Rug Braiders International
formerly known as the Valley Forge Rug Braiding Guild
Exhibit Opportunities
Share Your Work!
This page gives you some ideas for how to share your lovely braided creations with others.
Yearly Rug Challenges
Every year, Rug Braiders International issues a Rug Challenge around a topic. Braiders from far and wide create wonderful rugs or small pieces centered around these challenges. The rugs (or, if needed, images of the rugs) are displayed at the yearly conference. Here are upcoming challenges:
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2026:
Rug Challenge: Braided Garden / Mixed Media (Braiding with different fabrics or materials, incorporating different fiber techniques... with a garden theme. Braided flowers? Farm furrows? Vegetables? )
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2027:
Rug Challenge: Fine Art Inspiration. Monet's Water Lilies? Van Gogh's Starry Night? The Scream by Edvard Munch? Gustav Klimt's The Tree of Life? What about fine art from Asian or other non-European cultures? And what about some women artists??
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2028:
Rug Challenge: Mythical Beasts/Magical Creatures. There's an opportunity to go completely crazy with this challenge! Griffons, Dragons, Fairies, Mermaids, Werewolves, Basilisks, leprechauns....​​
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To view past challenges, click here:
Three fruits made by Debbie Ellis for the "Braided Food" Rug Challenge
Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week
Although the title still retains its origins in Rug Hooking, over the past decade this major event has shifted to displaying fiber-art from many categories, including Braided Rugs. An award for Braided Rug: Viewer's Choice is awarded to one person per year.
WHERE: Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio
WHEN: Yearly; 2026: August 12-15
REGISTRATION: All rugs for display must be registered online by July 26 at noon, EST. Most should register in the Category: "MAIN: Braiding."
RUG DROP OFF/PICK UP: Monday, Aug 10, drop off rugs in person between 1 and 5. Pick up rugs in person Saturday, August 15, after 5 pm. (You can indicate a different person for drop off/pick up).
SHIPPING RUGS: You can ship rugs to and from Sauder via US Mail, UPS, or FedEx. Detailed instructions available below.
TOO MUCH TO HANDLE or NOT COMFORTABLE WITH ONLINE FORMS: Christine will gather the info and register for you and talk you through shipping options. Just email Christine: button below.
