Hobby & Craft Forums

Just ordered my first kit which should be here within a week to 10 days coutesy of my mum- late Christmas present!

Loving this idea made from old T-shirts based on Kandinsky's Squares with concentric rings...

Rag rugs. We use any old material cut into 6" strips and make random coloured rugs with them. If you want to be clever and have enough of any given material then you can do patterns if you want to. They are done on old sacks ar sometimes when we are feeling rich we actually buy hessian. Usually pretty cheap in a market. The latch hook has never been painful on my hands personally but then I have been doing it since I was 4 years old when my gran used to sit me at the table in the winter and get me going. Basically a rug need not cost a penny apart from the hook though I must admit it is a lot easier with decent hessian. You can also use ordinary wool but will need to use it in several strands as rug wool is a lot thicker. Again a great way of using up scraps. It isd also something that you can pick up and do a bit and then put down again. Be warned though you will end up with bits of rag or wool in the strangest of places, it seems to travel a lot.

Give it a go and enjoy. One of the few hobbies left where the outlay is either free or minimal.

pete

Aw, get you crafting with your grandma, how sweet is that, bless her for taking the time to do that with you- many grandmas are still working when the grandchildren start appearing these days which doesn't leave a lot of time for that sort of thing anymore!

Ooooooo, I can't wait to get going on it now, I think cutting my own material might be a bit laborious though but great idea though- I'll see how I go and how addicted I get lol!

It's the sort of thing that you can do whilst watching the TV or reading. Decent pair of scissors and it's no problem. Get a pillow case full and away you go. Mind you you will be surprised just how much material and / or wool you get through.

Pete

LOl, that's what worries me...if I get truly addicted I may well disappear under a sea of textile strips lol!

Here's a great tool I found for anyone wanting to create their own patterns- it's nothing you couldn't do with Photoshop but good for those who aren't familiar with design software!

http://www.leftsource.com/

so is latch hooking a rag rug, i have made those!! I made some cute cushion covers a while back using a cheap fleece material, they were very bulky but really soft!

Havent a clue where my bits and bobs for it are, but i may have to have a go at this again this year!

Yes, kind of Jo although you can make all kinds of stuff from it and using all kinds of different fabrics too. Rugs seem to be the most popular though but I have to say the choice of patterns in kits are really naff IMO- I can't wait to start making my own already lol!

Latch hooking refers to any type of work that uses a latch hook. It can include wall hangings and things like cushions as well though rugs with rags or wool are the most common uses. Ideal for getting kids involved as it's safe, cheap and relatively easy.

Had a look at that pattern site Nickie. Could be really useful.

Like the Kandinsky's Squares work even though I don't like the original. Works much better in fabric IMHO

Pwete