I’ve been gone awhile from here, and mostly, it’s because I didn’t have anything I wanted to share, or there were things I wanted to write that I shouldn’t share. Either way, I really wanted to share about this rug I’m making, because it’s inspired by the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, and you all should know by now how much I love those books.
So, I had done some research right after I read about Laura and Mary making a braided rug out of old fabric scraps, and found a few interesting ways of making the rug. It’s pretty simple, honestly, but one of the posts I found was about making the rug from old jeans. I was intrigued, because I have a tendency to get holes in my jeans in a short period of time, and often stop wearing them after that. I usually cut the calves off of the ones that still fit, but I’ve got a lot that are too small to wear after having 2 kids. So I had just been hanging onto them, either waiting until they fit, or I found something to use the fabric for. Which, obviously, I have now found.
Though the post I described inspired me, I’ve made a LOT of modifications to her original plans, and I’ll share them with you. Mainly I found it was much easier to sew everything with a machine-and you’ll need a big cone of thread (serger thread), lots of bobbins, and a needle specifically for jeans/denim. You can usually find cheap thread cones at fabric stores, you don’t need the expensive ones. And of course, you’ll need several pairs of jeans. I’ve got 5, but my husband wears a 42″ waist and I used 2 pairs of his. Depending on the sizes, you’ll need 5-8 (just a guesstimate), and you’ll need a really solid pair of fabric scissors and some sewing pins.
I started cutting the jeans apart at the seams, cutting off the seams, waistband and pockets, leaving just the flat parts of the legs. I cut the strips 1 1/4 inch wide, not the 2.5 that the other post sugggested, because it is a lot easier to braid! After you’ve cut out a sufficient amount of strips, make sure you have several bobbins of thread ready, and get started sewing the strips together end to end. I sew them flat, not folded, as you’ll see in the photo. This keeps the seam from being too thick when you sewing the strips lengthwise. Only do a section of 8-10 strips at a time, because it will be easier to braid this. If you prefer, you can sew many 8-10 strip lengths, which will save you time later.
I then sew the strips lengthwise, folding in thirds. Sew the entire length leaving 4-5 inches unsewn at the end to join the next section. You’ll need to sew your first three lengths together at one end before you start braiding. To get started braiding, you’ll need to pin it to something solid. You need to keep the lengths flat, although the sides will curl a little, which seems to be normal. The braid will look cleaner if you keep the lengths flat (again, see the picture). When you finish braiding a section (leave a little unbraided before the unsewn edge as well), you’ll want to lock the braid in place with a quick run through your sewing machine, as shown in the picture again. This keeps the braid from coming undone while you’re sewing the rug together.
To get started on making the rug out of this braid, you’ll need to decide what you want the rug to look like. If you want a round rug, you’ll pin the beginning part in a circle, if you want an oval, you’ll need to make a length maybe 12-18 inches and fold it. Start sewing at the folded edge using a wide zig-zag, the widest your machine can make, pinning it together as you go, especially around the curves. It’s really important to pin if you use a machine, because you’ll want the fabric to stay where you want it, and the machine may not do this very well on its own. Keep the pieces tightly together with your hand also, because the pins may not hold them close together enough to close the gaps. I only do about 1 round at a time, because it’s important to check that the rug isn’t curling up on you, and it’s easier to pin AND to sew if you do a little at a time. Obviously, you’ll have longer intervals between sewing and pinning as your rug gets larger. Again, leave a short length of the braid unattached to the rug, so you have a little bit of room to add more and braid it.
As I said before, you’ll want to do it in sections, so as you go, you’ll attach another section, braid, then sew the rug, attach more, and so on until the rug is the size you want.
My next rug project is to use up a set of quilting squares I’ve probably had for 9 years or more. I’ve already got quite a few pieces sewn in lengths, I just need to cut them to the right width. I don’t know when I’ll get started on this, because I’ve got a lot of other projects to do!
