NO LOOM WOVEN RUG

6/16/2022

No loom or any other special tools are required to make this easy rug

Weave a rug with no loom and no special tools.

overview

woven no loom diy rug made from recycled fabric

I made two rugs with fabric strips by weaving them into a checkerboard pattern and sewing the edges down to each other. The pink rug is 100% cotton quilting cotton prints (mostly rifle paper co fabrics by cotton and steel). The tan and teal rug is made with Pendleton "header" blanket scraps. this is blanket weight wool that is leftover on the edge of the looms after Pendleton cuts their blankets off. the wool fabric is thick and top quality. i expect it to last a lifetime. The blanket header can be purchased very inexpensively from the brands Oregon factory. Pendleton has been selling their factory scraps to crafters, saving resources and reducing their carbon footprint since before it was a thing to do so.

I am going to show you step by step how Iam going to show you step by step how I was able to turn recycled fabric scrap strips into new rugs without a loom.

There are things that I would do differently now if I were to remake this rug. I will share both what I did when making this rug and how I would change things to improve my next rug.

The most essential part of making this rug is the fabric chosen. The material needs to be thick enough to make a sturdy rug, but not so thick that your machine cannot handle the layers you are trying to feed through it.

Using the blanket weight wool was difficult because I folded each strip in thirds. If I were to make another rug with wool blanket weight fabric, I would not fold my strips. I would cut them and add them to my rug in a single layer.

My second rug was made with quilters weight cotton, unfolded and reinforced with interfacing. Sewing this rug was so much easier than with the wool. I stitched each strip down along the edges and there has been no unraveling fabric edges, so far.

Only time will tell how the cotton fabric withstands wear compared to the wool.

I think denim fabric, particularly the fabric cut from old jeans would be perfect for this project. I have intentions of making a rug with denim, but instead of 1" strips, I will cut my jeans much wider, at least 3 or 4 inches wide. As thick as I can from each side of a pant leg from jeans.

I wil update this post when I make this rug with the denim. It may be a while. I have a very long list of project ideas in my head. I never seem to have enough time to try out all of my various project ideas.

Materials:

Fabric: I used wool blanket weight fabric for one rug
quilters cotton for another
denim would also work
as would any sturdy woven material

The amount you need will vary, depending on what you want to make. You could use narrow strips (1/2 inch each) and use them to make coasters. You could use strips 2 feet wide to create an enormous, room size rug. I recommend starting with a project in the middle of those two extremes. A placemat or a doormat/bathmat rug would be ideal. Giving you the chance to get a feel for the technique without committing to a long-term project.

Pins: Either straight or safety, to keep fabric in place, as necessary. Wondertape could be used instead if you prefer

Sewing Machine equipped with thick polyester thread (30 or 40 weight) and a topstitch or denim needle in size 90/14 or 100/16

Iron (optional, for preparing strips to look neater)

backing fabric and or non slip rug pad

Extra fabric for binding the edges

preparing fabric

**Note** The length of your fabric strips will determine the length of your finished rug**

Cut fabric into strips: the width is up to you. I would say strips between 2 and 4 inches thick will be easiest to work with. You could use a jelly roll to make this rug.

reinforce with interfacing if desired

ironing strips will make them easier to work with.

You will start your rug in the center, working outwards

Take two length strips and two width strips and alternate over under, weaving them together, as in the picture.

The strips need to be snugged up together with no space in between

You may want to use pins or the wondertape to keep them in place

options for assembly: Sew as you go or wait until all your strips are placed

Continue adding strips weaving them over and under the strips crossing them, pinning each strip snuggly into place

You can wait until you finish placing all of your strips before sewing along each strip edge, pinning as you go to hold everything in place

I found it difficult to keep my strips close enough to each other this way.

I would place a strip and then immediately sew down the edges to the strip next to it

Either way, sew as you go or waiting until the end to sew, you want to make sure that each strip is sewn along the entire edge. This will make a sturdy and durable rug.

Finishing

After I wove and sewed together all of my fabric strips, my rug looked like this.

I used a rotary cutter with a large ruler to square my rug, cutting off the excess from the edges.

if you dont have a rotary cutter, use a ruler or other straight edge to mark your desired edge lines and then use scissors to cut along the edge

Sew along the perimeter of your rug, a straight stitch or a large zig zag. This will reinforce the edges, making it much easier to complete the next step

Backing

Optional step:
I used a backing fabric on my cotton rug. It stabilized my rug and made it reversible

I attached a piece of backing fabric by sewing a few lines across the backing and the rug, attaching them to each other

I chose not to for my wool rug, it was already thick enough.

finish the edges

Use your excess strips (or cut more if you are out) to bind the edges of your rug the same way that you would bind a quilt.

You are trying to sandwich your rug within the fabric strip to enclosee and protect the edges

safety

Before you put your new rug on your floor, make sure that you and your family will be safe from falls.

Hardwood floors will require some kind of backing to prevent sliding. Check out my previous post comparing different options.

With my wool rug, I hand stitched a piece of thin nonslip rug backing to the back side.

My cotton rug is placed on a thicker nonslip rug pad that I cut to size.

This type of pad is much thicker. I have never had an issue with it bunching. I cut it to size and put it under my rug as is. No attaching necessary

To prevent bunching, i used a few hand stitches to attach this type of my pad to my rug

cleaning and care

If you used a machine washable fabric to construct your rug, and it is not o large, your rug is machine washable. I wash and dry my pink rug without any problems.

A gentler option would be to hand wash it in the bathtub and then dry flat.

If you do not want to get your rug wet, take it outside to shake it and then let it air out in the sun before returning it to your floor.

Did you make a rug this way? Did you have success with a type of fabric that I did not think of? comment below, I would love to hear about your projects.

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