It would seem, how can an ordinary small rug change the interior? But it turns out that it can become not only useful, but also a bright, interesting detail in interior design. Of course, you can buy it in a store, fortunately, now there are rugs for every taste and color. But think how nice it will be when you make it yourself, especially since such a rug can be easily made from old things, for example: threads, fabrics, wine corks, belts, and much more. All you need is to know the step-by-step instructions, stock up on the necessary materials and patience.
Rug made from old leather belts
Making a mat from belts is very simple.
For this you will need:
- 10-12 natural or faux leather belts
- awl or leather punch
- twine or string.
First make the belts the same length by cutting off the buckle. Make holes along the edges of the straps at a distance of approximately 2-3 cm from each other and 0.5 cm from the edge. Sew them together using thin hemp rope. The order of pulling the rope is arbitrary; you can sew along the belts, across, crosswise between the holes. Metal staples instead of rope will also look very stylish.
Woven models
Rugs from shreds can be woven using a base. It looks like a small loom. Make a frame out of wood that will fit the size of your rug. It can be rectangular or square, it all depends on your idea. You need to put nails on the frame at a distance of 2-2.5 cm from each other.
For these purposes, you can use a furniture panel or an old table. Making the machine is not difficult, and it will serve you for a long time.
Strengthen warp threads made from pieces of fabric onto them. On the leftmost warp thread, reinforce the working thread. It's best to sew it on. Weave the rug by passing the rope over one warp thread and under the other. You can use more complex techniques and weave with two working threads at once. During the weaving process, the fabric must be constantly pushed up to make it denser.
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After weaving is completed, sew on the working thread. Remove the resulting rug from the loom studs and form a fringe from the remaining warp threads. The rectangular rug is loom woven and can be perfectly placed by the door to welcome your guests.
To create a round rug using the described method, you only need to select a base. It can be made from an old hoop or metal-plastic pipe. Holes are made at equal distances in the base and the working thread is secured in them. Weaving should be done in a circle from the center of the intersection of the warp threads.
Soft rug made from old fabrics
Required material:
- scissors
- pieces of old (unnecessary) fabrics, maybe old clothes
- bath mat (with holes)
1. Cut the fabric into small strips
2. Using tweezers or a hook, begin pushing the strips through the holes.
3. Tie all fabric strips with a simple knot.
Making a rug from old towels
Required material:
- old towels
- scissors
- sewing machine (needle and thread)
1. Cut your towels into several strips. In this example, each strip is about 3 - 4 cm wide.
For convenience, you can fold each towel in half and cut it into 2 halves. Fold each half in half again and cut along the fold line, etc. It is advisable that all towels are approximately the same size.
2. Place 3 strips of different colors together and secure them with thread (stitch the ends). Start braiding these strips. After finishing the weaving, stitch the ends again.
3. Make several of these “braids” and then connect them into one long strip using a needle and thread (or a sewing machine).
4. Start rolling your long strip into a spiral, securing it with a thick thread.
5. Secure the entire structure and turn it over so that the seams are on the bottom.
Your rug is ready!
Knitted products
The “knitting” technique is suitable for craftswomen who work with crochet or knitting needles. The rug is knitted in circles to the desired size according to ordinary circular patterns. For knitting, they do not use any complex patterns; they knit the fabric with knit stitches. Even a rug from braids can be made novice master.
Braid rugs
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The work is performed in the following order.
- Place 3 ribbons of contrasting colors together and braid them.
- The ends of the blanks are stitched.
- The braids are connected to each other manually or using a sewing machine.
- Twist the braid into a spiral, securing it with threads. The seams should be on one side, this will be the bottom of the product.
Rug with a braid secured with threads
Another way to use braids is this.
- Prepare the base for the carpet from thick fabric.
- Take strips of fabric slightly larger than the width of the base and braid them without braiding them to the end.
- Apply fabric glue to the base and glue the pigtails. All blanks are fastened together with a needle and thread.
Braid rug with glue base
Wine cork rug
Wine bottle corks are an excellent material for a variety of crafts for the home and garden. One useful option is to make your own cork mat. Cork bark practically does not absorb moisture and bacteria do not multiply in it, which is why cork is excellent for rooms with high humidity, that is, for the bathroom. And walking on a mat of traffic jams is not only very pleasant, but also useful!
