I started weaving in 2007 when it was brought to my attention that there were not enough of those “rag rug things” around to keep by the back door for when the dog came in from outside. There were only 2 small polyester ones, store bought. Having sewn dozens of men’s shirts and vests over the years and never throwing out the scraps, I had lots of materials to use to make some rugs. I built a simple wooden frame with rows of nails and some cotton string to make a couple. I got hooked on weaving and built a more complex tabletop loom. It just wasn’t heavy duty enough for the rugs I wanted to make though, so I finally bought a used Union Custom loom from a guy who had rescued it out of a barn and mostly put it back together. I remodeled and rebuilt that loom several times before retiring it. I now have a large Swedish Oxabach loom that I use for the rugs, and a smaller Wolf loom for other projects.
In looking for information on the web about rag rugs I stumbled across the Swedish tradition of Trasmattor and very much like the Swedish style and try to model my rugs in that tradition. Also in the Swedish tradition, I use recycled materials for the rugs. There is an embarrassment of discarded textiles in this country and in my small way I try to give some of them a second chance of being used.