Do you have old sheets that are wearing thin? Or fabric yardage lying around that you’ll never turn into clothing? Maybe you just finished a quilting project, and you have piles of scraps left.
Consider giving those items new life as a rag rug. It’s a simple project that you can work on bit by bit, and when you’re done, you’ll have a durable rug that you can show off to all your friends.
What is a Rag Rug?
It’s quite self-explanatory, really: a rag rug is a floor covering made from “rags”, i.e., scraps of fabric that aren’t usable for any other purpose. These are cut or torn into strips of equal width, which are braided together tightly and then sewn into shape.
A rag rug can be any size or shape you desire—from a small bathroom mat to an enormous studio carpet.
Furthermore, some people crochet their rugs rather than braiding and sewing them, and that’s a perfectly acceptable technique as well. I’m fond of the crochet method for small bedside rugs that aren’t going to get a lot of traffic, as they’re a bit more fragile than the tightly braided ones.
However, the living room rug I’m working on is a standard braided type, for the sake of durability and longevity.
Many braided rag rugs are circular or oval in shape, and are created by winding the braided strips around each other in an expanding pattern.
You can create rectangular rugs by this method as well: they just require some additional shaping to create corners rather than rounded shapes. Alternatively, you can create a rectangular rug by laying braided strips together side by side and sewing them together.
This latter method is significantly easier, but you must plan ahead if you’re using multicolored fabric strips. A coiled rug is a bit more forgiving in terms of color use and repetition.
A side-by-side braided rug may look a bit odd if the hues aren’t symmetrical or otherwise in a recognizable pattern.
Check out our article for some fun rag rug design ideas!
What You’ll Need:
Most people can create a rag rug from items they already have at home, and you’re likely no exception.
Since these are essentially made from scraps, you can tear up or cut cotton, linen bedsheets, curtains, old dresses, shirts, and anything else made of similar fabrics. You can also use woolen fabrics for a thicker, warmer rug.
Ultimately, the key is to create long fabric strips that are approximately the same diameter for the sake of consistent thickness. As such, either try to use the same types of fabrics all throughout the rug’s production, or consistent fabric mixes.
The general rule is that the thicker the fabric, the thinner the strips.
For instance, if you’re using cotton, linen, or similar, aim for two-inch-wide strips. If you’re using wool, aim for one-inch-wide strips. The thicker the fabric strips, the thicker your braids will be, resulting in a thick, heavy rag rug.
To create your rug, you’ll need the following:
- Enough fabric to create the size rug you’d like to make (more on that below)
- Sturdy thread
- Needles for hand sewing
- Sewing machine (optional)
- Ruler or tape measure
- Scissors
- Safety pins
- Iron
How to Determine Your Fabric Needs
My math skills are appalling at best, but fortunately, the math you’ll need for this project doesn’t need to be exact.
The first thing you need to do is to measure how large a rag rug you’re going to make. I’m working on creating one for my living room, so it will be approximately 10×14 feet. As such, it’s going to take me a while to create, so I’m starting small and will be adding to it as time and fabric acquisition allow.
Next, you’ll need to figure out how much fabric you’ll need. Cut or tear some of your fabric into long strips that are approximately two inches in diameter. Ensure that all the strips are the same length before you start working, and measure how long they are exactly.
Pin the ends of three strips together, and then braid them until there’s no fabric left to plait. At this point, measure the braid that you’ve created. You’ll notice that the braid is significantly shorter than the original strips you cut.
As such, for a 23×36-inch mat, you’ll need about ten yards of fabric. A double or queen-sized flat bedsheet is around four yards’ worth, so three bedsheets (or their equivalent) should be enough for a small bathroom or kitchen mat.
Now, the rag rug I’m aiming to create will be 10×14 feet (120×168 inches). That means I’m looking at around 140 yards of fabric to create a rug that’s large enough for my living room.
As you can imagine, it will take me a while to collect enough bedsheets and curtains (at least 35, though I’ll likely get 40+ to err on the side of caution) to make this rug. Fortunately, a rag rug doesn’t have to be created all at once, so I can add to it bit by bit until it’s complete.
Fabrics
If, like me, you’re going to be adding to a large rag rug a bit at a time, choose a color scheme that works for you and try to stick as close to it as possible. I’m creating mine in cream, white, and various shades of light green.
As such, I’m mostly making it out of old sheets I find at the thrift shop in town.