To make a small rug, you will need:
- 150-180 wine corks;
- glue;
- a piece of water-repellent material for the base (rubber shower or yoga mat, rubberized fabric, soft thin plastic);
- sharp knife;
- coarse sandpaper;
- cutting board.
1. Assemble and prepare the plugs. If you do not have the required quantity, you can buy plugs in online stores. Wash them thoroughly in warm soapy water. To remove red wine stains, soak the corks in a bleach solution and leave them overnight. Then rinse well and leave to dry.
2. Cut each cork lengthwise into two pieces. Use a cutting board and a sharp knife. If the cuts are very uneven, smooth the edges with sandpaper. For convenience and safety, it is better to cut the cork not on its side, but by placing it in a vertical position.
3. Place the corks with the cuts down on the table as they will be located on the rug, decide on the size of the future rug. Then cut the base of the rubber material to the desired size. You can come up with a pattern yourself, it can be a checkerboard pattern, even rows, zigzags.
4. Start gluing the corks to the base with an adhesive suitable for gluing such surfaces. Glue the corks around the perimeter first, then moving towards the center. Remove excess glue immediately with a cloth.
The cork mat must dry completely. To make it completely waterproof, you can treat the surface with a sealant. If you use a cork mat in the bathroom, it is advisable to dry it in the sun at least once a month for prevention.
Rug woven from shreds
Materials needed for making it yourself:
- thick fabric (carpet base)
- pieces of fabric
- black thread
- needle
- scissors
- fabric glue
- adhesive tape
- spray for protective coating (if desired)
1. Select the size of the carpet and prepare a cloth of the appropriate size.
2. Prepare long strips of fabric. Each strip should be approximately 6-7 cm longer than the main part of the carpet.
3. Prepare several bundles of 3 strips and start braiding. You need several blanks so that you can combine them into one carpet. For convenience, secure the ends of each piece with adhesive tape. Don't weave all the way through - leave some of the fabric unwoven.
4. Apply glue to a thick canvas. No need to skimp on glue.
5. Carefully place the blanks on the canvas so that they stick.
6. Connect all the pieces together using a needle and thread.
7. Remove the duct tape from the ends. Trim the ends so they are even.
The rug is ready!
DIY pompom rug: Option No. 1
Required material:
- wool thread
- scissors
- bath mat (with holes)
1. Wrap the wool thread around your fingers (the more you wrap, the fluffier the pompom will be).
2. Carefully remove the wound thread from your fingers. Prepare another short thread - about 20 cm long - and tie it around the wound thread (in the middle).
3. Cut off the ends with sharp scissors. Also cut off the excess parts with scissors to get a neat round pompom. But don't cut the thread you used to tie the pompom, you'll need it later.
4. Make enough pom poms to cover the bath mat. After this, begin to thread the thread through the holes and tie it to the rug, thereby attaching the pom poms to the rug. The pompoms should be close to each other.
5. When you have tied all the pompoms to the carpet, you can cut off the ends of the threads.
Your DIY pompom rug is ready!
How to knit a rug with knitting needles?
Making a rug with knitting needles is quite simple if you know where to start, namely: with the choice of design, materials for production and the place where the track will be located.
The form is chosen according to the location and your preferences.
For kitchen rugs that will be washed frequently, it is best to use yarn made from acrylic or cotton.
When you're choosing colors for this interior detail, add some flair and use leftovers from other skeins.
These materials best withstand the chemical effects of washing powders. Therefore, a product made from them will not lose its shape and color even at the 30th stage of washing.
A fluffy, beautiful carpet will help quickly transform your home.
A knitted rug is a simple and creative way to decorate your home and diversify your interior.
Thicker and warmer carpet models are used in bedrooms or living rooms. They are usually more voluminous and have a complex pattern. You can get this effect if you use wool yarn. It constantly holds its shape, and the threads themselves fit so tightly to each other that they do not form empty spaces.
A wool rug looks the most cozy and warm.
The only downside to wool is that it wears out quickly. To extend its service life, you should choose wool not from purely natural fibers, but with the addition of synthetics. But this option is better suited for corridors between rooms where people most often pass.
