Rag Manifesto, Rachael Matthews

Rag Manifesto is a vibrant, tactile treatise on the art of rag-rug making, reframing humble scraps as vibrant umbrellas of creative possibility in the Anthropocene. Matthews blends studio experimentation and community workshops to cultivate reverence for discarded cloth, challenging the fast-fashion mindset with hands-on practice and ritual. The projects—ranging from solo interventions to collective installations—come with decision-making frameworks and a “destroy-versus-destroy” taxonomy that endow each cut: ‘Worn-Out Emotional’ or ‘Brand-New Guilty,’ with a story and a purpose.

This is part manifesto, part handbook: richly illustrated with colour photography and artist’s notes, it urges us to re-forge our relationship with textiles through mindful dismantling and remaking. The book traces rag-rug traditions, from modernist experiments in the 1920s to pandemic-era studios, making it an ode to community resilience, craft activism, and ecological care. Stitch by reclaimed stitch, Matthews illustrates how textile waste can weave connection, identity, and creative agency.

About the Author
Rachael Matthews is a textile artist, designer, and lecturer at Central Saint Martins and the V&A. A founder of Prick Your Finger yarn studio and a pioneer of community-led craft initiatives, her practice centres on mindful making and textile activism. In Rag Manifesto, she expands her voice as both educator and artist, offering not only technique but also a lyrical vision for how craft can mend our relationships with things—and each other.

Publication date: 2024
Publisher: Quickthorn Books
Pages: 112
ISBN: 978-1-7393160-3-7