Denim Rag Rug

I have been collecting old pairs of denims for years waiting for suitable projects. One of them is a denim rag rug. I found a tutorial for it online about a year ago but I couldn’t find it again to give you the link.

It basically starts with cutting 2-inch strips of denim and stitching them together to make a long chain. You then need to iron the seams open and to fold the 2-inch chain in half before rolling it onto itself for storage until you are ready to start the project. Prepare 3 such rolls and start braiding the 3 strands into a long plat that looks like this :

This is what 26m of it looks like. Then start coiling the braided denim to form a circle or double a small length over to form an oval. Use a strong cotton string to sew the coils of denim together. I made an oval with mine :

26m makes an oval rug of 31in x 39in (78cm x 100cm).

This is what the back looks like :

If you are thinking of making such a rug, be warned, it is very hard on the hands, first when you are braiding the denim and then when you are sewing the coils together as the needle needs to go through several layers of denim.

To ease things a bit, here are the tools you will need :

• a 3.5in/10cm upholstery needle
• strong cotton thread
• a strong leather thimble to push the needle through the denim
• a small round piece of oilcloth to grab and pull the needle clear of the denim. The needle would otherwise slip through your fingers on most stitches.
• small thread snips

I am very pleased with the finished product but my hands hurt! I won’t make another one anytime soon !

~~Catherine

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