Remember those potholders you used to make as a kid by weaving stretchy bands of fabric in a grid on a simple loom? Artist/crafter Crispina ffrench took the idea and scaled it UP. She uses a giant loom to weave cotton tee shirts or wool sweaters in the very same way, to make thick, dramatic rugs.

“Potholder Rugs are inch thick floor cushions that massage bare feet with every step. They are durable, warm in the winter and cool in summer and come in a wide array of rich colors and combinations of colors. Each one is hand woven on giant frame looms in Pittsfield MA with care, attention to detail, and environmental love. I make them out of cotton T-shirts or wool sweaters. This one (above) is made of 100% post consumer used wool sweaters like the ones you can buy at the good will…

Crispina ffrench

 

They can be machine washed and dried over a banister or on a deck floor with air circulation, steam cleaned, or dry cleaned. My favorite way to clean them is on a fresh layer of snow. Spread the dirty rug out and walk all over it (don’t wear muddy boots!) then flip the rug over onto a new spot in the fresh snow and do the same. This technique pulls all the animal hair, dust bunnies and lint balls off the surface. Spills can be cleaned with a gentle scrubbing brush and soapy water.”

You can find Crispina’s Potholder Rugs at her Etsy store...

Crispina ffrench

This Etsy store sells Potholder Rug Looms and has good info… Look closely and you’ll see that you can make a loom from artist stretchers and screws….

Click here to buy old-fashioned pot holder kits …

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6 replies on “crispina ffrench’s potholder rugs

  1. So great looking, but your link isn’t right! It was easy to find, though, by “potholder rugs.”

  2. Thanks for the heads-up. We seem to have a glitchy link thing going on here…or else it’s our heads….It’s fixed now.

  3. I love this photo! When I was about 8-9, I wove hundreds of pink potholders on one of those tiny looms. I stitched them together and made a wall-to-wall carpet for my Barbie Dream house and a large rug for my mom. Of course my efforts were not at beautiful as the one posted, but it was filled with heart and joy and love. I still find simple weaving to be soothing and a pleasure. Perhaps I will try an adult version of my childhood effort. Thanks for sharing this.
    “Ginn”
    In Sunny SC

  4. We’re big fans of doll houses as a way of dreaming. BRILLIANT idea to make the handloomed rugs. Thanks!

  5. Can you use different kinds of fabric on the same rug ? ie..sweater and t-shirt?

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