Rag Rug Frame Loom

We have several four-legged friends living with us.  Three cats, two dogs and two guinea pigs, to be exact.  As a general rule, I love having pets; except for the times they have "accidents" in the house.  One of our dogs is quite old and has apparently lost some bladder control, which I guess should be expected.  The other dog, however, is much younger but still has "accidents" regardless of the years we have tried to house-train her.  She is as sweet as can be but stubborn when it comes to potty training.  Needless to say, I am thankful we do not have carpeting in the house.  Heaven only knows what the house would smell like if we did.  

Although I am thankful for the lack of wall to wall carpeting, I do enjoy having scatter rugs throughout the house.  Unfortunately, our dogs enjoy them as well, either for napping or potty breaks.  Needless to say, I go through several rugs a week thanks to our furry friends. Originally, I thought I would buy several throw rugs and place them throughout the house.  That was, until I realized how much a throw rug could cost.  Considering I have a dozen rugs on the floor at any given time, purchasing these either new or used was cost prohibitive.  I had to learn how to make them if I had any hope of enjoying my little scatter rugs.

Thankfully, I love a challenge and got busy working on a plan.  I am also grateful for the fact that I come from a creative family and have been exposed to many different craft techniques through the years;  one of which is weaving.  

Although I did not wish to build a full weaving loom, I recognized that I could easily construct a simple frame to accomplish my rug making goal.  A few 2x4's and screws would fit the bill nicely.  Creating my own frame also allowed me to choose the size of the rugs I would be making.  

I began by making the loom portion; the area where I would create the rugs.  I cut (2) 2x4's 48" long and (2) 2x4's 30" long.  I screwed these together to make a rectangular form.  I then drilled screws  1" apart across the top and bottom portions of the frames.  These 1 5/8' screws are what I use to wrap my fabric around which is also referred to as the warp.

I did not like trying to weave a rug by sitting on the floor so I decided to make a frame to support my "loom".  Again, using 2x4's, I cut (2) pieces 40" long, (2) pieces 48" long and (2) 38".

My contraption is not the prettiest thing I have ever seen, but it gets the job done.  Weaving the rugs is very simple.  Once the vertical strips (warp) of fabric are wound around the screws, I simply weave the rug by running the horizontal strips (weft) in an over under fashion.  In other words, go over one strip and under the next.  Just like we did in elementary school.  Easy peasy!   I am now able to make rag rugs that measure 32" x 27" essentially for free, thanks to all of the fabric scraps my mom has given me.

Feel free to comment, offer suggestions or ask questions.  I love connecting with other creative people.