Artist

Learning to Rag Rug  

This course is a perfect opportunity to re-charge your batteries by spending a couple of days learning a traditional skill at a relaxed pace.

Jan has been teaching textile workshops, including rag rugging, for over 20 years now and is a consummate recycler of all sorts of materials.  Rag rugging is the ultimate recycling craft, in that it converts fabric, including much-loved but well-worn clothing, into vibrant and hard-wearing artefacts, such as rugs, cushion covers, tea cosies and upholstered chair seats. It is easy to learn, sociable, therapeutic and allows for the added satisfaction of knowing that you are doing your bit to save the planet! And an added bonus is that it is a portable craft, so you can take it with you wherever you go.

We will start by having a look at some of Jan's rag rug work and look through some books and images, as we discuss early ideas for the designs of your own rag rug projects.  

Then, we will go through the process of  planning a design and preparing your materials before beginning the project. By lunchtime we will be ready to start rag rugging and Jan will teach you the two methods of working - hooking and prodding.  By the end of this first day, you should be in a confident rhythm of your own.

On the Sunday we continue with our work and you will be amazed at how a second day in a row improves your skill and your speed.  And there will be a short session in which Jan will demostrate how to turn your rag work into a cushion cover and also how you could upholster it on to a chair.  The afternoon will draw to a close with a discussion of the various merits of the suppliers of the equipment and materials you will need. At that point, all that will remain to be done is to make sure that you select materials and take away everything you will need to continue rag rugging at home. You will leave renewed in spirit and with new skills to practise and enjoy over the coming winter.

The price covers materials, tuition, a set of tools to call your own, refreshments and a cooked lunch each day.  You will go home with your first project well on its way (or even completed!) and everything you will need to start a second project at home.  This course is aimed at beginners, so no experience of textile crafts is required.

Please click on an image to see the full picture.

To read about an innovative community partnership approach to preserving and improving this landscape for the benefit of all, have a look at Coigach and Assynt Living Landscapes. To find out about the fascinating geology of this area go to North West Highland Geopark.