Resources on the Craft of Area Rugs

Rug Stenciling Ideas from Royal Design Studio
Rug stenciling is a fun and economical way of decorating your floor. If you want to learn more, check these articles by the staff of Royal Design Studio, a California-based designer and manufacturer of rug stencils. Besides the wonderful photos of stenciled rugs, you can also learn how to do it yourself. One particular article talks about repairing a damaged linoleum floor through rug stenciling. Another article features a temporary stenciled exterior floor covering, while another one shows stenciled rug on a backyard and garden. The other articles have inspiring stenciling stories of known interior designers and home improvement expert Bob Villa.

Rug Making
This is a sparse site, covering just a few aspects of rug making and in only rudimentary detail. However, you can get a brief description and overview of how to make a braided rug, including materials and simple instructions for actually making a braided rug. There are also material lists and simple instructions for making hooked rugs, and latch-hooked rugs.

Making a Faux Braided Rug
This Web site features recipes to make your own faux braided rug. All you need is strips of fabric or bias and a length of rope, about ½" in diameter. The diameter will determine how thick your rug will be. The length of rope you have determines your finished rug's size. The bigger you want your rug to be, the more rope you will need to use. You simply wrap the fabric strip around the rope, and the rest of the instructions go from there as you will wrap the rope into an oval and stitch it into place.

Making a Rug by Zapotec
If you've ever wondered how rugs are made, this Zapotec rug website features instructions for making your own rug. First, the material is cleaned and subsequently carded, or brushed. Next, wool is spun to make yarn. Dyeing takes place next, and involves adding pigment to the yarn. Finally, weaving the rug produces the final product.

Binding Hooked Rug Edges
This article teaches you how to bind hooked rug edges. Joan Moshimer, the author, explains that you need to machine stitch the burlap about 1" beyond the outside line of your pattern, going across the corners. She says because the greatest wear and tear on rugs is the edging, they must be bound or faced on the edges. She offers two methods for binding rug edges. One is done before you start hooking and the other when you are done. Either way is good, but she believes the latter is better among many people.

Rag Rugs by Louisa and Lewis Creed
Rag Rug making is a very personal experience for Louisa and Lewis Creed. This team eats, sleeps and dreams rag rugs. Click on LOUISA and read a fascinating article about how she goes about designing and making one of her rag rug masterpieces. For Louisa there is virtually no difference between making a rag rug and painting a rag rug. For her, bits and pieces of rags and cloth are the same thing that paints are to a painter. And when you see her completed works of art you will agree that her rag rugs are as close as anyone's every likely to come to painting with rags. There is also a profile of Lewis Creed, who came to rag rug making later than he wife, Louisa, but who is already exhibiting his works in many venues. The many photos of the Creed's rag rugs are an inspiration to anyone who is thinking of starting this ancient craft.

Rug Hooking and Dye Information
Resources for rug hooking are available at this website, which includes informative links to rug websites. Her books Dyeing Without Dye and Dyeing by the Number are expert resources. Site also includes a gallery of her rug creations.