For products near the door, you can take thick cords or clotheslines. The rug will be rougher, and it will remove dirt from shoes well.
Important! When combining several colors in one rug, you need to use threads of the same diameter and density. To make the product more elegant and neat.
Schemes with descriptions are intended for beginners who want to know how to knit a rug with their own hands. Such patterns are similar to the usual ones for making any other products on knitting needles. And they contain the same symbols.
Simple pompom rug: Option No. 2
To make this blue and white pompom rug, you will need:
- thick woolen threads for knitting;
- mesh base for the rug;
- scissors.
1. Make pom-poms in different colors to create a smooth gradient color transition. You can make a plain rug or lay out a specific pattern. You can also play with the size of the pompoms, using large, smaller and very small ones. To do this, look here for the best way to make pompoms of different sizes.
2. Now tie each pompom to the net, following the color scheme. Try not to see the outline between the pom-poms.
If desired, the back side of the rug with knots can be covered with fabric or knitting so that the pompom rug is beautiful from all sides, even from the inside out. If you couldn’t find a suitable base - a mesh - it doesn’t matter, pompoms can simply be sewn to any fabric.
Manufacturing methods
There are different techniques for creating rugs from old T-shirts. More complicated ones for experienced craftswomen and simpler ones for those new to design.
Types of woven rugs
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All the variety of methods can be divided into several main types:
- knitting;
- weaving;
- from braids;
- grid-based;
- on a fabric basis.
Crochet
Knitting without a hook
Round foot mat made with a hoop
Old knitted T-shirts are actively used by craftswomen for a variety of crafts; in particular, the idea of making rugs out of them is very popular.
Necessary materials:
- 3-4 T-shirts (other things, ribbons or ropes)
- children's gymnastic hoop or hula hoop for adults scissors
It is recommended to take items made of fabric with a minimal admixture of elastane, tape or just rope.
The size of the mat depends on the size of the chosen hoop; you can take either your daughter’s gymnastics hoop or a large weight loss hoop. The weaving technology is very simple; even a child can do it by making a round rug on a hoop for their room.
Cut T-shirts or other old outerwear into strips of equal width, from one side seam to the other, to form rings. Place each strip on the hoop: first a vertical line, then a horizontal one, and then divide each sector into equal parts with a strip of a T-shirt.
Important! The strips of fabric should not be very stretched, otherwise the finished rug will wrinkle and will not hold its shape. Ideally, the T-shirt strip should fit almost loosely over the hoop, with minimal stretching of the fabric.
It's likely that if the diameter of your hoop is larger than the t-shirt strip, it's too tight or you're using ropes at all. In this case, simply wrap the hoop in fabric or rope and tie a knot.
Try to have all the base lines intersect at the center point. We start weaving the rug from the center. Take a strip of T-shirt, fasten it with a loop to one of the warp lines and pass it under and over the longitudinal lines.
When the strip ends, tie another T-shirt ring to it, hiding the knot under the previous row. Continue weaving in the same way, alternating between pulling the strip under and over the longitudinal lines. Try to keep each circle pressed tightly against the previous one, avoiding large spaces or holes between them. Once you have finished weaving, cut off the ends of the loops with scissors and tie them with a knot.
Round rug
The simplest version of a rug made from scraps of fabric is round. To make it you will need:
- Old fabric items;
- Scissors;
- Needle;
- Threads.
If you just want to recycle old items by creating a shoe mat, feel free to use any fabric. If you have ideas to fit this product into the interior, carefully select the color and texture of the fabric.
Start by cutting the fabric into long strips.
If the fabric is fraying a lot, it is better to sew each strip and turn it inside out, leaving the seam inside. This is quite a labor-intensive task, but a product made from treated fabric looks neater and will last longer.
From the resulting pieces of fabric you need to weave a braid. The tighter it is, the stiffer the resulting rug will be; therefore, if you want a soft rug, then do not twist the braid too much.
Secure the ends of the scraps with a pin.
And start weaving.
Having reached the end of the ropes, you need to lengthen them. If you tie a knot, it will turn out rough and ugly. There are two options - carefully sew on a new end or make cuts at the ends of the flaps and stretch an additional rope through the working end and insert its tail into the cut. Pull gently and you have a long rope without any knots or stitching. The whole process is clearly visible in the photo:
You need to make a long enough braid.
