How to Make Rugs With Cording

Create beautiful and functional country rag rugs, using fabric strips and rug cording. The fabric strips wrap around the cord and the rug is coiled tightly. Making rugs with cording is a relaxing past time that has been taught for generations. It is an easy craft and a wonderful project for teaching children. Rugs made with cording use a lot of fabric, but the expense can be cut considerably by recycling old clothing, sheets and fabric scrap leftovers.

Things You'll Need

• 13 1/2-yards fabric
• Scissors
• Ruler
• 1/2-inch rug cording, 100 feet
• Large-eyed needle
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Cut slits 1-inch slits down one selvage edge of your fabric. Grasp each slit and rip across the width of the fabric. Repeat with all your fabric. If using recycled fabrics, cut each 1-inch wide strip as long as possible.

2. Cut the end of the rug cord at a sharp angle. Thread a free end of a fabric strip on the needle. Apply a small amount of craft glue to the 4-inch end of the cord. Begin wrapping the strip around cord, 4-inches from the end. Continue to wrap to within a 1/2-inch of the end.

3. Fold the end of the wrapped cord to form a ring. Wrap the fabric over the ring cord and the outside cord. Continue to wrap tightly over both cords for one complete spiral round. This will secure the center of the rug.

4. Wrap the next 4-inches of the cord. Hold the cord against the spiral. Insert the needle through the center of the ring and wrap the fabric around the outer cord.

5. Wrap the outer cord for 4-inches. Wrap the previous coil and the outer coil. Continue the pattern throughout.

6. Attach additional fabric strips by gluing the end of the wrapped strip to the coil. Apply glue over the end of the wrapped fabric coil and lay the new end in it. Overlap and wrap the end of the new strip twice before continuing the pattern every 4-inches.

7. Cut the coil and taper to a point, when the round rug measures 28-inches in diameter. Apply glue to the tapered end. Wrap the fabric strip tightly around the tapered end. Apply craft glue between the tapered end and the previous row. Connect the last three inches of the tapered end to the previous row, wrapping tightly.

8. Insert the needle through the wraps on the back of the rug. Pull through the wraps and cut the fabric tail.

Tips & Warnings

• Wrap and secure the coils tightly to insure a stable rug structure.