In contrast, I once made a scrap mat for the floor in front of the kitchen sink that was a cacophony of pinks, oranges, turquoise, red, and yellow. For that, I used old sari fabric that I had scored at a yard sale, and it suited the bohemian aesthetic I had going at the time.
The synthetic silk was far more resistant to stains than cotton, linen, or wool, and was machine washable without any possibility of shrinkage.
For a bedside rug or mat, you’ll need to determine whether you’re creating one to keep your feet warm, or for your pets to commandeer. Woolen rugs are ideal for floor insulation, and they’re durable enough for dogs or skunks to roughhouse on with the little problem.
In contrast, cotton, linen, hemp, or synthetics are better for summer rugs that won’t get much wear and tear.
Prep the Strips
Once you’ve cut or torn your fabric into strips of equal width, you’ll need to sew them together to create long strands to work with. I like to work with pieces that are around six feet long, but anywhere from three to eight feet can work.
If you aren’t working with long bedsheets or curtains, simply sew shorter strips together until they’re the right length. You don’t have to go crazy here: a few simple basting stitches work just fine for this purpose.
The next part is a bit more time-consuming.
Put on a movie, audiobook, or podcast and sit down with the strips you’ve created. At this point, you’re going to fold their raw edges into the center and baste them into place to make flat strips. Heat up your iron and press them as you go, as this will make the basting process a lot easier.
I like to press all of mine in one go, and then baste all of them rather than completing each one individually. You can either do your basting by hand, or use a sewing machine for this technique.
If you’ve never hand-basted, check out this video for tips.
I prefer hand-sewing because it’s quieter, but using a machine is a lot quicker. Furthermore, some people don’t even bother pasting and just use ironed strips: it’s your call.
Once all of your strips are basted, separate them into piles of similar hues, make yourself a snack and a tasty beverage, and settle in to work!
Get Braiding
Use a safety pin to secure three ends together, and then either pin that to a piece of furniture or tape it down to your floor or table. Next, braid the fabric strips together, ensuring that you maintain the same tension as you go.
You’ll know if your tension is off if the brain looks misshapen or lumpy rather than a consistent size and shape all the way down.
When you have about an inch left on your strips, grab some similar hues to the ones you’re working with and stitch them to the ends that are about to run out.
Keep going with this until you either have a very long braid to work with (for a coiled rug), or several braids that are long enough for the rug you’re making (for a side-by-side piece).
Sew it Together
Sew your rag rug braids together by using a whip stitch, as shown in the video below.
The side you’ll be sewing together will be the underside of your rug, so you don’t have to be too meticulous about what color thread you’re using. That said, aiming for thread hues that either match or complement the fabrics is always a good idea.
If you’re creating a side-by-side braided rag rug, all you need to do is sew the braids together until they’re all secured. Then you sew the ends together, tuck them down against the underside, and secure them into place with a few stitches so they don’t fray or unravel.
Alternatively, if you want tasseled edges, you can tie the end pieces into knots and let the unfinished edges frill and fray as they see fit.
If you’re creating a round or oval rug, you’ll need to coil one, long, continuous braid into the shape you like.
Start by bending a couple of inches worth of braid into a tight “U” shape, and sew that into place with the aforementioned whip stitch. Then continue wrapping the braid around that established shape until you have something that looks like an “@” symbol.
Keep wrapping and sewing as you go, and watch with wonder as your rug starts to increase in size.
Ensure that the rug lies flat as you go along so you don’t accidentally create a bowl instead of a carpet.
Feel Free to Keep Making it Larger if You Want To
If you’re creating a particularly large rag rug, you can add to it incrementally instead of making a behemoth all in one go. Finish braiding the fabric that you have, and then pin the unfinished edge in place so it’s hidden when you flip the rug over.
Once you’ve accumulated enough fabric to make it larger, flip it so it’s wrong-side-up, unpin the braided coil, and sew the new length of braid to the end bit. From there, you can keep coiling to your heart’s content and make the rug as large as you want it to be.
This is a great method for creating a very large rag rug over time, rather than spending a week braiding, coiling, and sewing a massive project.
When you feel that your rug is the right size, sew the ends together tightly, wrap them against the side of the rug, and sew them into place.
Ideally, you’ll make it look as flat and seamless as possible, but this is a very forgiving piece. Once you’re done, flip it back over again and admire your magnificent handiwork.