Recently in a trendy "save the earth" magazine, I saw an add for a lovely rug made of "recycled rags." It looked like a giant version of the kiddie pot holders many kids make at summer camp.Now I recycle constantly and believe strongly in good stewardship of the earth. Plus I'm very frugal -- a trait which has gotten us very far. So that some commercial entity has found a way to recycle cloth scraps in a nice way is lovely, but I can do that myself... Free...
I determined to have a pot holder rug for on the floor in front of the television out of my own scraps. I studied the picture carefully and it appearred to be thick rag strips woven in a simple tabby (over one -- under one) weave just like a kiddie pot holder. Both the warp and the weft were thick rags. Nix the floor loom. I needed a frame to string the heavy warp, but where?
Probably because the computer sits in the back of the living room and looks in at the dining area I spotted the dining room table while pondering this deep question. Solution = dining room table legs.
Now I will note I do not have a fancy dining table, I'm the mother of a very active creative eight year old boy. No fancy furniture until he is older. Its a simple pine legged table.
The legs spread to not quite 3 and half feet at the bottom and the length is around (who measures) four feet. To weave my rug I tied two heavy dowels over the ends padded with rags underneath to protect the wood. These served as warp beams.
I cut 4 inch thick strips of old blue jeans, my husband's work pants and other heavy rags. I stitched them together as I went along as to not waste rags. I tried to pick good sturdy cloth and gave it a double seam.
I wound the warp as I prepared it onto the beams by tying one end and then winding the warp around and around between the beams.
For weft I used cloth of lesser quality and cut it into 4 inch strips too. I wove it over one, under one, in a simple pot holder tabby weave. Too add more cloth I just over lapped rather than stitching the new pieces to the old. I used up old torn draperies, and the like. Things I didn't want to throw away and waste, but that were too old, stained, etc. for quilting.
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