No-sew round braided rug with t-shirts

A braided rug can be a good idea that could actually give new life to the worn out old shirts.

And while this project does take a long time, you would be pleased with the results.

Based on the t-shirts you have available, you can use any combination of colours you like or that suits your d?cor. Don’t worry too much about your shirts all matching.

You may need about 15 different sized t-shirts for a rug approximately 30” in size. Here’s how you can do it: You will need: A variety of jersey t-shirts and/or tank tops Scissors Instructions: – Cut your t-shirts into 1.5” strips along the width of the body. You’ll want to cut the end of each of them so they’re strands and not loops of fabric.

Gather three strips and stack them. Tie a knot tightly into the top to begin.

– Start braiding the strips.

– Once you’ve braided about 4” of the strips, coil the braid into a circle, with the knot in the centre.

– Take the strand closest to the centre and pass it under and through one of the loops in the braid you coiled. This is how you will attach the braid to the coil.

– Continue your braid another few inches.

It should be attached to the centre coil where you passed the one strand through.

– Every few inches, pass the strand closest to the centre under and through the existing braid to attach it. You’ll do this continuously to create the entire rug. Braid and attach, braid and attach.

To add strips: When you reach the end of the strip, you’ll want to attach another. Instead of making a bunch of knots, here is how you can quickly attach the next strand: – Fold over the very end of the attached strand and cut a small slit into the centre. Do the same with your new strand.

– Line up the two slits you cut on both strands.

– Take the other end of the new strand and pull it through the back of the slits towards the front.

– Pull both strands tightly and they will be linked together.

The rug will tend to bunch up as you go along. To flatten it, spritz it with a spray water bottle and use your hands to push it back into shape. You can place some heavy objects on it to hold it down while you braid if you need to.

Tips: You may want to back the rug so it stays in place, by ironing on some fusible interfacing to the reverse side. You can also finish it with starch or polycrylic spray as a protective measure.