Interiors

DIY : How to make a rag-rug

ragrughowto2There are many different rag-rug designs out there from tufted/knotted rugs to woven rugs. I didn’t want to spend any money making this rug so unlike the common knotted rag-rugs where you need to buy a special backing, I wanted to use what I’ve got laying around the house. On Pinterest I found these cool rugs made by creating your own structure with the help of a hula-hoop. Oh and I forgot to mention that this will be for my very old cat of 17 years! and not for Hansel who photo-bombs my pics.

What you need :

  • 2 – 3 of your boyfriend’s old t-shirts (or ones you hate), depending on the size of rug you want to make.
  • Hula hoop
  • Fabric scissors

Cut your t-shirts up into continuous strip roughly 2cm in width, I found that 1 x t-shirt made a big ball of yarn.

Then tie an odd number of strands of yarn to your hula-hoop (I did 27), trying to make sure that they are evenly spaced. Notice that I’m a messy crafter and I’ve not really been too neat or evenly spaced them so chill out if it’s not mm perfect, it is a rag-rug after all.

Starting from the centre, weave your ball of t-shirt yarn in and out of your hula frame. Try not to do it too tight, do it slightly loose and then knock the yarn towards the centre. This makes a fluffier rug rather than a tight weave.

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Beware, putting it down may attract naughty cats, they will try and slow down your progress.

hanselrug

Once you have got the rug to the size you’d like, cut the supporting yarn off the hula-hoop and tie the loose strands together. Not pulling too tight as it will curl up. This will now look a little messy around the edges but with some more yarn and a big crochet hook, crochet two rows around the edge. When you have done the first row, flip the rug over and continue to crochet a second row.

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When I got to this stage it was much more solid but I found that there were a few areas that I could tighten up, so I did neaten it up with a needle and thread. Just a simple running stitch in the areas of concern. Now it’s perrrrrfect for my very cold and incredibly old cat named MAN.

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And here he is, Man the cat himself LOVING the rug.

manonrug

If you need any craft supplies such as crochet hooks or even want to try this technique with bought textile yarn, these supplies may help.

ragshopping

Boodles Textile Yarn  ,  Bamboo Crochet Hook ,  Rag Rug making book

 

Enjoy! If you make any please send me the pics!

Hx

19 Comments

  • Reply Emma McNiven February 13, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    Love it! Might have to give this a try… and <3 your stylish crochet hook! Emma x

  • Reply Maxine March 18, 2014 at 9:07 am

    This is so cool!! I don’t as yet have a hula hoop but investing in one will be multi-purposeful now! 🙂

    • Reply Hannah March 18, 2014 at 9:31 am

      Thanks Maxine! Send me a pic when you’ve made yours. It’s so much fun!

    • Reply Sandra Warnock October 18, 2014 at 9:43 am

      An old piece of hose joined with right size piece of wood fitted into each end of hose.

      • Reply Hannah October 21, 2014 at 12:45 pm

        that’s a great idea!

  • Reply Beri April 16, 2014 at 12:08 am

    Very nice! A bike rim would work well too!

    • Reply Hannah April 16, 2014 at 8:35 am

      Thanks 🙂 A bike rim is a great idea Beri!

  • Reply What to do with old t shirts - 15 ways to upcycle your old tees August 15, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    […] Remember that fabric yarn? Here’s how you can make it into a durable rag rug via Hannah in the House. […]

  • Reply Chrissie Dyson August 31, 2014 at 10:37 pm

    Cool idea. Good to hear I am not the only crafter with saboteur pets. My cats liked to mess with tissue paper patterns when I am trying to pin them onto the fabric, they find it highly amusing to pat it and then watch the paper waft up so they can pat even harder. The dog tends to sit on my sewing machine pedal at random moments which can be a bit frightening. My main gripe with the dog is his tendency to chew my cushiony creations.

  • Reply Misti January 27, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    This is genius & super cute!!! Great idea!

    • Reply Hannah January 29, 2015 at 5:37 pm

      Thanks 🙂

  • Reply Holly Gibbs January 29, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    This is so cute my cat Shine says Ty love the crochet edge

    • Reply Hannah January 29, 2015 at 5:38 pm

      Aw thanks! 🙂 Glad Shine likes it too xx

  • Reply Lila Sutton October 1, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    Oh, that’s quite clever! This rag-rug looks very easy to make, plus I’ll finally get rid of my husband’s old tees. I never thought of recycling them, but that’s much better than throwing them away. Thank you for the idea!

  • Reply 100 Methods to Upcycle your clothes - Refashion.info November 26, 2018 at 9:06 pm

    […] 93. Rag rug […]

  • Reply Jacqueline Ochoa September 17, 2020 at 11:57 pm

    Wow I did a couple of hula hoop rugs but you can only go so far before they start warping and I wasn’t happy with it but I never thought about crocheting around it to enlarge it I think that’s a great idea I’m definitely going to do that Thank you so much

    • Reply Hannah October 20, 2020 at 10:44 am

      I guess i didn’t weave too tight?

  • Reply Devon October 15, 2020 at 9:45 pm

    I’m a great admirer for crafty people, but there’s usually too much effort involved. This is perfect, and you had my heart when you admitted “I’m a messy crafter”, IT ME!
    This is super cute! Excellent idea!

    • Reply Hannah October 20, 2020 at 10:46 am

      messy crafters are great crafters

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