Allie’s Answers

Do you have old sheets, jeans that don’t fit, or a collection of old shirts with stains or holes? Do you have a needle and thread? If so, you have everything you need to make a new rug.

We need new rugs around here, but I have a hard time shelling out big bucks for an eco-friendly rug made from organic materials only to have the cat puke on it, or the dog track mud all over it.

Another option is to go for a discount store rug. But then there’s the issue of off-gassing. The last time we bought a rug, I felt like the house smelled overwhelmingly of new rug for weeks.

But we have an old set of sheets that doesn’t even fit our bed. With a little bit of work following these instructions, I can make a decent sized throw rug. It’s not complicated and doesn’t take a lot of skill or crafty abilities. If you know how to braid hair, and have very basic sewing skills, you’re set.

If you don’t have sheets and old clothes lying around, or are looking for a specific color scheme, check out thrift stores for clothes, sheets, tablecloths, and fabric. It’s okay if the items are mildly stained, with a little bit of selective cutting and twisting, the stains won’t matter at all.

I’m about a quarter of the way through my first rug. It’s easy, mindless work — perfect to do while watching TV. I feel like I’m making something out of nothing, and I’m eliminating my need to purchase something new.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Tip of the Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.