Prodder Rag Rugs

Tutorial created by Kalea Raposo, with help from Jane Nederlof, Kiarra Burd, Joe Diemer, Rebekah Stretch, and Denae Dyck

One variation on the rag rug that does not require sewing knowledge is the “prodder” rug.” This version is made by pushing short thin strips of rags through a hessian backing with a “prodde”’ (a pointed wooden stick). As a single item made of many previously mended textiles, the rag rug highlights the entanglements of nineteenth-century material culture. Here’s how to make your own “prodder” rag rug from home!

Instructions in The Christian Statesman, vol. 18, 1885, p. 12. Nineteenth-Century Collections Online.

Instructions from “A Chapter about Rugs: Old and New, Pretty and Homely Clean and Dirty.” Good Housekeeping, vol. 26, 1885, p. 158. ProQuest.

You will need

  • Natural fibre hessian/burlap (this can can be sourced from rice bags, coffee bags, or plant wrappings)

  • Rags (scrap fabric, old pillowcases and sheets, and worn-out clothing)

  • Scissors

  • A pointy object (pencil, chop stick, wooden skewer, knitting needle, crochet hook, etc.)

  • Tweezers (optional)

  • Ruler (optional)

  • Pencil or Chalk (optional)

  • Glue (optional)

Natural fibre hessian / burlap (rice bag)

Preparing the Backing

  • If you are using hessian from a rice or coffee bag, remove all of the zippers, seams, and handles so that you have one layer of backing fabric.

  • Cut the hessian to your desired rug shape and size (a rectangle 28 cm long and 20 cm wide will take approximately four hours to complete).

  • Optional: To prevent the hessian from fraying: fold down the edges of the hessian by 3 cm and glue in place. A running stitch can be used instead of glue for historical accuracy.  

  • Optional: Mark out a pattern with your pencil or chalk.

Hessian (rice bag) cut to size

Reverse side of hessian, hemmed with a running stitch

Cutting the Rags

  • Cut your rags into strips around 2 cm wide and 10 cm long.

  • Adjust the width of your strips to suit your fabric. If you are using thick fabric, make the strips thin (1 cm wide). If you are using thin fabric, make the strips thick (3 cm wide).

  • TIP: When cutting a large amount of fabric into small strips, you can make a small incision and rip along the seam to quickly create a long straight strip that can be folded and cut into several short strips all at once.

Assorted strips of colourful rags

Strips of rags cut to size

For Instructors: Visit our Crafting in the Classroom page for information on embodied learning, or click here for further resources about this craft.

Drawing the Rags through the Backing

  • Use the pointed end of your “prodder” (your pointy object) to poke a hole in the hessian.

  • Lay the end of a strip of fabric over the hole and use the dull end of your prodder to push this strip through. TIP: if your prodder is too sharp, try using a dull pencil for this step.

  • With your other hand (beneath the hessian), grab the end of the strip with your fingers or tweezers. Guide the rag strip through the backing so that a few centimetres poke out of both the top and bottom.    

  • Make a second hole about 1 cm from the first. Fold the top end of the fabric down and guide it through the second hole with the prodder (in the same way as you did for the first). Pull both ends of the fabric until an even amount of fabric pokes out of each end (about 5 cm on either side). 

  • TIP: The burlap should provide enough friction to keep the scraps from slipping out—but, if you want to make your rug extra secure, tie the two ends of fabric together.

Fabric strip inserted into the two holes

Fabric strip pulled through evenly

Repeating the Process

  • To make a thick rug, insert your next piece of fabric through the same hole as your last (making only one new hole for each strip of fabric).

  • To make a thin rug (or when using thick fabric), repeat step 3 and place the sets of holes 1 cm from each other.

  • Continue until you fill your surface.

Front and back views of rag rug in various stages

Finishing the Rug

  • Trim any uneven rag strips.

  • Continue to trim the rug to your desired height.

Kalea’s Rag Rug

Please send us your own work-in-progress and/or finished creations! Email us at craftyvictorians@gmail.com, tweet us @craftyvictorian, or connect with us on Instagram @crafty_victorians.