How to Make a Round Rag Rug

Do you ever threaten your kids with, “If you don’t pick your clothes up off the floor I’m giving them away…”?

Well I followed through on my word and gathered up her clothes and at least made it appear I was serious… granted the ones I “disposed of” were stained or too small… but at least I looked serious!

And we continue to work on responsibility, good stewardship, tidiness, etc…

My Peachy-girl is a blond, green-eyed sweetie so she mainly wears pastels which makes for a pretty rag pile!

I cut her neglected clothing into 1″ (ish) strips, connected them with slip knots (shown below) and made this sweeeet rag rug in about 4-5 hours total.

All of these fabrics are knits so they are very flexible and make working a circle easier. And you don’t have to worry about having threads hanging every where that you get with other types of fabric.

I cut 1-2″ strips, they do NOT have to be even nor consistent (part of the glory of knits). Some of the knit that was thinner can be cut a little wider to make up in the bulkiness.

This is one of Jeff’s stained up pocket-T’s.

Start at the bottom and cut in a continual strip, like a spiral. I cut all the way up to the arm pits and even working through some of those because seams and awkwardness doesn’t matter in this project. Also, if there are pockets, just cut through them as if they weren’t there, it just adds a little bulk here and there… I mean it adds character!

Take each strip and cut a small slit in each end and then pull one through the other, this will keep you from having a lot of ends popping up here and there. I do this as I crochet so I can pick my next color as I want it, but you could connect them all to make a large ball then crochet… either way works.

I used a plastic P hook, you could use a Q (larger size). The thicker the fabric the larger the hook needs to be.

Crochet your circle:

Chain 5, join with a slip stitch to make a circle.
Rnd 1: 5 sc in circle.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in ea sc around. (10 sc)
Rnd 3: (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (15 sc)
Rnd 4: (sc in ea of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (20 sc)
Rnd 5: (sc in ea of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (25 sc)

For each additional round sc in ea sc, increasing 2 sc in a sc every 10th sc or so.

If it starts to look rippled you are increasing too much (adding too many 2 sc’s in 1 sc) for it to lie flat, so space them out more. If it is curling up on the sides like a bowl, you’ll need to increase more.

Crocheted Dishcloths

Fiber Arts Moday - No-Sew Rag Rug

Here is a really good rag rug idea that uses no hooks or needles.

On these long cold winter nights this would be a great project, even for the kids!

Fiber Arts Monday- Old Jeans into a Floor Mat - video

I love this! This would be great for a boy’s room or an entry way.

Fiber art is anything that includes stitching, weaving, quilting, sewing, rug making, crocheting, knitting, spinning, etc…

Each Monday we can share ideas, patterns, finished projects and ask questions about fiber arts in the comment section.

So how ’bout it? Do you have a project you are working or want to work on? Let’s share some inspiration!

Fiber Arts Monday - Fun Rag Rug for Kids

My friend Lori pointed me to this project, I LOVE IT!

If you want to get your kids really interested in being industrious make it fun!

You can see the easy instructions over at Family Fun.

HERE are some rag rugs I’ve made in the past along with some tutorials.

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I wasn’t able to work on any fiber arts last week, but I am hoping to get some baby gifts made up this week and record a sewing tutorial for them…Lord willing.

Fiber art is anything that includes stitching, weaving, quilting, sewing, rug making, crocheting, knitting, spinning, etc…

Each Monday we can share ideas, patterns, finished projects and ask questions about fiber arts in the comment section.

So how ’bout it? Do you have a project you are working or want to work on? Let’s share some inspiration!

A Simple Rag Rug

I love rag rugs. There are a few different ways to make them and you can make them from almost anything. I don’t know about your house, but we go through throw rugs like crazy! No one here takes off their shoes when they come in and because our family works and schools from home it is constant traffic in and out! Do you hear frustration in my voice? ;o) This is why making rag rugs is a good solution for me. Placing a throw rug outside and inside the door catches a lot of dirt.

You can make rag rugs from old, stained t-shirts, sheets, denium, wool, poloyester and old sweaters. Another thing about rag rugs is that they are so durable; you can throw them in the washer and line dry them!

Here is a rag rug I made using 4 colors, from old sheets from the thrift store and fabric from my stash.

This worked up pretty quickly, working on it in the evenings for a week or so. All it consist of is a chain stitch and a single crochet stitch. Any shape (pattern) you can crochet with yarn, you can also do with rag strips.

I used 1" strips and a size P plastic hook.

Susan Bates Luxite Crochet Hooks - Size P 16 6

Here is an oval rug I made from 1" wool strips that were cut form the end of bolts. I found these at the thrift store, all I had to do was connect them and crochet. I use this in front of our kitchen sink, the wool absorbs water really well. I did not do too good of a job at making the transition with the colors.

Here is a really good tutorial with video, I want to try it sometime. that does not use crochet. For right now crochet is just so easy for me!

How to Connect Your Strips without Sewing

My strips for this were ripped, not cut. I just pulled strings off as I crocheted them.

I join my strips together as I work along rather than joining them all to make a ball, then crochet. This is good if you are wanting to space colors out.

Learn How to Crochet

Handiwork is About Being Useful!

I understand the struggle for time to learn a new skill and then finding time to improve on it, but it really is important that we make this a part of our life, especially while our children are young, because us Moms know how much harder it is to learn once we have a husband, home, and children. I guess that is why I am so passionate about teaching these practical skills to young people. We must redeem the time!

Now that I am a little older ;o) and I know how to crochet for example, I can do it to relax, it's not a strain on my brain, it's more like a second nature. My family will tell you I never sit down to watch a movie with them unless I have something in my hands to work on. I find so much satisfaction in creating something. When I give something I have made to someone and they love it, to me that is worth more than what money can buy!

Leaning handiwork is just as important as any academic subject.

Dana left this comment yesterday in response to Rebekah's comment. This just goes to prove that handiwork is NOT about busyness, but about purpose and productivity.

On a related note, my grandmother is in an assisted living facility. She never learned to do much with her hands, except cook. When she was first admitted, she was depressed and complained ALL THE TIME! Then they started letting her roll the flatware in the napkins before meals. Suddenly, she had a purpose, something to look forward to that she could still do. Now she's' much happier, joins in with other activities and LOVES making things with her hands! She's always sporting a new necklace she's made, or showing off something they've all crafted together.

I remember about 15 years ago Grandma saying she wished she'd learned to make something useful when she was younger so she could pass the skills and hand down items to my generation. She regretted that she never learned to do any handiwork.

May we all be willing to use our skills to bless others and to experience the blessings of being productive!