Area Rugs Crafts (01)

Make a Rug Hook
There are many good tips here to help you make your own rug hook. First, do not use any wood for the handle; you'll need a hard wood or almost hard wood (walnut, oak and birch work best). The grain in the wood needs to be straight and the wood dry so that it doesn't split. The piece that you start with should be 1-inch square and about 3 inches long. Next, you drill a small (1/8 to 1/16 inch) hole in the center of one end. (If you drive the nail into the wood without a pilot hole, the wood will split.) The hole should be at least a 1/2-inch deep. You can also learn how to carve a rug hook handle, fashion the hook, put it together, and reinforce the end of the handle.

Making a Faux Braided Rug
This Web site features recipes to make your own faux braided rug. All you need is strips of fabric or bias and a length of rope, about ½" in diameter. The diameter will determine how thick your rug will be. The length of rope you have determines your finished rug's size. The bigger you want your rug to be, the more rope you will need to use. You simply wrap the fabric strip around the rope, and the rest of the instructions go from there as you will wrap the rope into an oval and stitch it into place.

Fiber Arts Resources
Are you looking for rug hooking resources on the Internet? Here is the place, chock full of rug enthusiasts and online shops to purchase supplies. But there is a good array of person rug-makers’ sites, so you can use their tips and insights on the craft as well. There is an emphasis on Vermont, because the homepage owner is from there. But you can find great information about how to hook rugs, rug galleries to peruse and designs to invent and use in your own creations.

Caring for Your Rug
Especially for Oriental rug owners, they will last many years if you take rug care precautions. Common problems include water damage, moth damage, dog chews and cat scratching, pet stains, vacuum cleaner damage, chemical damage, sun damage, and uneven wear. This Web site features a variety of rug-affecting factors and you can get care and cleaning tips with the click of a mouse. Also noted are tips on how to move a rug, how to lay a rug flat, using rug pads, coping with curled corners and edges, sizing and blocking a rug and rug storage.