Rag Rug Christmas Wreath

I mentioned yesterday about thrifty Christmas decorations, well I've also been learning to rag rug.  A traditional craft, this is perfect for using up scraps of materials and old, worn clothing so it certainly appeals to my make-do-and-mend spirit.

I recently spent a rather lovely day with Elspeth from Ragged Life along with some other bloggers, Ali, Maggy, Emma and Niki.  Elspeth taught us the techniques for rag rugging (both 'shaggy' and 'loopy'), as well as the best way to cut fabrics and gave us some inspiration to create our own Christmas projects.

Here's one that Elspeth bought along with her to give us an idea of what we could achieve.

We descended on her bags of fabric like maniacs, excited at the opportunity of a child-free crafting session, and armed with the tools of the trade, got ragging.

Ragged life offer workshops so you can learn the skills yourself and they sell the gauges and hooks online too.  Or if you're not so crafty, you can buy a ready-made wreath from her Etsy shop.

I'd thoroughly recommend attending a workshop.  Elspeth is a great teacher and is really relaxed and will help you get the most out of your new-found skill. The techniques are easy to pick up and once I'd got started on my design I took it away to finish at home.  In fact, with my little bag of scraps in my handbag, I continued on the tube on the way home!

A few more evenings in front of the telly and my circle was completed.  I followed her instructions online to make up the wreath and now it's proudly adorning my front door.

I love the wreath, it's so tactile and looks really effective.

I've already started snipping up scraps for my next project.  It's so satisfying cutting up old fabric that's been hanging around, redundant for ages and transforming it into something beautiful.

Update!  I've completed my second wreath!  Inspired by some candy canes, I've made a red and white wreath and attached candy canes so visitors can help themselves.  After the design was completed, I hooked some ribbon through the centre of each rosette and left it loose before attaching the backing board, hanging hook and felt to tidy the back up.  Then simply tie the candy canes on with the ribbons.  The wreath can be used year after year - just replace the sweets (if there's any left!).

Thank you Elspeth for teaching me a new craft!

Purchase a full rag rug making kit from the Etsy shop for £11.99 - a perfect gift for a crafty friend.

Purchase a ready made Christmas wealth from the Etsy shop for £30.

Disclosure: I was invited along to a workshop.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.