A rug made from unwanted fabrics. Make it out of old bed sheets, t-shirts, or fabric scraps; whatever unwanted fabric you have on hand!

Supplies

fabric scraps, old sheets, any fabric you no longer want, amount varying on desired rug size
fabric scissors

Step 1: Cut Fabric Strips

To start, you are going to take your sheet, old clothing, or whatever unwanted fabric you found and cut it into long strips. Keep the strips about 1 ½” or 4cm wide, but the length doesn’t matter too much, as you’ll end up combining them as you go. The longer they are the less often you’ll have to add pieces, so it's best to aim to get strips at least a couple feet. Cut a little slash at the end of each strip, which is how you’ll add new pieces.

These strips do not have to be perfect straight lines, you can get creative and zig zag all over to use up your fabric, especially if you are using old clothing or uniquely shaped fabric remnants. Have some fun with it! Just try to keep each strip around an inch and a half (4cm) and go crazy!

Step 2: Combining Strips

You will need to combine your strips to make this rug. You could always just tie them together in knots, but there is an easier and more efficient way to do it!

You’ll have two pieces, one that’s attached to the rug and one loose one that you are adding to it, both strips with a little slit cut into the end. Take the loose strip and poke it through the slit of the strip attached to the rug. Pull it through a few inches just enough so that its slit is completely on the other side. Then take the other end of the loose strip, and poke it through this slit. (Not the slit of the strip attached to the rug, which already has the piece through it, but the slit of the same strip).

Pull it all the way and tug on the to make sure it is secure.

Step 3: Starting Your Rug

Once you have a decent pile of fabric strips, you can begin your rug. This style rug is started from the center, and built up in a spiral around it to create a final circular rug. Start by taking a long strip and folding it in half. Tie a knot at the end, leaving a ring about two inches in diameter. You will then start tying knots in a circular pattern, building around the center ring.

Step 4: Making Knots

This is done by bringing one of the strands up and throw the center loop, making sure that it also wraps around the other strand. (This process might be easier to follow by looking at the pictures for the rug in its bigger form) You will then repeat this process around the loop, always using the same strip to tie the knots, and leaving the other strip as a base to work around and stabilize the rug.

Once you’ve made about 5-7 loops you’ll be around the circle. You then continue this process, this time using the first knot you tied as the loop. Then use the next knot, and continue. Add strips as needed.

*In the beginning you will need to tie two knots in some of the loops to ensure your rug expands and doesn’t start to curve up like a bowl. As the rug gets larger, you will have to do this less often.

Step 5: Tips for Rug Making

Knots can vary in tightness, so feel free to play around with how tight to pull it to create the look you desire.

If your rug starts to lift up on the edges or bulge at all, this means you're pulling the outside ring too tight compared to the middle. To combat this, make two (or three if needed) knots in the same loop at parts that don’t want to lay flat. To make sure your rug is even and flat, it’s best to work on a flat surface.

Step 6: Finishing

When you run out of fabric strips or decide your rug is finished, simply tie the loose ends in a knot and weave the tails into your rug.

You can make this rug as big as you want, doll sized to giant sized, so you choose when it's finished! I have a few rugs that are big enough to use, but as I accumulate fabric scraps in the same color scheme I add them on. If you plan to do this, don’t finish the ends with a knot. Tuck them into the rug so you’ll be able to easily pull them out and continue as you wish.

Thanks for following along, hopefully this will give you a fun way to put your fabric scraps to use.