Colonel Crawford En-Campment

Over the weekend I attended a re-enactment and encampment of  Colonel Crawford's capture. (For those who do not know much about Ohio history his capture and torture was the response for another man's brutal massacre of approx. 100 Christian Moravian men, women and children. Because of their deeply rooted religious beliefs they did not fight back against their captors and instead prayed and sang until their time to meet their death by hammer.) Many believe that Crawford was in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered horribly as an example to others. (Find more about Crawford here.)

The re-enactment was good and the costumes had so much thoughtful detail. As a part of it there was an encampment, various displays and artisans, and demonstrations.I pleased to find all sorts of artisan showing off their wares or demonstrating skills. This included various handmade jewelry (beaded and metal work), carved wooden flutes in the style of the Plains Indians, a type of hand weaving for belts and scarves that I had not seen before, pottery in process, a man working on braided rugs (from a local historic society), hand dipping tallow candles (I can not imagine lighting might house with animal fats, but it happened), an assortment of weapon reproductions, as well cooking. It was so nice to not only see examples of  some of these nearly forgotten crafts that were one a part of everyday life but to also see that the skills to do them were being presented.

It turned out to be a lovely afternoon.

For more information about the massacre and the history check out these links:
http://www.graveaddiction.com/gnadenhu.html
http://gnadenhutten.tripod.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnadenhutten,_Ohio
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/colonel-william-crawford-proceeds-toward-the-ohio
http://www.touring-ohio.com/history/crawford.html

MIni Braided Rug

Need a a mini braided rag rug? Maybe one for your glass? Or a dollhouse? This little rug is a great size for use as a coaster or to fit inside a dollhouse.

Inspired by the larger braided rugs: For a mini rug use thin cut strips, made the same way as a larger one, just stopping a lot sooner to sew off the end.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

April 22, 2011 is Earth Day. It's time to celebrate Mother Earth, all she gives us, and remember that in giving us continual life she deserves our protection. It's also a day to remind ourselves to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

If you are looking for some inspiration or Earth Day-friendly projects check out some of these:
Rag Rugs
Magazine Bowls
Bleach Bottle Pig Planters
T-Shirt Bag
Denim Purses

Or check out the Recycle Tag above for more ideas.

Also check out these sites for more about Earth Day and what you can do:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
http://www.earthday.org/
http://earthday.nature.org/
http://www.homefarming.com
Woman's Day Eco-Friendly Tips

More Rugs

Updates!

I love coming up with new color combinations and new patterns of braided rag rugs from my selection of scraps and rags. Plus, this is one of the ways I keep my hands busy during quiet nights or while watching a movie or TV show at home. (Multi-tasking is a way of existence for some of us.)

I am now running low on scraps (again). I guess that means I need to get back to working on my other sewing projects and shredding some of the discards I have set aside for the rug bin.

When my grandmother first saw the rugs I was making she told me about how her mother-in-law (my great grandmother and a skilled seamstress), used to cut scraps of rags to be made into rugs and how how proud she would be to know that the creative genes have been passed down. My grandmother now has three of my rag rugs and my aunt has two. (Grandma wanted them for in front of the chairs, especially when the boys come in in their boots and sit down.)

I really believe you can find a project for so many of the things we might otherwise throw away. My rag rugs are a perfect example. The only cost I have in these are time.

Remember - Earth Day is coming!(April 22, 2011)

Braided Rag Rugs

Sorted Fabric Strips for Rugs

Years ago I remember a trip to the state fair with my family that took us through our usual trip through the historical cabin. What stuck this trip was a woman sitting on the porch, in a period costume, working on a braided rag rug. It was an image that stuck with me. All my life I had been around people who could sew and do all sorts of crafts, but I had never actually seen someone braid a rag rug before and didn't know anyone that could. It was one of those memories that got filed away and years later when looking at my scrap box I got to thinking about it again. I knew I could do it, I just hadn't tried and didn't know anyone who could show me, so I'd have to take it on myself.

Using Pins to keep Place

 Using scraps I had on hand I cut them into strips and started playing with techniques and going through the process of figuring it out. I didn't want just long strips sewn together (like you see a lot of times in mass produced, store bought braided rugs). My first attempt, as I figured out what worked best ended up being a coaster. I started with sewing the ends together then braided the strips into each other as I moved outward in a circle.

Rag Rug

I started a collection of scraps from other sewing projects and discarded clothes and rag cut into strips to be used in rugs, organizing them by color. It's given me a great outlet to use scraps of fabric, lace, & ribbon as well as recycle old and otherwise discarded rags (old, worn, torn clothes, towels, etc).

At the last camp I worked at I had a lot of quiet evenings in the middle of nowhere. It gave me a lot of time to work on my own projects and rug making was a nice one for that.

They have also proven to make some great gifts. It's kind of cool to see the rugs being used and decorating the homes of friends and family that have them. I have a stack right now waiting to find homes.