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Upcycled fabric and rag strips repurposed into chair seating materials or basketry, often woven in a warp and weft pattern but they can also be twisted into a cord for a rush and envelope pattern or for twining in basketry.

Composition

Various fiber scraps

Handling Notes

  • Ideally strips of fabric are long and at least 2 in. wide to create the cord
  • They can be spliced by sewing or with knots tied under the seat
  • Not great for outdoor seating

Applications in Craft

Keywords

Why is this material important to you?

Rag chairs are a traditional Appalachian craft related to rag rugs - using what you had on hand to maximize use - now called a circular economy.

Belts/neckties can also be upcycled to weave chair seats/baskets. An intern once tried using tshirts and this experimentation led to an intriguing and comfortable seat however we all agreed that less stretch to the material would make for a better representation of the pattern - still perfectly sittable and gratifying in the use of reclaimed materials." - Brandy Clements and Dave Klingler of Silver River Chairs

Provenance

Silver River Chairs, Weaverville, North Carolina. Acquired 2026.

In Use

Have you used this material?

Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Director, Curator, and Materials Specialist, to start a conversation about submitting your work for inclusion on this site.

mgoodman@centerforcraft.org