How to Make a Hearth Rug
A hearth rug is generally a half-round rug used in front of a fireplace or a door. You can construct a simple homemade hooked rug in the proper shape to use as a hearth rug. Depending upon your ability, you can create a pattern during the hooking to make the rug more detailed and elaborate. This project can also be a practical way to recycle old fabric, as you can cut old clothing into strips to create both the hooked part of the rug and the braided border. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Burlap
- Rug frame
- Thick yarn or scrap fabric
- Rug hook
- Denim fabric
- Needle
- Thread
- Safety pin
- Mounted hook or assistant
Instructions
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1
Cut a piece of burlap to make the base of the hearth rug. This piece should be in the shape of a half circle and measure 31 inches across on the flat side and 19 inches at the widest part of the rug. Mount the piece of burlap on a rug frame.
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2
Cut the scrap fabric into long, narrow strips if you are using it in place of yarn. These strips need to be about ¼ inch thick.
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3
Pull a long, thin strip of fabric or yarn through a hole in the bottom of the burlap. Insert the rug hook into a hole right next to the first one to pull up a loop of yarn. This loop should measure ¼ to ½ inch. Continue to pull up loops of yarn through the burlap until you have pulled the end of the yarn through. Knot both ends of the yarn tightly and trim the ends to match the length of the loops. Continue this process until you have covered all of the burlap.
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4
Cut the denim fabric or another heavy fabric into 2-inch-wide strips. This fabric can come from old blue jeans or other garments. Sew the strips end to end to create three 1-yard-long strips of fabric. Use a safety pin to fasten the three strips together at one end and attach the pin to a hook or ask a friend to hold the pin steady for the next step.
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5
Begin braiding the three strips together starting at the safety pin. Braid the strips tightly to prevent them from coming loose in the future. Once you have reached the end of the strips, secure them in place with another safety pin.
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6
Sew this braid to the outside of the hooked hearth rug by hand. It will be easier to do this if the rug is still mounted on the rug frame. Take care to sew the braid securely to the rug using a tight stitch. If you find that the braid is not long enough, you can sew more strips of denim to the braid and braid them as you go.
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7
Sew the ends of the braids together, making sure that the edges point down toward the floor so that they will not be as noticeable.
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8
Remove the rug from the rug frame and display it proudly.
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