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Getting ready for a trip is my kind of housework! I always try to give the house a quick once over before I go away, catch up with laundry and change the bed and towels, so everything's nice and clean for when I get back. I also make sure I've got some basic food in stock and put half-used milk containers in the freezer, so I don't have to do a mad dash to the shops when I'm tired from the journey. There's usually enough milk left in the van for when I first get back and the rest can defrost overnight. Once I'm back, my house looks like a laundry/jumble sale for a week until everything's washed and sorted but at least I know it's fairly clean underneath the mess!

Nothing even remotely like that planned for today though. I'm going to hunt for some Youtubes showing how to make rag rugs... always wanted to learn for some reason.
 
Have you got a rug hook? Depends whether you plan to plait the fabric or hook it into a backing fabric. I got several rug hooks from local charity shop. Hard to track down otherwise unless you have handy craft shop!
 
Feel a bit stressed about equipping the new van in such a short time. Like to have everything shipshape but not going to have time to get containers to fit cupboards so it will be just fitting in what and where we can from old van, and finding out on the trip what we need but haven't got! Dave is very cool about this, but I will have to curb my OCD and be patient.:rolleyes:
 
Have you got a rug hook? Depends whether you plan to plait the fabric or hook it into a backing fabric. I got several rug hooks from local charity shop. Hard to track down otherwise unless you have handy craft shop!

I was thinking plaiting or weaving Ruth, so that it's flatter and smoother. I've got a lovely long runner in the van at the moment (must be over 3m) that I bought on Amazon. As is my daft nature in being 'loyal' to odd stuff that I love, I fret that I won't be able to get another one like it when it eventually wears out. So, I thought I'd see if I could make something like it myself for the future, especially as I've got a couple of suitcases full of stuff to go to the charity shop and would be able to make use of the material. I'm good with a sewing machine and the like but have more or less decided that the time and effort I'd have to put into one as big as this just doesn't complete with the £32 I can currently get a new one for! Trouble is, the one I have has plenty more life in it, so there's guilt involved too at potentially spending money before I need to :rolleyes:

Why are we such complicated creatures... or is it just me?

I can relate to the OCD bit and you wanting everything ship-shape before you head off. The thing is, you might not know what really works best for this van until after a few trips, so you'd likely come home with a long list of things to buy or change anyway. It's taken me nearly 8 years to get my kitchen lockers 'right'... well, for now anyway :ROFLMAO: I've also got a pile of stuff, currently cluttering up the garage and one spare bedroom, that it turned out I didn't really need!
 
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Clearing out is fine... the problem is that somehow "stuff" creeps back in when i'm not looking.:giggle:
An easy way to make a rag rug is to get a piece of Hessian a little larger than your finished rug, cut up diamond shapes from your fabric, ideally old wool coats, and something similar in shape to a sharpened pencil only thicker. Working from the face side you poke a corner through the Hessian then back from the underside. Very therapeutic.I used to make them with my gran, a new one every Christmas.
 
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had frame for rug making up untill a few year ago............kept the hessian nice and tight and easier to work with......
...we used long strips of fabric....old wool jumpers cardigan, coats etc. ...
..........cut the fabric into long strips about te width of your finger or thumb........put hessian on frame.........
...one hand holding long strip of fabric inderneath hessian....

....plunge hook thru hessian from the upperside to catch small poece of the length of fabric pull a little of it thru making a kind of very small loop on the topside of hessian
carry on doing this till length of fabric is all used up.
so satisfying seeing the finished hand crafted rug with your own design or picture on it........and as sue says very therapeutic..........
 
I do like that 'fluffy' type of rag rug a lot and I've made a wool one using that method with a rug hook. You used to be able to buy kits... Readicut I think they were called, something like that. For the van though, I'd like to stick to the smoother/flatter 'rope' type that's either plaited or rolled. The one I have doesn't look plaited - more flat rolls woven across the width up and down through long threads. Weft or warp springs to mind for the threads and I'm pretty sure it's been done on a loom. I can't find anything demonstrating exactly how to do that but I'd happily settle for plaited widths threaded through in the same way. I think 3 metres of it might take forever and a day though, so might be a bit too ambitious. This is mine...

RagRunner.jpg
 
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That is very pretty! They sell them like that really cheap in Thailand....small doormat sizes worked out about 75p! Going in October, might bring a few back for our van! They look like the fabric is laid flat in strips then a big sewing machine used to stitch the fabric in place. Should have looked closer.
 
Ooh you might find some real bargains there! The one I have is Indian made I think... the description of similar ones calls it Chindi style. I've had it for a few years now and it gets shoved in the washing machine at the end of every trip, so it's lasting really well. I found a closer view of a different one that looks like the same construction. I'm fairly sure they're done on a loom but it could be reproduced by hand by stitching down the length of the rug, over and under each strip. The thread would need to be really tough... more like fine string. Anyway, here's the close-up... sorry it's a bit big!


RagRugRunner.jpg
 
Does look very even. Seen others that are more obviously hand done probably would be less resilient. We made one of those wool readicut rugs when we were engaged. It was a "leftover" kit where just got skeins of colours and made own pattern. We sat each end and made stripes working into the middle. Sounds alternately boring and romantic but I think we kept my mum happy as she thought that was what we were doing on our own in the other room!:ROFLMAO: Anyway we did finish it and still have it in portugal 46 yrs on!! Very hard wearing!
 
fancy a rag rug with the MH picture on it...........or WC logo........now that would look good..........

the picture of your rug jennie does look as tho it is machine produced.........looks too even and perfect.....looks very nice and as you say light and easy laundered...........very practical...........looks good
 
Ooh you might find some real bargains there! The one I have is Indian made I think... the description of similar ones calls it Chindi style. I've had it for a few years now and it gets shoved in the washing machine at the end of every trip, so it's lasting really well. I found a closer view of a different one that looks like the same construction. I'm fairly sure they're done on a loom but it could be reproduced by hand by stitching down the length of the rug, over and under each strip. The thread would need to be really tough... more like fine string. Anyway, here's the close-up... sorry it's a bit big!


View attachment 43617

Jennie I saw some videos on YouTube about the rag/proggy mat making..but don’t know how to post them!.. haha that looks lovely there s a one on YouTube where you can put a pattern on it
 
fancy a rag rug with the MH picture on it...........or WC logo........now that would look good..........

the picture of your rug jennie does look as tho it is machine produced.........looks too even and perfect.....looks very nice and as you say light and easy laundered...........very practical...........looks good

To be honest, it's not especially light Trixie... it's actually quite heavy considering it's all cotton and it weighs a ton when it's wet! Probably still lighter than a carpet-type runner though. Ruth, you really made me chuckle picturing your Mum keeping an eye on her innocent daughter... and to think they said it would never last :ROFLMAO: I'm positive I've still got my readicut somewhere because I would never have thrown it out... possibly fallen foul of moths in the loft though because I haven't seen it for ages :unsure:

Really drizzly, dull old day here, so no encouragement to stay out and about. I did meet my friend for lunch at a country pub but didn't run any of the errands I'd planned on the way back because I just wanted to get out of the wet. Might have to face the town tomorrow now - a Saturday! :eek:
 
First row of beetroot seeds in (y). Since head of weight reduction started Slimming World we've eaten tons of the stuff; pickled, boiled, roasted and shredded raw on salads (don't tell 'er but I quite enjoy it ;))

Hmmm :unsure:is your secret safe though Chris?? :devilish::sneaky:
 

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