Guess What? Rag Rug Coasters

There was an anonymous comment on the first rag rug article that warned me about the addiction factor of making these items. She is probably laughing right now, but that's okay. I'm only filling time until spring.....I think.

As I sat working on rug #2, I kept thinking of other possibilities for using this technique of sewing knots for making all kinds of things. We have used some cloth coasters for about 10 years that we bought at a craft bazaar in Alaska. They have held up extremely well with daily use, and besides that, I like them. Well, after close examination, I realized they were probably constructed using the same 'stitch' pattern as the rug I was making, just on a much smaller scale. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that making these coasters would be easy to do. So I did.

  









I started off closely examining the coaster to see how the stitches were increased. Just every so often, there is a place where there are two stitches instead of one. I made a guesstimate on how wide to tear the fabric. I think my fabric is a little narrower than what was used in my original coaster, but I really like the way they look. A large tapestry needle works very well with this size fabric and a small project like this. Here are pictures of the process, with pointers along the way.

I started off connecting the 'tail' and the sewing 'thread' together just like you would add another piece of fabric to the sewing end. This video from Rag Rug Cafe explains it very well. I found this made a smaller, smoother knot.

With the fabric being this narrow, around 1/4", I didn't pay attention to the right and wrong side of the fabric like I do with the rug.
 

The first round left a hole in the middle, so I made sure to 'sew' it closed. 
 

The original coaster has a 4 1/4" diameter.

With the fabric being this narrow, it was easy to tear the pieces apart when adding on the next piece to the sewing end. You can't yank these together like the much wider pieces used on the rug. And speaking of the rug. Most of the sites I read, including the Rag Rug videos recommend cutting the fabric for rugs about an inch wide. I have found that I like to cut them about an inch and a half to two inches wide. It makes the rug thicker, and I just like it better. The same could go for the coasters. I can see where these could easily be turned into pot holders, place mats, or any number of other things, and with each one, adjusting the width of the fabric will alter the thickness of the finished product. Just some thoughts.

I finished this coaster off by weaving the ends through some of the loops. It is long enough that if the end works it's way out, it won't start unraveling.

This coaster took about an hour to make. Now I'm thinking about next year's Christmas presents.....

 
While I was working on rug #2 the other day, Frank and I were talking about all of the scrap fabric, old sheets, and rags we have around the place. He's happy I've found a good way to use some of them. During this conversation I got to thinking about all of the old socks we have in the 'rag bag' cabinet. Do you save old socks? We do, and we have way too many of them gathering in there. So, I was thinking, wouldn't these make good pot holders or trivets of a sort, since it is a thicker material? So I tried it. It didn't work for a couple of reasons. This time I cut the fabric about an inch wide, but the thickness of the fabric made for really big knots, too bumpy. The stretchiness of socks also makes it more difficult to use them, but not overly so. I will try this again, but with much thinner pieces of fabric, probably not over 1/4 inch. This idea is still brewing in my head, but for now, I'm back to more coasters and rug #2.

 







 

And speaking of more coasters, we have one that is heart shaped, and I thought it would be really neat to try to make one of these. It was much harder. It appeared to me that this pattern started off with one long piece that was then shaped into a heart by the way the increases and decreases in stitches were applied. I think I figured out where the middle of the piece is, then measured how long it needed to be to create the base that could then be sewn around on all sides. Here is what I mean.

From this center point, it looks like the length of one side of the base row is 2 1/2" long.
 

So, I made my first 'row' about 5 " long. 

I knew I would have to decrease at the halfway point to create the top notch and begin the heart shaped pattern.

It's hard to show and explain this, but instead of sewing the knot into the top of the next loop, I went through two loops from side to side instead.

I then had to twist the needle back to get it under the tail 'thread' and wrap the sewing thread around like a normal stitch.

Once I pulled this stitch up tight, it started the 'V' shape I needed to form the base of a heart. My first thought? It worked! Now if I can just figure out how to get this skinny little thing to look like a heart. I decreased a stitch every row in this fashion to keep the 'V' shape consistent.

This is where I took a break and played with the socks.

After a while I realized that this looked more like wings than a heart. It wasn't rounded off enough.

So I began adding many more stitches to fill out the lobes of the heart. It quickly looked much better.
 

The pointed end was still fairly rounded, and didn't quite look right, so I added more stitches about an inch or so from the point to lengthen it. You will just have to play with how many stitches you add and where.

 





The finished product is 7 3/4" diameter, and a little wiggety. It doesn't lay down perfectly flat, but that's that water glasses and coffee cups are for. When I put it on the table for inspection, Frank said I should stick to the round ones. I agree. I've made one, but the round coaster took about an hour to make and is much easier. He does like the red material better than the blue, though. By the way, I like and still wear the dresses made out of both of these fabrics.

