Rug Weaving As A Home Business
Rag rug weaving on a floor loom is something many of our ancestors did out
Rug weaving has not changed all that much over the years except for perhaps more detailed weaves and the fillers used to create the rugs. Where looms were once mainly used to make rugs, they are now just as popular for creating placemats, pillow tops, mug mats and table runners. The looms are still being made to replicate the older versions of looms that proved to be a sturdy design that would last for centuries.
In the olden days, the rug weaver was able to supplement the household income by weaving rugs for those friends and neighbors who needed rugs but did not own a loom. This practice has continued throughout the centuries as looms get passed down from one generation to the next. With proper care and a replacement of a part or two, the old looms remain in workable condition in this present time. The heavier the loom the less it will crawl forward from the pounding motion. Avoid purchasing a lightweight loom. Men and women continue to weave and sell their wares at arts and craft fairs and through custom orders.
Weaving is a fun hobby and it does not require a great deal of time to learn basic weaving. A simple two-harness loom is adequate for making a very nice income from weaving rag rugs and a few other useful home accessories. A four harness loom will provide the weaver with the opportunity to incorporate more details in the designs. You will want a good basic weaving instruction book that teaches the steps of weaving, a floor loom and the weaving supplies. If you know someone who is a rug weaver and they would be willing to spend half a day showing you how to warp your loom, and the basic steps, you could be weaving in only a couple days.
Start by weaving smaller items such as a table runner or hot mat. As you learn the steps and how to keep the tension just right, you quickly graduate to bigger items such as the rugs. Although it is not hard to weave, it does take practice to get your work to look even and the tension the way it needs to be for a quality rug. You can accomplish this within a week.
Rug weaving is an excellent method for home workers to earn a very good extra income. Rug order requests for special sizes and colors happens very quickly. A typical floor loom will weave a 36 inch wide rug or smaller, so the inventory can be vast and the income great!. .