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Do not process its ends yet, but simply grab them with a pin so that they do not unravel. If during the process of making the rug you want it to be larger, simply attach new pieces of fabric and braid it until you get the desired diameter of the finished rug.
Next, you need to assemble the rug itself. To do this, carefully twist the braid in a spiral, catching it with thread in several places of the weave.
You can braid the braid with ribbon instead of thread. To do this, weave it with zigzag stitches either into the side of the carpet or into the working braid thread. Pull the tape and it will connect the parts together.
For greater strength, it is better to completely weave or stitch the edge row of the rug, then the product will definitely not fall apart.
The round rug is ready!
Illuminated rug
Sometimes at night you want to go to the toilet, go to the kitchen to eat, drink a glass of water or prepare a bottle of formula for the baby, so you have to get up and leave the bedroom. In the dark, and even in a half-asleep state, there is a risk of bumping into something, and turning on the overhead light is not always possible so as not to wake up other family members. For such cases, LED floor lighting in a rug will be an interesting and useful solution.
Craftswoman Johanna Hyrkas came up with the great idea of using an LED strip as a lighting sign for the way out of the bedroom. The ribbon is twisted in a spiral, located inside a round rug woven from ordinary rope, and a long tail leads further from the room. Soft, cozy light spreads across the floor without disturbing sleep.
Such a rug with LED lighting can serve as a night light in a child’s room. In addition, a strip of rug can be laid along the walls and lead to the toilet or kitchen. For such purposes, it is better to use a sealed closed LED strip. You can make a rug with your own hands, using a large crochet hook or using your fingers to braid a ribbon with thick yarn or rope. Of course, there are expensive models of LED floor lighting with a light power control. But often the homemade option is an excellent budget solution, as in this case.
Rug made from jeans labels
The concept of using clothing items for other purposes after they have been worn out is not new. For decades, women have been making patchwork rugs and quilts from old items. In the same way, you can make a carpet with your own hands from labels from jeans. The only problem is finding enough labels, because even for a small rug you will need at least 50 pieces.
To make such carpets with your own hands, it is better to sew labels onto some kind of fabric, maybe even thin. Labels sewn on each other will give the carpet the necessary density. For work, use a sewing machine, since manually sewing each label is a very labor-intensive task. Make stitches around the perimeter of the label, where it was sewn to the jeans. You can choose the pattern yourself - the correct even mesh, herringbone, spiral for a round carpet, but labels in a slightly irregular order, sewn on top of each other, look most impressive.
Weaving rugs from old things: master class
Despite the simplicity of the methods for making rugs, quality work requires consultations with experienced needlewomen. Master classes will help you watch step-by-step instructions, learn how to make a carpet correctly and accurately, choose the right scheme and study the order of its implementation, the subtleties and nuances of technology, where each technique is examined step by step. They can be easily found on the Internet.
Handicraft is an interesting activity that can be mastered by showing perseverance, accuracy, attention and patience.
You can get answers to your questions by contacting experienced home craftswomen or by studying numerous videos with recommendations and techniques for making original things.
How to make a rug "French bracelet"
Required material:
- old fabric of 2 colors (you can use old T-shirts). The width of each piece of fabric is 20-25 cm and the length is 3 meters. If you are using old T-shirts, you can join several pieces together with a thread and a needle.
- scissors
- needle and thread
- adhesive tape
1. Arrange 5 strips of different colors in the order in which you want them to look on the future carpet.
2. Next to the 5 laid out strips, place another 5 strips in a mirror image.
3. Take the first strip, in this case the pink one, and tie it as shown in the image. First, fold the fabric to form a number 4.
4. Continue tying the pink strip around the remaining strips until you reach the middle.
5. Start doing the same on the opposite side, tying another pink stripe around the other 4 stripes. Start also with the number 4, but in a mirror image.
6. When the two pink stripes meet in the middle, tie them together.
7. Repeat the same with the subsequent remaining strips. Choose the length of the rug yourself.
8. Start another rug, choosing the same colors. After this, connect both rugs with thread and needle.
Tip: If you wish, you can make one or more similar rugs, which can then be sewn into one large rug.
9. Excess parts can be cut off and the ends secured with thread to prevent them from unraveling.
