What do you do with clothes that are too worn to pass on to others? Reuse them of course!
Okay, so the obvious answer for clothes with so many holes that they look like fishnet is to throw them out or turn them into rags. Or what about those clothes that have stains that just won’t come out? You can use those rags to make your own designer rugs.
The rugs will warm up your hard floors, save wear and tear on your carpet and add decor to your home.
From soft playroom rugs to sturdy hearth rugs, the type of rugs you can make will depend on your materials and technique.
For soft pliable rugs, you can use old t-shirts or other cotton and acrylic clothing, sheets and light blankets. A bathroom rug can be made out of old towels. Wool, coarse and felted fabrics can be used for stiffer, more durable rugs, like those used in entrance ways or in heavier traffic.
The easiest technique for making rugs from rags is my favorite. Simply cut your material into strips. You can choose to use one color or mix and match colors. Sew the strips together until you have one long strip. You will need three of these strips of equal size. They should be pretty long, and the longer the strips, the larger your rug will be.
Braid the strips together just as you would braid hair. When your strips are all braided into one long braid, coil the braid into an oval or circle shape. Sew the braid into your shape as you go along. These rugs are very durable and hard-wearing.
For a real designer look, you can use a latch hook technique. This will give you a stiffer rug that has a lot of great detail and color.You will need some canvas from the fabric store (a very inexpensive fabric) or even burlap. Draw your design on the canvas with felt tip marker. Cut short strips of your rag fabric in colors for your design. With a latch hook or large crochet hook, latch the material through the canvas, through a loop. When the design is done, you can turn the edges under and glue to finish, and add a large piece of scrap fabric to the back.
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