starting off describing the history of these rugs, with some beautiful pictures of rugs through the decades, it moves on to explaining how to design and prepare your own templates, what tools and materials you will need and then how to create your own rag rugs, describing different techniques.

Rag rugging is something I have wanted to add to my crafting skills and this is the perfect book to start.

NetGalley, Jo Young

5 stars

My nan always had rag rugs on her floors which piqued my interest in them at an early age. I thought I would skip the introduction, but got carried away reading about the history of textiles. Fascinated by the thought that people used to move the rag rugs through the house as they got more worn.

I finished looking through this book with a warm glow, inspired by the projects and how I could adapt them to my own style and needs. Can’t remember reading a craft book where I said “Ooo” more often! I love the flower brooch and have to make many of them – perfect for those cold winter’s nights by the television. Also want to have a go at the trivet made with fabric wrapped around rope and the plaited rugs.

It’s a lovely thought to be able to produce something useful from favourite clothing items that have become a little too worn for wearing.

Lovely book and very inspiring.

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Amazon Customer, Jayne

This books tells you all you need to know to start making rag-rugs. There are different types and different looks you can achieve. All are easy to do, you just need the basic tools and some rags and some time. You can make tufted rag rugs, knitted ones and plaited ones. The plaited ones particularly appeal to me. You create long plaits of fabric that you then coil and sew to make your rug. This is going to have to be done. This book is an excellent guide to get you started and would delight the sustainable-conscious person in your life.

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Blackberry Garden

As featured in

Hereford Times

With all the talk re sustainability I was very interested in this and then when I read it it gave me great inspiration and reminded me of stuff my grandparents had taught me.

Will be using this book for years, some great hints and tips.

NetGalley, Caroline Wright

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a very comprehensive book on making rag rugs - something that is becoming more and more sensible these days, with all the waste that is made with discarded clothing. Many people are now turning to upcycle and recycle to save the waste and to make something by hand as a hobby.
Although I work with fabric and design most of m life, I have never tried using rags to make rugs with - even though rag rugs go back a long way.
This book starts with some history, moves onto designing, tools, material, and technique and projects. We than come to the actual workings of getting the material on a backing with the recycle fabric. - this includes Prodding/progging, Hooking/punching, Knitting/knotting, Coiling/plating/binding/braiding. And finally you have a rug of your making, design and using material that may end up in landfill. The final chapter is Finish and Cleaning - all in all I found this book very informative, its a book that I am going to explore much more and hopefully make a rag rug with my old clothes.

NetGalley, Leyla Johnson

This is a charming introduction to making rag rugs. Stuart-Anderson starts with the history of textiles, and includes memories from British women whose family members made their own rugs. She covers a variety of techniques, with small projects like table mats for practice. This is a hobby with a high threshold for equipment and supplies, as you need frames and needles and tools and a wide array of fabrics to get started, but looks fun and rewarding. Will appeal to readers interested in handmade items, repurposing household objects, women's history, etc.

NetGalley, Erin Gordenier

I enjoyed this little overview on rag-rug making. There's a variety of different techniques presented within Stuart-Anderson's book, and the overall instructions and ideas don't seem overly complicated.

NetGalley, Des Miranda

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

For many of us, being able to buy and consume more or less at will has led to a society which consumes and disposes to an unsustainable degree. Crafting, making, recycling, and reusing materials are more important than ever and especially given the stresses of a consumer driven society, important to mental health and well-being as well.

This book is a nice primer with lots of different techniques and includes an intriguingly in-depth capsule history of fibrecrafts through the ages (starting with prehistory and down to the 20th century). The following technique chapters include general instructions for projects, but not specific step-by-step tutorials. The techniques and illustrated projects are arranged thematically in chapters: prodding & progging, hooking & punching, knitting & knotting, coiling binding plaiting & braiding, finishing & cleaning, and a stunning gallery of works for inspiration. The author has included appendices which contain useful resource lists & suppliers (mostly in the UK but also useful for readers in other locations), a bibliography, and a cross-referenced index.

This would be a superlative choice for library or maker's groups, crafters and fibre artists, or for the home studio. Although there are no specific step-by-step tutorials, there's ample info here for readers to understand and complete projects utilising many different techniques.

Five stars. Well written, accessible, beautifully illustrated, and comprehensive.

NetGalley, Annie Buchanan

An introduction to rag rugs is a fantastic book that not only teaches you and guides you to make your own rag rugs, but it gives you the history of the rag rugs from past to present day. This was so interesting to read about and I loved seeing all the rag rugs shown in this book. People are so very talented in making these rugs which are not just useful but are also pieces of art.
The book shows different techniques, tools, ideas and ways of making your own rag rugs.

NetGalley, Natalie Horman

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Rug making is a craft I have always wanted to try and as a result of reading this book will be able to try my hand at this fabulous hobby. Not only is the book full of instruction on the different techniques, with photographs and illustrations to help beginners, the author also includes a brief history of textiles and rug making. There are lots of photographs of beautifully made rugs for inspiration, not only for beginners but advanced crafters as well. Recommended for anyone keen to learn a new and useful craft.

NetGalley, E Rutherford

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book! It was, an incredibly fascinating look at the origins and different styles of rag rugs. The author explains many different traditional styles of making the rugs and eventually moves into her personal methods. There are dozens of pictures of previously made rugs as well as fun stories of what people remember when rag rugs first started being made. Wonderful book I highly recommend it for anyone wishing to either learn or simply explore the history of rag rugs.

NetGalley, Richelle Rodarte

This is an interesting how-to book on the history of rag rugs and how to design and create a rag rug for yourself. Amazing things were used in history to create rag rugs, creating a smooth rug to a floppy shag rug, to the braided and sewn rag rugs that I think of when someone mentions a rag rug.

Earlier peoples used fibers from plants to weave and braid and sew to give them a work of functional beauty in their lives.

Above all, it takes creative talent, time, and extreme effort to create a lasting, beautiful work of art, called a rag rug.

NetGalley, Sally Mander

I really enjoyed the book. It was very thorough and detailed. If you are a crafter this is a must have. Whether it's a new craft to you (like me) or old.

NetGalley, Laura Fayle

This is a nice explanation of all sorts of different rag rugs and best practices on how to make them. The photos and drawings explain a lot. I am inspired to make my own rug.

NetGalley, Amanda Karsh

What a great book! I have to say that this is a great idea for everyone to try and is a great use for clothing and fabric that isn’t suitable to pass on for someone else to use, because it has a stain or a tear perhaps.
I’m definitely going to get the basics to give this a go myself as you can get them for less that £10 online.
I would definitely recommend this book and it would make a great gift too.

NetGalley, Pauline Knox

I really liked that this book went through a history of sorts, showing us pictures of rag rugs from the past. I had no idea what to expect from this book, as the only kind of rag rug I knew about was the braided ones. So I was very surprised to see the pictures of elaborate patterns and pictures that some people have made! I do like that the author showed that this can be as creative as you want it to be. Someone who is good at art can make a stunning rug, while someone who isn't as artistic (like me) can do something simpler.

NetGalley, Katie Sauer

A good overview of the different ways to use rags and fabric to make rugs. The opening chapters cover the history of fabric and of using rags. Following this are chapters on methods, materials, and on specific techniques. Included throughout are inspiring pictures of work by the author. Each chapter on a technique includes a starter project.

NetGalley, Janet Perry