Hanging up Their Loom: Buford’s Weave Their Last Rugs
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By Emily Bontrager
In 1987, Leon and Hazel Buford started making rugs as a hobby. That hobby grew and resulted in the two making up to 400 to 500 rugs a year.
Leon, 77, and Hazel, 72, live in Memphis, MO, and they have decided that this will be their last year selling rugs.
Leon was first introduced to weaving as a teenager and he has enjoyed making rugs ever since.
“I had the opportunity to learn to weave when I was helping another lady that had a loom for her mentally handicapped son. That is what got me involved in it,” Leon recalled.
Leon and Hazel bought their first loom from Hazel’s mother.
A loom is a frame or machine that weaves together yarn or thread.
Today, the two still have that loom, but they have added two more looms to their rug making operation, one they own themselves and the other one belongs to their son.
When the Buford’s first started making rugs, they started weaving a few things to put around their house. This grew into putting together rugs for a few people in the area and eventually taking in more customers.
In 2014, the two decided to sell their rugs at a few flea markets.
Over the years, Leon and Hazel have worked side by side to create beautiful rugs, placemats, and table runners and have gained a lot of experience in weaving.
“We both cut and sew. I do the weaving, she specializes in cutting up the bedspreads and sewing them back together,” Leon said.
The bedspreads are all cut by hand into strips. Other materials, like denim and cotton are cut with certain cutters to produce the specific width the pieces need to be to make the rugs.
“The blue jeans you take all the seams out and cut them up and make short shorts out of them. We just use the pant legs, then we have a machine that cuts them an inch wide,” Leon explained.
“Cotton material, she has a rotary cutter that she cuts with. For thin cotton, we cut them about two inches wide.”
“Originally, when we started out, we cut everything by hand,” Hazel said.
“It takes more time to prepare the rags than it does to weave it,” Leon explained.
These strips of material are then sewn together and put on a shuttle, which Leon works through the thread on the loom to construct the rug.
It can take Leon and Hazel up to one hour on each part of the rug making process, which includes sewing, cutting, and weaving to complete a standard size rug.
Leon used to be able to make a lot of rugs in a day’s time, but he has slowed down a little.
“Usually within a day’s time he would weave five rugs or more. Now, he is down to about three,” Hazel said.
“I have done ten a day, it just depends on what type of day it is, how I feel about it and how much my legs hold out and if I feel like doing it,” Leon added.
Hazel has an important part in the process of making the rugs as well.
“I get the fun part, getting all the thread on the machine,” Hazel said.
“It used to take her three hours, but we were a lot younger. It’s about a half day process now or all day,” Leon said.
“I usually put 100 wraps on each section and after I do that, then he can usually get 25 rugs off of it,” Hazel explained.
The two have also made rugs in the past for the Downing House, churches in the area, and to sell at local events.
The Buford’s sold their rugs at this year’s Scotland County Antique Fair. They had 83 rugs set up and ready to sell on Thursday and in four hours they had sold all of their beautiful woven rugs.
Recently, the Buford’s decided that this will be their last year making the rugs due to health issues and they just feel like it is time to stop making them.
The Buford’s last time selling rugs will be at the Christmas Bazaar, which will be held in December at the Scotland County High School in Memphis, MO. Make sure to stop by and check out their rugs.
The Buford’s want to thank everyone that purchased rugs from them over the years. They will miss weaving but are ready to hang up their hobby that they have enjoyed doing together for so many years.
If anyone is interested in learning how to weave, you are more than welcome to contact them.
