How to Make Rugs

Candace Wheeler wrote this book at a pivotal moment in American history, when traditional crafts were vanishing under the tide of industrial manufacturing. As one of the first women to establish herself in textile design, Wheeler saw rug making not merely as a domestic skill but as a pathway to artistic expression and economic independence for women, particularly those in rural communities. The book functions as both a practical manual and an impassioned argument for the value of home industries, detailing materials, weaving techniques, and dyeing processes with the precision of someone who understood that mastery comes from understanding both craft and creativity. Wheeler believed that bringing rug weaving back into American homes would enrich family life, strengthen local economies, and preserve an artistic tradition worth saving. For modern readers, the book serves as a fascinating time capsule, offering techniques largely unchanged for centuries alongside a vision of domestic life that centered craft as a form of empowerment. It will appeal to anyone interested in textile arts, women's history, or the Arts and Crafts movement that shaped early 20th-century American design.