Rag rug

A rag rug is a rug or mat made from rags. Small pieces of recycled fabric are either hooked into or poked through a woven-fabric backing of hessian (burlap in North America), or else the strips are braided or plaited together to make a mat. Other names for this kind of rug are derived from the material (clippy or clootie rug) or technique (proggie or proddie rug, poke mats and peg mats).^[1]

In the UK, these thrift rugs were popular in the nineteenth century and during World War II in working-class homes seeking to reuse precious material. The hessian back may have come from a food sack.^[1]

There are three main techniques. In the UK it was common to poke or pull a small clipping of cloth through a hessian (burlap) backing, giving a shaggy appearance. In the US, a thin strip of fabric was hooked through the hessian so that the top surface was a small loop pile. A third technique is to plait, braid, lace or sew the fabric strips together.^[2]

• Jarapa

• The Rag Rugs Tour Describes many methods of creating traditional rag rugs.
• BBC Local History: Hooking and progging An article about Northumberland hooky and proggy rag mats.
• WikiHow: How to Make a Rag Rug