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How to Make a Rug From Rags

Contributor
By G. K. Bayne
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Rag rugs were at one time a popular way to use old, discarded clothing, linens and other fabric materials. Making a woven rug from rags is not difficult but does take advance preparation. You should plan to spend at least a weekend, or longer, to create a rag rug for your home. Once completed, the rug can be washed and dried as needed to keep it clean.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Scissors
  • Rag strips
  • Needle
  • Thread
  • Tack Nails
  • Small Hammer
  • Plywood sheet (or heavy cardboard)
  1. Step 1

    Create your rag strips by cutting the rags into 1-inch strips. For a 2-by-2 foot rug, you will need rag strips 26 inches long, so you may have to sew some strips end to end to achieve that length. Use a needle and thread to sew the strips.

  2. Step 2

    Lay out the first strip lengthwise on a 4-by-4 foot piece of plywood or a piece of heavy cardboard.

  3. Step 3

    Use the tack hammer and tack nails to hold the strip in place on each end.

  4. Step 4

    Lay the next rag strip touching the first and tack in place.

  5. Step 5

    Continue laying the strips and tacking them until the desired height of the rug is achieved.

  6. Step 6

    Take a rag strip and work it vertically into the tacked strips about 1 inch from the end. Weave the strip over the first strip and under the second, over the third and so forth until the strip is woven into the rug.

  7. Step 7

    Do the same with the next strip only starting under the first strip and over the second and so on until woven.

  8. Step 8

    Continue alternating weaving rag strips into the rug until you reach a point about 1 inch from the side edge.

  9. Step 9

    Use a needle and thread to sew the outside perimeter of the rug so that the weaving does not come apart when the rug is untacked, moved or washed.

  10. Step 10

    Gently remove the tacks from the rug. Place the rug where needed.

Tips & Warnings
  • By starting the weaving 1 inch from the end, you will have a sort of fringe all around your rag rug. Almost any type of fabric will work for a rag rug, but spandex and spandex blends will curl more than other fabrics.
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