Nicole Walls, 9, works with Kaitlyn Hynes, 13, to make a small braided rag rug at the Capt. Salem Avery Museum in Shady Side. The activity is part of the “Mrs. Avery’s Lost Arts” program at the museum.
By Mitchelle Stephenson
A century ago, south county women were the ultimate conservationists. They used scraps of fabric to make rugs to insulate the floors in their homes and used pieces of wood left over from carpentry and boat building projects to make toys for their children.
There was no quick trip to Target or Toys R Us at the turn of the 20th century.
As we recognize Earth Day, three south county teens have gone back in time, researched some of these lost crafts and are presenting them at the Salem Avery House in Shady Side. The program is called "Mrs. Avery's Lost Arts."
The programs run three Sundays in a row, the last will be on May 2. The arts are demonstrated from 1 to 4 p.m.
The project started about a year ago when Kaitlyn Hynes 13, Madison Frederics, 13, and Katherine Milbradt, 13, got together to think about their Girl Scout Silver Award projects.
The girls were already junior docents at the Salem Avery Museum, so they met with Vicki Peterson to discuss ideas for a project at the site.
At the time Vicki was a member of the museum and a volunteer. Since then, she has been named interim director.
Vicki said that the idea for a Lost Arts program wasn't new. She'd heard about such programs at other local museums. Once the idea came up, everyone agreed that it was something that they could do that would be long lasting.
"We wanted something that they could teach, something where we would have the packages put together," Vicki said.
So the girls set out investigating some of the lost arts and crafts that might have been practiced in the area.
Kaitlyn investigated the making of braided rag rugs. Last Sunday she held demonstrations at the site from 1 to 4 p.m.
She had carefully cut dozens and dozens of long strips of fabric in various patterns and colors. Patrons who participated in the demonstrations didn't complete full-sized rugs, but with the lesson from Kaitlyn, guests were able to take home small rag rug coasters.
The sturdy braided rugs that Mrs. Avery might have made 100 years ago look similar to what shoppers might find in home shopping catalogs like L.L. Bean.
But Mrs. Avery's rugs would have been made from leftovers.
Kaitlyn demonstrated how to tie the end and braid three strips of fabric together. Each strip was cut to three feet. At the end of the braiding, three new strips were basted on. This was done again until there was a nine-foot strip of braided cloth.
Then Kaitlyn showed visitors how to sew the cloth into a circle, twisting and adding stitches every now and again to keep the coiled cloth secured.
In the end, they would have a four-inch miniature round version of a braided rug.
Kaitlyn had as a sample a rug that her great-great-grandmother made in Baltimore.
"I had to make the sample through trial and error after reading the directions," Kaitlyn said.
Kaitlyn said that she found the instructions online.
"Pioneers wouldn't waste anything, and so the fabrics didn't have to match," Kaitlyn said.
This Sunday, Katherine will demonstrate the making of scrap pillows and on May 2, Madison will demonstrate the making of Jacob's Ladder wooden toys.
Don't worry if you can't make it to one of the demonstrations. Vicki said that the girls have made packages to keep at the museum, so that even when the girls aren't there, guests will be able to practice the lost crafts on their own.
In addition, the girls will demonstrate the lost arts on May 15 at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Open House on Carr's Wharf Road in Edgewater.
For more information about the Capt. Salem Avery Museum, visit www.shady sidemuseum.org.
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