How to Make a Rug Using a Toothbrush
Toothbrushes used to have holes on the end opposite the brush (perhaps used to hang them), and someone decided this would make a good needle for a rag rug if the brush were cut off. The fabric used for what is subsequently called a toothbrush rug can be strips torn from rags squeezed through the toothbrush needle (creating a ragged look) or from cut strips of cotton, silk, rayon or acetate that can be double-folded for a cleaner, less thready look. Either way, the knot used is simple and the rug requires no finishing beyond threading the final strip through previously made knots. Start small -- make little rugs to be used as potholders, trivets or chair cushions.
Things You'll Need
- Pocketknife
- Rattail file
- Fine sandpaper
- Drill
- 1-inch wide strips of fabric 3 to 6 feet long
- Cushion
- Safety pin
Instructions
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Make the Toothbrush Needle
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1
Cut the whole brush off the end of an old toothbrush with a pocketknife.
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2
Whittle the cut end to a narrow point and file with a rattail to smooth it, and finish by sanding it with fine sandpaper until it will slide easily through the strips of fabric used to make a toothbrush rug.
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3
Elongate an existing hole at the other end of the old toothbrush via whittling and eventually filing it with a small rattail to smooth the inner edges of the hole. You want the hole about 3/8 to ½ inch long.
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4
Drill a new hole, or carve one (carefully) with a pocket knife.
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5
Skip this part of the process and buy a hand-crafted wooden needle instead.
Make the Rug
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6
Prepare many 1-inch wide strips of fabric that are 3 to 6 feet long. These can be torn or cut, and the thready strands that may form on the sides can remain or can be trimmed.
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7
Tie two strips together (the base strip — also called a core or a runner — will remain straight, and the other will be knotted around it) and secure them with a safety pin to a cushion.
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8
Slip the fabric strip on your right onto your toothbrush needle, grasp the needle with your right hand, and make knots around the fabric strip that remains hanging by bringing the needle under the straight strip. There should be a loop on the right side so that the strips have formed a P-shape. Bring the needle back over the top of straight fabric strip and down through the top of the P or loop. Then just pull it gently until it knots itself on the straight strip. Think “under-up-back-through-pull.”
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9
Make the knots loose enough that you can put your needle through them later, which is how you’ll connect your next row of knots to this first one.
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10
Close the circle or oval when your knotted strip of fabric is as long as you want it to be, and continue knotting. To connect the new strip of knots to the old one (which is now a circle or oval), slip your needle into the adjacent knot when in the “Up” phase of the knotting process. This way, the rug is secured to itself and no other stitching is needed.
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11
Make additional stitches between loops to allow for increases — you may need to do this every other stitch when starting a rug.
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12
Pull the final knot tight (since you won’t need to pull fabric through it later) and stitch the leftover base fabric strip into the rug either along an edge or diagonally onto the rug’s back side. The knot is what holds the rug together, so you’re just hiding the loose end.
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13
Cut the remaining base strip and tuck what remains of the cut end into the rug.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You’ll need 1/2 lb. of fabric per square foot of rug, and 1 lb. of fabric is approximately 4 yards long; therefore, you’ll need 3 lbs. or 12 yards of fabric for a 2-by-3 rug.
Directions apply to right-handers. Simply reverse the direction if you use your left hand more readily.
If your loops are fitting too tightly together, you’ve made too many increases.
If your loops get too long, make more increases.
Different fabrics will knot differently and need more or fewer increases than others.
