Rag-Rug
Recycled Textiles and Nylon Thread
July 2015

A large-scale, braided Rag-Rug, made collaboratively with visitors at the Queen City Exhibition, in Regina Saskatchewan. The rug was made entirely of re-cycled clothing, sheets, pillowcases, towels and other textiles that were collected and donated in the weeks leading up to the project. The many hands present at the QC-Ex, helped to create an impressively scaled rug measuring approximately 7 by 10 feet. Braided textiles were coiled together into circular pieces that were then attached to one another into a billowing cloud-like shape. The Rag-Rug was made to be used and sat upon by visitors, and also to continue in its growth at future community events.

The process of making the Rag-Rug was equally as important as the final product. Over the course of the five day residency at the QC-Ex, over five hundred visitors worked collaboratively on this large scale piece. Participants assisted in various ways by donating used textiles; ripping and preparing fabrics; braiding textiles; and by coiling, sewing and attaching the braids. The act of making the rug was highly conducive to social interaction; the simple and repetitive process of braiding facilitating dialogue amongst its makers throughout the making process.

Rag-Rug - Recycled textiles and nylon thread. 2015

This piece drew from textile-based craft traditions often present at fairs, in a time where these practices are becoming less and less visible. In contrast to many other textile-based handicraft traditions (such as quilt-making, knitting or cross-stitch), the Rag-Rug praised participation, re-use and repetition over refinement of skill and precision.