 










I'm really happy that I discovered a way to use this fabric that I have been keeping for years. I have used some of my scraps to make quilts before, but that doesn't happen very often and the extra fabric has been piling up. It also helps bolster confidence that we can make due by using what we have on hand. This applies to so many things beyond making a rug or a 

coaster. Anything we can make or do for ourselves increases our independence and decreases our dependence on the system. For when the system no longer functions in the manner that we have been accustomed to our entire lives, the more you know and can do for yourselves, the better off you will be. Keep learning. It's what your brain was created for. It's an amazing thing, our brains. It doesn't have a limited capacity like all of these electronic gadgets we use everyday. Every so often we may need a day or two off to let it reset and absorb events or knowledge, but we don't have to reinstall a new hard drive or wait for a part. Our brains are an amazing blessing we carry around with us all the time. Use it. All the time. Everyday. Don't let it become a stagnate jell of slow moving, slushy, dull matter. Keep it well fed, stimulated, crisp and sharp and you will be able to accomplish amazing feats you never thought possible. 

Until next time - Fern

My First Rag Rug & Some Thoughts on the World

You know that rag rug article we published two days ago? Remember how easy I said it was to make them? I'm finished. With the first one that is. This is a great project that can be picked up and put down easily, it gives me something to do while I deal with the late winter doldrums, and turns out a beautiful, useful product in a short amount of time.

I couldn't quite figure out how much to increase the loops or where, so I experimented. After I had gone a little farther than the picture I showed you in the last post, the rug started cupping up on the ends. So I started adding an extra loop here and there in an effort to get it to lay down nice and flat.

Well, then I ended up adding too many. There was a helpful comment on the last post, that said to only add extra loops on the corners and not on the straight sides, but it was too late by then and the rug was getting kind of ruffley all the way around. So, as I got to the size I wanted, I ended up decreasing the number of loops again. This time I kept laying the rug down on the floor and looking at where the decreases needed to happen.

30 x 22"

Is it a perfect rug? Absolutely not. Is it a beautiful, functional rug? Yes, definitely. I am not completely satisfied with the outcome, but I am very happy with my rug. And the funny thing is, that I can point out what each type of material in the rug came from - mostly dresses, but one was from a shirt.

Now that I finished this first oval one, I am starting another one that I am going to try to make rectangular. This time I will add the extra loops in the corners and see if it will help create the shape I want. I started off with four loops.

As I turned the piece around to begin working (see the videos on Rag Rug Cafe again, they are very, very helpful. I watched them a number of times), I put two loops into the first loop to make end 1, then one in each of the remaining two loops going down the side. Again, two loops in end 2, and two more going back up the side to form the foundation of the rug. Now, put two loops in each of the original two loops on the end 1, work down the side and put two loops in each of the original two loops on end 2. Get the idea? I know this would have been easier to see if I had started with a lighter colored material, but I really like this material and I liked the dress that was made out of it as well.

The challenge here is to keep figuring out which loop is in the corner, then continue to put two loops into each of the four corner stitches on every row, or round. That will keep increasing the size and hopefully keep it somewhat symmetrically rectangular.

Some things I learned. The strip of fabric you 'sew' with (in your right hand if you are right handed), will get twisted on a regular basis. It goes much smoother if I stop and untwist it every so often.

If you're using fabric that has a right and wrong side, the rug looks much better if you make sure the right side is facing out. At first I was concentrating simply on figuring out the technique to use and didn't even notice that a lot of my fabric had the wrong side up.

The tail piece of fabric that you make the knot around doesn't really show much. Because of this, I used up some fabric that I thought would make a decent background. This black material won't add much color, so I'm using it for the tail piece. Besides that, I didn't like the dress that I made with it and the material faded very quickly.

A funny side note. As I made the first rug, I came to the point that I needed to tear up some more fabric. So I tore and I tore and I tore. Then Frank pokes his head around the corner and says, "Do you have enough of that finished for now?" This surprised me and I laughed and asked if it was bothering him. It was. He asked that I wait until he is outside before I tear up a bunch more. Unless it is only a piece or two. He didn't think I was ever going to stop all that tearing noise.


My rug tool needed to be squeezed just a little more. It was a little wide to fit in some of the loops comfortably, so Frank made the fine adjustments I requested, and it works like a charm. Funny how a girl can be so pleased with a short piece of clothes hanger and some duct tape. It's always these simple little things that bring me the most pleasure.

The world. There are times when I decide that nothing can surprise me anymore, and then the next unbelievable thing happens. The onslaught of gruesome death continues to grow until the horror affects more and more people around the globe. First it was beheading and crucifixion. Then as if that wasn't enough, came parading people in cages through the streets and burning them alive. The soul of mankind in more and more people has been left desolate. The abomination of desolation. There is evil in the wind. It blows across the world whispering to those that will listen. Many are heeding it's call and gathering. They fill themselves with hate and loathing for those that will not bend to it's demand. There will come a time when we will all have to chose sides and not sit on the fence and pretend all is well.

