A rug made from scraps
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (364980)
Rockingham, Australia
September 10, 2025 7:51am CST
We’ve been away for a few nights and visited some great museums while we were away. I should have said revisited the museums but I was able to get a few extra photos.
One item that I missed last time was this plaited mat. These were common during the Depression (1931-1939) when money was scarce. Strips garnered from knitted garments, under- and outerwear were plaited together to form a rope then wound round and round to form a mat. The maker of this rug was legally blind at the time of making but it was in continual use for over 20 years.
15 people like this
15 responses
@LadyDuck (485891)
• Italy
10 Sep
@MarieCoyle - This is my opinion and things are no more built to last.
@Marilynda1225 (86697)
• United States
10 Sep
@Ladyduck I have to agree wholeheartedly that we throw too much away these days. Nothing lasts for very long anymore so we have to replace it too often.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (197953)
• United States
10 Sep
Reminds me of the ones my grandmother made out of breadwrappers.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50066)
•
10 Sep
I remember that bread wrapper craze, many women made rugs from breadwrappers.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (197953)
• United States
10 Sep
@MarieCoyle It is in perfect shape all these years later. I had several at one time, but now am down to one or two which I am saving for posterity.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50066)
•
11 Sep
@snowy22315
Grandma made a couple of the bread wrapper ones, but she said she preferred the braided ones of cloth.
@JudyEv (364980)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Sep
They had very little in those days and had to use whatever was available.
@shaggin (74342)
• United States
10 Sep
When I worked in a hospital with the elderly that was an activity one time for the residents to do. That is how I learned about them. I always thought they were neat and how amazing the one who created that one in the photo was blind.
@DaddyEvil (160421)
• United States
10 Sep
We had rugs like that on the farm when I was growing up.
Mom used to take our worn out clothes and cut them into scraps she could use to make quilts from... My youngest sister took those quilts when mom passed away.
@Marilynda1225 (86697)
• United States
10 Sep
Those rugs are certainly works of art. When i was growing up my best friends mom made rugs like this but on the smaller size. I was fascinated how she turned strips of fabric into rugs.
@Traceyjayne (6088)
• United Kingdom
10 Sep
Aren’t they wonderful too. People today throw things out too easily and haven’t the skills to do anything like this.
@LindaOHio (204494)
• United States
10 Sep
There was a church who used to sell these rugs as a fund raiser. We used to buy them for our dog because his main source of fun was tearing the rugs apart.
@MarieCoyle (50066)
•
10 Sep
One of my grandmothers made some of these. I was pretty young then but I did help her with them. Mostly when I was helping her, she had me sewing the strips together, and then make a very large ball by winding the length. Those rugs lasted forever.
