A Rag Rug...Along

As teenagers, my sisters and I were all sent off to sewing lessons. My mum was a sewer and she thought we should be too. We got into it, sewing endless pairs of elastic waisted shorts and skirts, occasionally dipping our toes into trickier areas involving zippers and buttons. A side-effect of all this, no doubt pushed along by the single-mother budget factor, was that whenever we saw something we liked at the shops, Mum would take a quick look, feel the fabric then say, "You could make this." It was often exasperating. But more often than not, we'd find ourselves at Lincraft flicking through pattern books and browsing the fabric racks, and sometimes we'd end up with something close.

I let all of that DIY stuff go for many years, but now that I've found my way back to the sewing machine, via the knitting needles and the blogging world, I keep hearing my mother's voice in my head when I see something I'd like to own - "You could make this."

Alas, my ambition is far greater than my skill/time/patience/energy. I have a zillion things planned but not a lot eventuates. Until I go and do something silly like getting myself added onto an 'along' and then there's no backing out, is there?

I cautiously added 'make a rag rug' to the list last month, and coincidentally, a few days later, came across a blog hosting a rag-rug-along. I took it as a sign...and signed up. 

So here, forthwith, is me starting my very first rag rug. I'm going to use Amanda's method from this book - it's what inspired me in the first place. 


First step, digging into the fabric stash and making the strips. 


Wish me luck!