The History of Braided Rugs over Time
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Braided rugs have been around for a very long time. Everyone can remember seeing a braided rug at grandmas or at your favorite aunts’ house. There are many reasons why the braided rug became so popular. They were inexpensive to make because used materials around the house could be turned into a rug. Women worked in the home and had time to make them. There was not as much central heating and the rugs were practical for keeping the house warm.
A century ago, there really were no thrift stores to take old clothes to. If you wore something out, it became a rag. The better clothes that became old were made into rugs. This was the origin of the braided rugs we know today. Ladies of that time did not go out of the house to work in most cases. Helping to save money around the house was a full time job in and of itself. One way to save money was not to purchase many household items, but to make them.
As the children grew up and grew out of clothes, they were used for other things around the home. It could be said that the ladies of the last century had a good grasp on recycling and going green. Everything was saved and used again.
Some ladies would make patchwork quilts out of the softer materials that were not being used. Some of the sturdier materials were converting into braided rugs. Country braided rugs were a standard in farm houses of the Midwest.
This was also the era when most people made their own clothing. A good deal of material was sold in those days. Many ladies would save the left over material to add to their rugs. The material was saved until there was enough to complete the rug they planned to make.
They would save different colors of material to make the rugs have a decorative appearance. These braided rugs would match the rest of the room that they were going to use them in. It would take a lot of work and material to make one braided rug.
Since the materials were in way free, the rugs were sometimes made for porches where the damage to them would not matter. The rugs were very durable and could withstand a good deal of washing. They were the mainstay of the time.
Not only were these rugs inexpensive to make, but they kept the homes very warm. Central heating was not a feature and most people used a radiator or a fireplace to keep warm. Having a lot of rugs on the floor was a necessity in the cold months of winter.
While braided rugs were popular a long time ago for many good reasons, they went out of fashion for a while. Wall to wall carpeting and manufactured rugs took their place. They are now making a comeback. Women who remember these skills are hand making them and offering them for sale.
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