How we make river rugs

Here we shed some light on rag rug handweaving,

what goes into making a rug

and how we do it

MATERIALS:

Materials used in all river rugs are a mixture of recycled T-shirt yarn and household Textiles
T-shirt yarn are off cuts from the T-shirt industry, about 30% of the rug is this material
Household textiles are recycled sheets, tablecloths, curtains and clothing sourced from local 2nd hand shops and clothing stores,
about 70% of the rug is this material
We only use carefully chosen, good condition and clean materials

Recycled T-Shirt yarn

T-shirt Yarn is recycled craft yarn that comes from T-shirt manufacturing off cuts. T-shirt Yarn consists of about 80% Cotton and 20% other fibres making it soft, lightweight and durable. Instead of ending up in land fill or in our oceans we put it back to use.

Recycled household textile yarn

Recycled linen washed and ready to be cut

denim jeans recycled into yarn

Recycled sheets cut into yarn strips

Yarn strips rolled into balls of yarn

Carefully chosen tablecloths, sheets, doona covers and even old clothes are re-used to make your favourite rugs. All recycled textiles are cleaned then cut into strips we call Rag Yarn. The yarn is rolled in to a ball and stored, ready to be woven into the next rug.

100% cotton Warp thread

Cotton twine rolls

Cotton twine ready to be set on the loom

Cotton twine has been warped onto the loom

Warp becomes the end tassels of the rug

We use 100% Cotton twine thread from Finland. The 15 ply thread is strong and very durable and handles the wear and tear of high traffic areas in your home. The warp thread also becomes the end tassels of our rugs.

Traditional Finnish Weaving Loom

One of the Weaving Looms we use is The Finnish made Varpapuu Savonia loom. This loom is an 8 shaft floor loom made from solid birch.

RUG CLEANING AND WASHING INSTRUCTIONS

• REMEMBER THAT THE SUN FADES AND IMPAIRS THE RUGS COLOUR AND STRUCTURE EASILY.

! DO NOT LEAVE THE RUG IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT !

• VACUUM AND VENTILATE THE RUG REGULARLY

• REMOVE STAINS IMMEDIATELY. WATER AND MILD DETERGENT ARE GREAT FOR EMERGENCIES. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR OTHER HARSH CHEMICALS.

• DO NOT WASH THE RUG IN THE WASHING MACHINE OR DRY IN THE DRYER. THE WASHING MACHINE OR DRYER MAY BREAK DUE THE WEIGHT OF A WET RUG. ALSO, THE RUGS MATERIALS SUFFER, AND THE RUG MAY LOSE ITS SHAPE.

• HAND WASH YOUR RUGS. GOOD WEATHER FOR WASHING IS A WARM AND WINDY DAY. AVOID WET DAYS BECAUSE HUMIDITY IS TOO HIGH, AND IT TAKES TIME FOR THE RUG TO DRY. MAKE SURE YOUR RUG IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE PUTTING IT BACK ON THE FLOOR.