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Fond Memories
Braided rugs of all sizes could be found at my grandma's house. The Depression taught her to recycle strips of sewing fabric and articles of old clothing into her rugs. One of the best days of my childhood was when she taught me to braid rugs. I braided for hours, and Grandma helped me sew the rounds into a 12-inch braided hot pad for the kitchen table.
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Worthy of the Effort
I learned from Grandma that the best fabric to recycle into braided rugs is wool, which is durable, with colors that come alive. Fabulous wools for braided rugs can be found at rummage sales, thrift stores, and fabric store bargain tables. Plan ahead and incorporate color into your braided rugs.
Cut fabric in 2-inch strips. Sew strips on the bias for less-bulky seams, working with lengths of two or three strips. Fold three lengths together, sew across the raw edge, and you are ready to begin your braided rug. Pull gently as you braid, attaching new strips on the bias as needed. Turn edges under, and smooth and fold fabric as you braid. Make flat rather than twisted edges.
Shapes of Things to Come
Grandma's braided rugs were oval-shaped. The starting braid for a 4x6-foot braided rug is the difference between length and width, or 2 feet. Thread a heavy blunt needle with a double strand of yard-long heavy thread. Lay the braid on a flat surface, fold at two feet, secure thread at the fold, and alternate from left to right, lacing thread through every other braid fold and pulling thread firmly.
Do not puncture fabric of the braided rug with the needle. When rounding corners, grab every other loop on the outer braid and every loop on the body of the braided rug. To finish off the braided rug, taper ends of the three strips as close to the body as possible.