We plan to watch Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to congress tomorrow morning. I find it very disturbing that many of our elected leaders are refusing to treat the elected leader of another country with respect and dignity. It's unconscionable.  

I'm glad I found a fun, easy project to get me through these last days of winter. Soon it will be time to get in gear for the summer growing season. We plan to grow, harvest and preserve more food this summer than ever before, for us and the animals. These are skills and supplies we feel will be very important in the not-so-distant future. Rest up, for the work is just beginning.

Until next time - Fern
 

Cabin Fever, A Rag Rug & 160 Meters

Well, I told you yesterday I was bored. Today the garden is still white, the pastures are still white and the road is still white, which is really odd for here. This afternoon I was looking through a bunch of links I have saved on my computer. I have a bookmark folder called research. It probably has several hundred sites saved, some with interesting articles, some with how-to stuff, some with gardening or even soap making sites. 

While I was there rummaging around I ran across a folder with information I had saved about making rag rugs. It may have been a year since I looked at this, but today it flipped my switch, as Frank likes to say. I wanted something constructive to do that I would enjoy and learn something new. I made a braided rug a number of years ago, but it kept coming apart. It was one long braid sewn together into an oval. What I liked about this rag rug technique is the way it is constructed. It's all one piece, so it can't come apart. I have lots of fabric scraps from all of the dresses I have made. By the way, I can only remember buying one dress since I graduated from high school over three decades ago. I never saw any reason to buy a dress when I could buy fabric on sale and make one the way I wanted it for around $10.00. Anyway, I have lots of fabric scraps that should work great for a rag rug.

Another great thing about making this is how simple it is. Tear the fabric, yes tear it, into long strips anywhere from one to two inches wide. I actually enjoyed tearing up this fabric, it was funny to be able to tear something constructively. So, in this case, you can rip things up and enjoy it. When you watch the videos provided at the Rag Rug Cafe, you will see the easy way this woman attaches the strips together, and constructs the rug. It is very simple and easy. No needle and thread required.

 

One thing she did have was a tool to kind of weave the fabric together. They made it out of a wire clothes hanger. I started off using a large safety pin for this tool, but it didn't work very well. We have one metal clothes hanger that is already being used as a tool of sorts, so I borrowed a few inches off of one end. Frank was busy and this is how my original version turned out. It worked okay, but the end was kind of big and sometimes hard to use. Later on, when Frank wasn't busy, he re-fabricated my rug tool. Now the 'sewing' end of it is easier to use and works great.

 

Original tool

New and improved, via Frank's fabrication.

 

So, after a few hours, here is my rug. I haven't decided how big it will be, but I'll show it to you when I get it finished. It's nice to be able to tear things up to create something useful, while learning something new, and forgetting about having cabin fever. And one good thing about this project is that you can stomp on it when it's finished, if you have anymore frustration you need to work through.

Frank has also been busy with something new lately. He has been a member of our area Communications Support Team for a couple of years. This is a way he is serving our local area by using his ham radio skills. By the way, Frank made his first contact on 160 meters today. You see this weekend there was a 160 meter contest, so there was a lot more traffic than usual. On the average day, when Frank spins the big dial, he might hear two or three folks rag chewing on 160 meters, sometimes he hears none. But tonight the band was full. It's good to know those folks are out there. And it's good to know that you can make contact on 160 meters. Frank was tickled he had his first ever contact on 160 meters. 

For the past few weeks Frank has been attending a CERT class, Community Emergency Response Team. In conjunction with that he has attended a Storm Spotters Training and become a member of

the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp. All of these organizations provide some excellent training dealing with disaster preparedness, fire safety, search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. Not only does volunteering for these organizations provide Frank with the opportunity to serve the people of our area in the event of a disaster, it provides him with training, and contact with a group of people that will be in charge if things ever get dicey around here. Attending the closest meetings or trainings is a 50 mile round trip, but he feels it is well worth the effort and expense to be able to serve the people in our surrounding area. Volunteering and serving is something Frank has always done, and will continue to do. It's just a big part of who he is.

So, that's what we've been up to. They've already called off church tomorrow because of the weather. I'll probably get a lot more of my rug made, make some sourdough bread, do some reading, maybe peek in the fermentation crock and see how the cabbage is doing, and read all of the comments you leave. I always get antsy and impatient for spring this time of year. Having about three inches of

Spring, 2014

snow on the ground and dark gloomy days doesn't help any. I just can't imagine the many feet of snow the folks up north are buried under. It's supposed to rain for the next number of days, so we should start off March with lots of mud. But that's okay. We'll keep learning and before you know it, it will be spring.

Until next time - Fern