Proggy Matting
Rag Rugs from the North of England
Proggy mats are a type of rag rug from the North East of England.
Traditionally, scrap pieces of cloth were pushed through potato sacking
(a hessian type material) using a proggy tool (a pointed wooden peg).
Proggy mats are not unique to the North East of England, although it is
only here that the word "Proggy" is commonly used. In other parts of the
country, similar techniques exist to make rugs from scrap and recycled
fabrics and are referred to using different terms such as clippie,
clootie, tab, peggy and proddy rugs.
Read more about the different types of rag rugs here...
The creative use of scrap fabrics and common household materials
reflects the ingenuity of women living with limited resources, who
needing to keep warm, developed a cost-effective (and environmentally
friendly!) way of providing extra insulation for their homes. More
recently, proggy patterns have diversified and now people are not just
confining their creativity to rugs but make all sorts of items, such as
cuddly toys and cushions.