Braided rug - what?!

[bburn]

I bought at a garage sale in Iowa...while on vacation....the little machine to make the strips for braided rugs. I have never used it and have always wanted to. Maybe this will get me motivated!

I love braided rugs.

 

[sewingca]

Verthandi, most of my bias was 1 1/2" wide. As I wove the strips, they would just naturally curl - sometimes in half, sometimes one side to the other. There was no rhyme or reason to the weave. The fabric being bias was a plus. The strips had a little stretch and it was easier to tuck into the loops (especially when I got carried away with making everything tight!). The lady on the website I copied used t-shirt fabric. That might be the easiest yet! I did this in the evening after work and found it very relaxing. But then, I have no babies at home and not much extra curicular activity!

 

[verthandi]

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Get cracking

we'll wait and will want pictures. I think this is going to be a good winter for projects like this. You can also just tear the fabric if you are using wool.

 

[verthandi]

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That makes sense, the bias would roll in easier. I have been roughly folding them in half as I go to keep the print side (sort of) up. Boy, these seem to work up fast, but I am only on the second row. Somehow I lost a strip entirely and had to add one back in. Is you rug soft/loose to the touch? I found I had to do the braiding fairly loose to keep the shape right.

 

[sewingca]

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That makes sense, the bias would roll in easier. I have been roughly folding them in half as I go to keep the print side (sort of) up. Boy, these seem to work up fast, but I am only on the second row. Somehow I lost a strip entirely and had to add one back in. Is you rug soft/loose to the touch? I found I had to do the braiding fairly loose to keep the shape right.

My dear, it is a wing-it project if there ever was one! Sometimes it's loose, sometimes not. Depends on the fabric I pull from my stash. One end got kind of pointy and the other end not, so next time around I entered the corner sooner to square up - not to be taken seriously, nor looked at closely! I can't imagine how it will survive its first wash! But, yes, it did go quickly. I'll have another stash of bias to do another in about a year or so. This stash was probably about 3 years worth. I used to give my bias to a lady who made baskets. She tired of that and so I kept accumulating.

 

[verthandi]

Ummmm hummm, yours in prettier this time....

I didn't make the middle braid long enough, I think it might have been 15 or 18 inches. My rug is closer to round than oval. It worked up pretty quickly, but what a trip!....when it started to bulge out sideways...I thought "oh no", until I looked at the directions again. I think this might be a useful project to use up some of my cotton fabrics that I now wonder why I even purchased a certain color or print. I think next time I will keep one color constant throught the entire rug.

Thank you for posting the directions and your rug.

 

[sewingca]

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Sweetie peetie, that is wow! Don't be so critical of yourself! You are right - the first braid is supposed to be half your finished length - so for a first try, that is impressive. Besides, this is for fun and that finished rug does look like fun! As my DDIL says, good job!

 

[kitchwitch]

I've made one braided rug in my life and while it isn't beautiful, it's very useful!
Constructed out of old towels, I made this bathroom rug as an alternative to throwing out the thin, holey old rags my husband and I had been using as bath towels.

It does a great job of absorbing water and it's very thick and keeps the feet off the winter cold bathroom floor!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

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Great Idea!! wonder if I could do that and make kennel pads for the rescues I'm involved with. Hmmmmmm

 

[funnybirds]

These rugs are so cool! I've been doing the coiling for baskets, (to fill with homeade candy for holiday gifts) and have seriously been thinking about making a rug. You all inspire me! Thank you!!!