rag rug // 1

Years ago I made this rug using old t-shirts cut into short strips that I hooked to a burlap.

You can check posts in 2012 in the archive on the right hand menu bar if you want to know more about the process.

Unfortunately, when after some use I later washed it in the machine it came all apart. I finished to take it apart and saved all the fabric pieces not knowing what for.

A few weeks ago I then decided that it was time for a new hand sewing project. A no brainer to work on and off just whenever I feel like. This time I'm simply folding the pieces and attach them down with a few stitches to a canvas. I first started randomly but realised quickly that it was easier for me if I pre-marked where to sew. Now I don't even need to worry to remain consistent. This rug will in the end be much fluffier than the first one. 

So I'm recycling already once recycled material.

Rug revamp // 3 and last!

Mission rug revamp is completed and I couldn't be happier with the result! Once all the scraps were sewn down with vertical quilting lines, I added horizontal lines to form a grid. This is a in progress shot to show the process.

And here is my finished rug put back to use in front of my kitchen sink. I really like the look and can't wait to see how it will behave once put through the washing machine. But first let's do some heavy duty kitchen work so that washing will be worthwhile.

I also really like the fact that it can still be used on both sides!

Here is a link to the original rug I made years back.

Rug revamp // 2

I think my idea will work out just perfect and I'm going to have a new pretty rug. I'm just sewing my scraps on top of the old rug. I'm using my walking foot and adding pieces as I go. I had started with scraps of different shapes but then realized I needed some kind of order. I'm therefore cutting my scraps all into rectangular shapes but with different sizes. It still is scrappy enough but not that wild. Also I'm paying attention to color selection.
I'm sewing the scraps down with straight lines just using my foot for spacing them. I'll add more lines once all is put in place.
I've never done this before and I'm curious to see how the raw edges will behave when going through the washing machine. The good thing about this is, I can always add more scraps on top of the other!

Here a sight of my blooming wisteria bravely fighting against the return of winter temperatures!

Rug revamp // 1

Seven years ago I made this rug out of old bed linens. I cut them into strips, folded them four times, pressed them, and joined them with a zigzag stitch. I liked the outcome very much and the rug has been in use ever since. It covered up the floor in front of our kitchen sink and has been "maltreated" several times a day and washed many times.

After all these years of service I has become to look like this:

Since I'm not ready to give up on it, it is high time for a revamp!

For this I'm going to use my saved tiny scraps from previous projects. 

My rug will be transformed into something totally different yet still useful and hopefully nice to look at too! Fingers crossed my plan will work out.

Rag rug flop

Three years ago I made this rag rug. It had been a laborious work of months. But I was glad with the result and it felt very agreeable to bare feet. I even posted a foto tutorial.

After it has been in use during the last year I decided it needed to be washed. Without many thoughts I gave it into in the washing machine.

Sadly, this is what came out

I have no idea why this happened. The canvas got loose and destroyed. Maybe I had a fault in one of the seams along the edges. Maybe the canvas is not washing machine safe at all. Maybe the whole thing just got too heavy once soaked with water? I took a deep breath and successfully combatted feelings of frustration and disappointment. Still I liked all the pieces I had cut out of old T-shirts. They weren't worn out at all and the colors are still nice. So I took the time to completely take apart what was still holding on to the canvas. I even rescued all the single strings the canvas dissolved into.

Sh... happens! Who knows, one day I'll make something new out of it.

Rag rug foto tutorial

Here is a foto tutorial for making a rag rug the way I did it. I used only recycled t-shirts. I feel it is quite self explanatory. If not leave me a comment and I'll be happy to help.

Hier ist ein kleines Fototutorial für mein Flickenteppich. Ich habe ausschliesslich gebrauchte T-Shirts verwendet. Ich denke, es ist ziemlich selbstredend. Falls nicht, hinterlässt mir ein Kommentar und ich helfe gerne weiter.

Eccovi un piccolo fototutorial per fare un tappetino come l'ho fatto io. Io ho usato interamente second hand magliette di cotone. Penso che le foto rendono bene l'idea di come fare. Se avete domande, lasciatemi un messaggio e sarò lieta di rispondervi.

Rag Rug - Flickenteppich geknüpft - Tappetino tessuto // 10

This is it! My rag rug is finished. That's been an excellent learning experience. As I said before, this is no project for people in a hurry. It takes up a lot of time. I don't think I'll do it again this way. But I like the idea of doing another one in a less laborious manner. When that day comes I'll let you know.

Und hier ist er! Mein Flickenteppich ist fertig. Das war ein sehr guter Lernprozess. Ich habe schon mal gesagt, dass dies keine Arbeit für eilige Leute ist. Es braucht unheimlich viel Zeit und Geduld. Ich werde kaum einen zweiten auf diese Art machen. Aber ich habe Lust, eine weniger zeitintensive Art zu versuchen. Wenn der Tag kommt, werde ich es euch wissen lassen.

E fatta! Il mio tappetino é finito. Facendolo ho imparato molto. Come ho già detto prima, questo lavoro non é adatto per gente che va di fretta. Richiede un sacco di tempo e di pazienza. Non penso proprio che ne farò un altro usando questo metodo. Però ho tanta voglia di farne un'altro perché ho in mente un metodo meno laborioso. Quando il giorno sarà arrivato, vi farò sapere.

63 x 47 cm