Using old tee shirt scraps I used to make a t-shirt quilt, I made a crocheted rag rug. My rug is 40 inches in diameter.
Approximate Time: 10 hours.
By Little Suzy from Millbury, OH
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Instructions on how to make a rag rug out of strips of materials as suggested by the ThriftyFun community. My mother taught me how to make rag rugs when I was a child. You take scraps of material that you want to use and make three separate, very long strips.
I have just joined the site and thought you might like to see a rug made from recycled fleece jackets. They are very cheap to buy in the charity shops, there are some brilliant colors and make a super rug.
I crocheted this small rag rug out of 2 nighties, 2 tee shirts, and a pair of knit shorts. It measures 28 inches in diameter. I love working with old knit clothing because the edges do not fray.
This is an image of a picture I did using the same technique as the rag rug using narrower strips.
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I have just taught myself the basics of making a rag rug using a knotted method, rather than crochet (because I'm not really sure how to do that) but for all the fabulous instructions I've found, there is nothing that tells me how to make it lay flat, without making the outer stitches huge. How do I make it flat and keep the stitch continuity?
This was the link I used and the basics were really easy to understand (except for that whole laying flat thing).
Claudia from Morrisville, PAI had the same issue on mine I made from old flannel plaid sheets i used. It turned out wonderful but wants to rise up in the center much like a bowl with sides. I laid a heavy item on it for days and it helped some by still not completely flat. I hope someone post the fix it answer on your request.
You might try steam ironing it. Mist lightly with water, then
place a towel underneath and iron it directly on the floor.
If you are trying to make a round rug you have to increase the amount of stitches at the ends. When you go around the end of the rug put two stitches in every other stitch until you get back to the long sides. It is much easier to do a square or an oblong rug rather than a round or an oval rug.
I have made quite a few crochet rugs from rags and the way I done it is lay the rug down quite often to see if it is staying flat. When ever it looks like it is going to start turning up I crochet a extra crochet stitch in the same hole. That will make the curved areas lay flat. Probably several extra stitches in every round. A time or two when I had a bowl I would wet the rug and lay it down, patting it down till it lays flat, and then let it dry that way.
I've done the same technique, when making grass, fiber, rag or coiled fabric baskets. What I did was just add another stitch every 4 or 5 stitches all around the whole thing whenever I wanted to increase OR, do the regular stitch for 3 or 4 rows, then do 2 stitches in a hole every other stitch for one round, then go back again to one stitch per hole for 3 or 4 rounds (It's kind of like crocheting a hat with a flat brim or a flat doily). You'll need to mark where each new round starts with a bright piece of yarn or a safety pin. This way you'll know when to start or stop increasing... You said "I've found, there is nothing that tells me how to make it lay flat without making the outer stitches huge. How do I make it flat and keep the stitch continuity?" My answer would be to do 2 or 3 regular stitches instead of one huge one. (It looks like the blue rug in the picture is a bit "floppy" around the edges)
Getting your rug to lay flat is the problem with nearly ALL rag rugs. I had the very same problem with the first one I made & also with crocheted rugs or even crotched blankets that I've crocheted in the round. It's really all about getting the right amount of tension & fabric around each successive round. When it comes right down to it, you either end up with to little on the edges & end up with a bow shaped rug, or to much fabric or yarn on the edges & end up with a rippled effect.
As you are making your rug, you have to be VERY careful & check out the lay of the rug EACH time you go around. Just lay it on a flat floor & see how it's going. You may have to add more fabric (or more crochet stitches if you're crocheting it) or less.
As far as fixing one that's all ready completed, the only thing you can do is either dampen it then set something heavy on it until it's dry.
If it was made of wool, you could block it with pins & then steam it with an iron. These may force it down. But, this technique won't work if your fabric is polyester or not a "natural" fiber. When it comes right down to it, if your finished rug is not laying flat you'll probably have to rip some of it out & start over again. Before you do something that drastic, why don't you take a look at some of the sites below & see what info you can get out of them. I believe the top URL is what you are looking for, but also, click on the second URL, then look to the left on that URL & you'll see a whole list of rug info you can click on. Also, click on the "Amish Knot" on that same site.
HERE ARE SOME RAG RUG DIRECTIONS:
TOOTHBRUSH RAG RUGS:
www.bellaonline.com/
FLAT WRAP:
www.netw.com/
BRAIDING & SEWING RAG RUGS:
www.craftown.com/
LINKS FOR HOW TO MAKE COILED FABRIC BASKETS:
www.bellaonline.com/
My round rug (3 ft in diameter) is really puffing up in the middle. It seemed to be laying flat while I was working on it. Then the farther I got from the middle it started poofing up, cone shaped. I have read about misting, wetting and putting heavy objects on it. I was wondering if it would be possible to take the center braids loose and re-lace it working from the poofed part backwards into the center. Is that too crazy or would it work?
By Sue S. from Knoxville, TN
How do you make a rag rug or a tied rug?
By Penny from Watson, LA
How do I make a rug from material?
By CA from Simi Valley, CA
I watched a series of videos on Youtube which explained the process very well.
I am looking for instructions to crochet an oblong rag rug.
By Dee Hafemann
I don't know whether oblong means rectangular or oval, but here are instructions for making an oval crochet rag rug.
crochet.about.com/
Decide on the width and length, and just crochet a beginning row, turn and crochet back and forth. You can change fabrics to create stripes, or just crochet until you run out of one fabric, then add another color.
Does anyone know approximately how many tee shirts of varying sizes it would take to make a 6X9 foot recycled rug, the kind that's looped through a grid backing? I'll cut the strips 1X 4 inches, as suggested.
I just need to know if I've set my size sights too big. Would 100 tee shirts make this size?
Thanks!
By Patti S
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I like to crochet rag rugs out of fabric scraps. However, you always have to deal with the edges fraying. I got an idea. My husband had about 11 old colored cotton tee shirts. I cut them up in 1 1/2 inch strips going around and around.
