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.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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.

I was given a copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

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.

To me it does look like a good introduction to different techniques to make some rugs - more on the smaller size.

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.

I have been really interested In making rag rugs so I thought this would be a great book . Sadly it was not at all what I was expecting for or hoping for.

AN INTRODUCTION TO RAG RUGS
by Jenni Stuart-Anderson

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. I'll admit I skimmed the beginning of the history portion, but enjoyed reading the historical rag rug making quotes scattered throughout the text. These look like a fun skill to learn to upcycle.

An Introduction to Rag Rugs by Jenni Stuart-Anderson
Creative Recycling

Having watched my mother work on a few rugs purchased as kits and doing a few inches on one or two I hoped this book might tell me about how to make braid rugs and various other types as well. It wasn’t all that I had hoped for and it is no doubt better in book format than in ebook – additionally – my guess is that learning to make rugs would be easier to do with others in a class or one on one with someone with experience.

Chapters and information in the book included:
* Introduction with history of textiles and information about rugs made and used in the past
* Rags
* Tools & Equipment
* Materials to use
* Various techniques used to make rugs
* Finishing and cleaning
* Photos and some illustrations
* Gallery of rugs
* Some design information

This is an introductory book and the reader might benefit from personal demonstration or videos if they desired to take up rug making. Most enjoyed was the history shared about rugs.

Thank you to NetGalley and White Owl for the ARC – this is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

An Introduction to Rag Rugs - Creative Recycling is a useful guide with tutorials for upcycling/recycling fabrics into rugs written and presented by Jenni Stuart-Anderson. Due out 7th Dec 2021 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 192 pages and will be available in paperback format.

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.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

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.

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.
Thanks to #NetGalley for a preview copy in return for an unbiased review.

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.

4 Stars, History and How-To

AN INTRODUCTION TO RAG RUGS
by Jenni Stuart-Anderson

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.

I thankfully received a complimentary copy of #anintroductiontoragrugs from #netgalley #penandsword #whiteowl #jennistuartanderson I was under no obligation to post a review.

This is a very thorough primer on rag rugs throughout history with lots of photos for inspiration. It covers how to do make them in a wide range of ways. I do wish that it had instructions for making a few beginning projects. This teaches you how, but you are on your own to make the pattern and figure out how to do it all. It's excellent at showing the many ways rugs have historically been made though, and is quite an interesting read.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

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

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.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

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

i found the pictures and ideas to be mediocre. if you are interested in the history of these rugs or interested in making one using these techniques then you might find this interesting. I was hoping to find some inspiration for making my own but this book just didn't provide that for me

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 ate inspiring pictures of work by the author. Each chapter on a technique includes a starter project.

As an introduction, the book is good. However, it's limited in several ways. Tools covered only include those with which the author is familiar many items that are common, at least in the US, are not covered. It also does not have detailed enough instruction to help beginners. The book would be improved if more time was spent on this and less time was spent on history.