Rag rug (Whakatū)

Join our rag-rug workshop and learn to repurpose fabrics into a durable, beautiful rug using simple design, threading, and looping techniques.
Handmade fabric rug with wooden tool on a plaid fabric background
$175.00 NZD per person
$175.00 NZD
  • Saturday 6 June: 10am-4pm

Join our rag-rug workshop and learn to repurpose fabrics into a durable, beautiful rug using simple design, threading, and looping techniques.

The tradition of making rag rugs emerged when textiles were precious, and every scrap was reused. Rag rugs now offer a creative way to repurpose fabrics in a world where textile waste is so abundant. Annie will lead you through crafting your own, beginning with thoughtful design and colour selection. You’ll prepare your rags and master the simple yet effective techniques of threading and looping to transform fabric into a sturdy, long-lasting rug that tells a unique story through the materials you’ve repurposed.

Please note

  • Some rags will be provided for the workshop, but students are encouraged to bring about a grocery bag’s worth of their own. Op shops, friends, and recycle centres are all great sources, it’s especially lovely to use fabric that has meaning to you. Please bring woven fabrics rather than knitted ones. Think old sheets, dress material, duvet covers, or anything in cotton, polycotton, or linen - there are lots of possibilities. If you’re not completely sure whether something will work, bring it along and there will be an opportunity to look at options together during the workshop. Pieces 30 cm and longer are ideal.
  • Please bring a pair of sharp scissors.
  • Food & Drink – Bring a water bottle to keep hydrated, and any food or snacks you may need over the course of the workshop. To observe tikanga, we ask that no food or hot drinks are consumed in the work space, a separate area will be available for breaks.
  • This workshop is for adults aged 18 and older, or for young people aged 16–17 who attend with a supervising adult. Please note that if a young person attends, two workshop places must be purchased (one for the young person and one for the accompanying adult).

Cancellation

Bookings are non-refundable. If for any reason (this includes illness, travel delays, and injuries) you need to cancel your workshop, you will receive a refund minus a $30 administration fee. This is provided you contact us at least 14 full days before your booking.

Please see our Cancellation Policy for more details.

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We are grateful to be able to offer this workshop because of support from Creative New Zealand.

Your Host

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Annie Mackenzie

Annie Mackenzie is a weaver, spinner, and occasional dyer who celebrates the beauty of wool from fleece to yarn to cloth. After studying sculpture at the University of Canterbury, Annie went on to learn her craft through the New Zealand Woolcrafts Society of Spinners and Weavers Guilds, and in 2024 was the recipient of Dame Doreen’s Gift awarded by the Blumhardt Foundation. Based on Te Tai o Poutini, the West Coast, Annie will teach drop-spindle spinning as well as her popular rag-rug workshop in 2026.