The History Of Braided Area Rugs
Braided area rugs have been around in various types and areas of the world for ages. Because these rugs can be braided using scraps of clothing and other fabric materials, they became commonplace in many settlers’ homes.
In early American history, settlers used braided area rugs to help insulate themselves from the crude wood or dirt floors. And since the raw materials for other types of rugs were hard to come by at different times for many people of this era, the braided area rug became a very effective and sustainable way to keep homes more comfortable.
To make braided area rugs, fabric from clothing or other left over fabric goods would be cut into strips of somewhat uniform length and width and then sewn together to form various patterns and colors.
The fabric strips are coiled and plaited together in such a way as to create quite lasting and sturdy floor coverings that also protected inhabitants from cold and rough floors.
Typically, top quality braided rugs are made from heavy wool rug yarn or other wool fabric. Though other materials are used as well, wool is a favorite choice for its lasting durability.
Though the traditional braided rug is still made much the same way today that it always has been, there are also innovations and new weaving machines and patterns that come about to this day. This makes for continually fresh designs and color combinations.
Because design and color are the most important factors of braided area rugs, there are many different types of fabric that can be used to produce nearly identical results in terms of overall design.
If you’d like to make a braided area rug out of materials other than the typical fabrics, be sure to choose materials that will best meet your needs and situation. If stain resistance is important to you, choose a yarn that has increased stain resistance. There are also fabric yarns with increased resistance to moisture. These could come in handy for humid climates that tend to encourage mildew growth.
If you’re interested in making your own braided area rug, there are many helpful guides on the internet. There may also be a class in your local area where you can learn rug braiding from others more experienced with the skill.
