Thinking all night about this... - SBB Digital Scrapbooking Forums | Scrapbook-Bytes

Tracey R (Haley64) · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

I finally figured out what my grandmother did with those gathered strips of material!!

She used to make up yards and yards of these gathered rope type things and then what she made out of them was those little kitchen rugs!! I believe she must of either then braided them together or wrapped them starting in a small circle and working outward binding them together with heavy thread!! I can't believe I remembered what they were for!! Yipeee
Did anyone elses family have these rugs in their houses back in the 60-70's?
I also loved how creative and frugul the people who lived through the depression were, nothing went to waste, not even material scraps 1x1 inches big!

LDesjardin · #2 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

Yup, my great grandmother used to do the same thing. Isn't it wierd the things we remember about them. I remember my great grandmother was absolutely crazy about having a clean stove and when her health got so bad that she couldn't clean, she had someone come clean for her, but the lady never did a good job cleaning the stove. So I used to go over there after school sometime and clean - and I mean scrub - her stove top til it sparkled. The funny thing is that now I'm the same way about my stove top.

Deb06 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

I made some when I was a teenager by tearing the strips and using a real big crochet hook to crochet a rug. (and I am not that old this was in the late 60's early 70's) Went through a time when my godmother showed us how to do things like chicken scratch with gingham material, tatting (that was really hard), crocheting dollies, making tea towels from flower sacks. they used to sew crochet Barbie clothes and I still have some of them. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. This would be neat to do a page as I still have some of the things I made.

Betty E · #4 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

I made those braided rugs in the 60's. Since my grandparents lost everything when the japanese invaded china and survived many famines, I too have inherited a lot of thifty habits. Most annoys my nephews.

ScrappinHB · #5 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

we didn't grow up in the depression obviously, but the way i grew up we might as well have!...we used to have the material strip rugs in the kitchen and mamaw used to make potholders that looked JUST like them...what is funny is some stores started selling commercially made ones a few years back...lol funny how the stuff "poor" people used to have is "chic" today :P

shelleyrae · #6 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

My gradmother made a bunch for their caravan - but out of plastic bags

lavendar · #7 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

I made a couple of those rugs many years ago using a big "needle" made from an old toothbrush and strips of torn fabric. You got me thinking about all the things my dear grandma taught me-oil painting, cooking, drawing, the importance of God and family, and unconditional love! What a blessing it was for me to know her. Thanks for the reminder!

Reelynn · #8 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007

My great grandmother used to make them (she was born before well before the turn of the 19th centure) and she taught my mom how to do it. My mom taught me. I used to have one of the rugs I made when I was younger, but when I was a young adult I decided it was ugly and threw it away. I really wish now that I hadn't. I didn't realize then how much history went into that art.