Recycle Tutorial: Woven Rag Rug
March 22, 2010 |
Love this post? Give me a thumb's up 
Thank you for all the great feedback for liking my Braided Rag Rug. I understand that not everyone has a sewing machine or/and able to sew, so I created this no-sew version for the non-sewer who like to recycle their bed sheets or de-stash their fabrics to make this feet cozy Woven Rag Rug. This tutorial doesn’t require any loom for weaving, just use a sturdy corrugated carton box from your recycle pile.
I hope everyone can do their part on greening the Earth again and reduce the rubbish that loaded the land fill. By the way, I gave the braided rag rug to my mum and she loves it so much, she is going to dig more old bed sheets out from her storage, which means I will have another bunch of supply to recycle. I need to scratch my head for more stuff to make from them. 
All you need to make this Woven Rag Rug are:
Material
1. Old bed sheets (3 king size flat sheets, more if you have fitted sheet)
2. Sturdy corrugated cardboard of your preference size (mine is 28 x 20″)
3. Tapestry needle or masking tape
5. Scissor
You might want to refer to the braided rag rug for some basic preparations for stripping and how to join the strips.
Mark the short side of the cardboard 1″ apart and 4″ down. Leave the edge for 2″ wide so that the cardboard is not being weaken.
Cut it to create slots for gripping the fabric strips.
Cut or tear the old sheets into 1″ or 2″ wide strips. Arrange 12 or 6 strips into each slot, leaving 6″ extra for each end.
Alternate the colors between the slots to create some color patterns for the woven rag rug. You will be surprised how it turns out.
Reserve some strips for the weaving.
Take a strip and slot it into the eye of a tapestry needle and start weaving.
If you don’t have a tapestry needle, you can tape a masking tape the end of the weaving strip, this will make it easier to go through the warp strips.
Secure the tail end in the first slot.
Being with pass through the weaving strip to the bottom of the first bunch, then on top for the second bunch, and bottom again for the 3rd bunch and so on….
Until you reach the last bunch, rotate the cardboard and continue weaving for the next row. If you end the weaving strip at the bottom of last bunch, then begin your second row with the top.
Since there are 12 strips in a slot, make sure you have all the strips weaved.
Pull the bunch vertically a little to straighten up the 12 strips as you go.
Repeat this until you complete the whole piece.
Weave the last row in opposite direction by creating a crisscross, pull the weaving strip and tie the warp strips in place.
Do the same on the other end of the rag. Join a new strip to sew and tie.
Hide the weaving strip in the warp strips.
Take the completely weaved rag rug out from the cardboard by lifting all the strips from the slots.
Trim the end to the length of bout 4″ or to your preference.
~COMPLETE~
Related Crafts
Love this post? Give me a thumb's up
I love this!!! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the tutorial. Donna
I love that you created a no-sew version, you rock! Thanks so much, I’ll be linking.
I didn’t completely understand a couple parts, which you may have covered somewhere else, but I’ll ask anyways:
1. You said you had 12 strips of fabric in each slot–so did you weave each of those 12 strips individually, or did you weave around the entire bunch at one time?
2. The warp strips are those that are running up and down–the ones you’re weaving around, right?
3. Did your finished rug turn out the same size as your weaving board, or was it a different size?
Thank you!
Hi Regina,
Thanks for the questions:
1. I weaved the entire whole bunch of 12 strips at one time
2. Warp is the 12 strips, weft is the weaving strip
3. The finished rug is smaller than the weaving board since we pull the warp bunches close to each other during weaving.
Hope this help.
Thanks so much! I’ll be keeping my eye out at thrift stores for some inexpensive sheets so I can try this out. I also love the braided rug idea, I might have to try that, too!
Are these rugs suitable as ‘bath mats’? or not really? if not, what would you find is the best place to use it? I’d love to know this so I know what I might think I’ll use it for before I start.
thanks!
This is absolutely suitable to use as a bath mat, since it is super absorbent. I put it just outside my bathroom.
I LOVE your photography!!! Thanks for creating a ‘no sew’ for me:)
I stumbled your post BTW!!!
Thank you, Alison
to share this tutorial among your community !!!
Thanks for sharing!! Your site/blog is really amazing! I’ll be linking to your rugs tutorials in my next post!!
Thanks, Alessia, I am glad that you share it with your readers.
Wonderful ways to use things you already have. My Grandmother and I use a floor loom to make rag rugs out of some material that is also recycled. She has made rugs out of bread bags. Very good to use outside on your porch. Takes a lot of bread bags and keeps the plastic out of the landfills. Right now she is making some rugs using some of my great Grandmothers fabric she had rolled before she passed away years ago. The balls are from old sheets, dresses and shirts. Love to see other people being so crafty………
Adorei, este tapete pois não sei costura, voce é genial
Translation (by Google):
I loved this rug because I do not know sewing, you’re brilliant
This is great! I’m linking to this one too, it would be a great project for kids too! all the best!
Bonjour de la France
Bravo pour Tout CE Que Vous FAITES et partagez , Bravo pour AVOIR eu de Bonnes Idées .
JE suis la machine brodeuse , surfais JE verser chercher Fournisseur de feuille face hydrosoluble UNE Adhesif Pour faire technique Avec fibres suis Tombée sur Votre site, au Fournisseur CAS Où Vous connaissez des Nations Unies en Chine Pas trop cher serait super CE de m’aider .
Bonne continuation
Astrid
Translation (by Google):
Hello from France
Congratulations for everything you do and share, Bravo have had good ideas.
I am a machine embroiderer, I was surfing paid search provider soluble sheet face a membership for technical expertise with fibers came across your site, Where the Supplier IF you know the United Nations in China Not too expensive would be great to help me EC.
Bonne continuation
Astrid
I would lov eto feature this tutorial on my blog: http://vintagesheets.blogspot.com Please let me know if tat would be all right.
thanks,
jen
Sure!! I would love to be featured
I don’t understand this statement. Could you explain it?
“Join and new strip to the start end and do the same.”
Thanks!
It is a typo, thanks for pointing it up. I must be too tired when I wrote this post :p
I rephrased it for clearer understanding:” Do the same on the other end of the rag. Join a new strip to sew and tie”.
Hi!
Wanted you to know I posted a link to this tutorial on my blog, PaperFriendly.
I love the colors of this woven rug!
I have a question. Did you weave the rug diagonally?
If not, how did you get the weave to look that way?
For reference, here’s a link to a picture of how I would expect horizontal/vertical weaving to look.
http://secure.mcc.org/mccstore/images/RUG.jpg
See the difference?
I weaved it horizontally.
The difference is I used different thickness for the weaving and warp strips. My warp strips are very thick, about 6 times thicker than the weaving strip. When I weaved I pull the warp strip together and they became crunch up and formed the diamond shape pattern.
Absolutely fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing this. This will make a great rug for our kitchen/baby’s room/bathroom. I LOVE the way you used an old sheet – we have some of those lying around…and also, our local thrift store always has old sheets on sale. Perfect!