Make a Little Rug Tutorial!!

I was inspired by the people at the Homestead Weaving Studio to make their Rustic Braided Rag Rug.  It's not the prettiest web tutorial but it gets the point across without any mumbo-jumbo.  I have never made anything like this so I puttered through for a few hours to make this rug and I love it.  I am going to plop it in my bathroom but you could also use it as a welcome mat, pet bed, baby mat, kitchen mat, magic flying rug, a very odd hat or whatever else your little heart desires. 

Supplies I used. . .
3 yards of tanish linen
3 yards of brown cotton, but you could also use rags and old shirts
Rotary Cutter
needle and thread (optional)
sticky mat stuff (optional)


Step 1
I cut the fabric into 2 inch strips that were about 3-4 feet long.  I just kind of eyeballed the 2 inches because not only do I like the irregularities but I am also too lazy to measure and cut with a ruler.  

Step 2
At this point you'll want to follow the tutorial on the web site.  The only thing I found that was deceiving about their tutorial is that it took WAY more rounds to get it to a bath mat size.  Originally I made it their size, which looked plenty big on my small desk, only to find it looked like a doll rug when I put it on the floor.  So, I had to go back and add a lot more rounds with 8 strands.  I suggest testing it out in it's new location before finishing it off to get your perfect size. 

Step 3
After I finished weaving, I sat and admired my new rug but decided that it needed a little traction on my linoleum floor.  So, I got some of this rubbery grippy stuff to put on the bottom.  But, if you're not using the rug in the bathroom or kitchen then you probably don't need to do this step.      

I then pinned it, around the edges, to the bottom of the rug. . .

Step 4
I had planned on sewing it together with my sewing machine but the tacky rubber mesh stuff kept sicking to the foot.  There may be some fancy pants foot that allows for this stuff to be sewn but I'm ignorant of its existence. So, I did it by hand, using my signature big sloppy stitch, just to tack the layers together.  Then I trimmed the mesh just inside the rim of the rug.  And, that's it.

  Thanks for looking, have fun!