Directions to Make a Miniature Knotted Rug

Make a colorful rug to grace your kitchen floor.

Create a simple knotted rug from strips of old bed linens for an environmentally friendly decor accessory. Your miniature rug can adorn the front entryway to your home, or use sheets in colors that coordinate with your kitchen and place the rug on the floor in front of the sink to keep your toes cozy as you wash dishes. A knotted rug requires no special equipment and even beginners can complete a colorful rug in less than one hour.

Things You'll Need

• Sturdy cardboard, 16-inch by 24-inch
• Bed linens
• Sewing bodkin, safety pin or clear tape

Instructions

1. Prepare the thick cardboard for use as a makeshift loom. Cut 2-inch slits along the end of the cardboard, every 1 1/2 inches.

2. Cut the bed linens into strips, 1 or 1 1/2 inches wide. Collect three strips for every slit in your cardboard. Gather two additional strips for every inch of the cardboard's length. For example, if the cardboard is 20 inches long, you will need 40 extra strips.

3. Gather three strips and align the ends. Slide the strips into one slit in the cardboard. Allow the strips to hang over the end of the cardboard about 6 inches. Repeat this process for each slit in the cardboard frame.

4. Slide the end of one strip through the eye of a sewing bodkin. Alternatively, attach the end to a safety pin or wrap tape around the end of the strip to make it firm.

5. Insert the strip downward between the first two sets of strips on the cardboard. Pull the strip through and knot the end to the outer strips on the cardboard.

6. Weave the strip over and under the sets of strips along the cardboard, pulling firmly as you work. When you reach the end of the strips on the cardboard, knot the weaving strip to the outer strips and cut off any extra material.

7. Hook a new weaving strip onto a sewing bodkin or safety pin. Insert the strip upward between the first two sets of strips on the cardboard. Knot the end to the outer strips and weave across the strips on the cardboard. Knot the weaving strip to the opposite outer edge. Cut off the excess material. Repeat the process all the way across the length of the strips on the cardboard. When you reach the end of the cardboard, cut off the strips about 6 inches past the end.

8. Knot each 6-inch end to the last weaving strip. Remove the opposite end from the cardboard slits and knot each end of the strips to the first strip.

References

• "Making Rag Rugs: 15 Step-by-Step Projects"; Clare Hubbard; 2002
• "Home Sweet Sewn"; Alice Butcher and Ginny Farquhar; 2009