Rag -Rug Craft Along: Supplies & Tearing the Sheets into Strips

Hello fellow crafters!  Saturday we are going to get started with our Craft-Along.  You can join us on Facebook or check back here to follow along.
Today I am going to go over the supplies you need.  If you prefer a written version, that's available here too!



So first, let's go over what you need.

Supplies:

-2 Sheets
-Sewing Scissors
-Large Safety Pin
-Ruler or Yardstick (optional)
-A good podcast or something
to listen to while you roll up the
strips. ;)

 

 

Instructions:

We are going to be using old sheets to make the rag rugs.  I have been able to find them for free or cheap at garage sales and thrift stores.  I also have a couple from our linen closet that are too worn or torn so they are part of my collection as well.

1. Choose two sheets that you want to make your rug with.
The size doesn't matter, unless maybe it's a crib sheet. And it can be flat or fitted. When I choose the sheets for my rugs, I like to choose a dark and a light color that complements each other.  For the red & white rug, you can see that I have hints of red/pink in the white that helps pull it all together.

  2. Remove any elastic or hems on the sheet.
 You either need to cut them off or take out the stitches.  I normally just cut them off but if you want to try to save every bit, you can tear out the stitches.

3. Cut notches along the edge of the sheet.
Find the shortest side of your sheet to cut notches into. You are going to tear along the long side of the sheet.  It frays less and gives you longer strips of fabric to work with.
So, thankfully we don't have to try to cut a whole bunch of straight lines.  We will just be cutting notches every 1-1 1/2 inches along the edge of the sheet and then tearing them. 
You can break out the ruler or yardstick here and make a snip 1-1 1/2 inches here or just wing it and estimate the whole way.

4. Tear the strips.
Once you have all of the notches cut, take about 5 strips and distribute them by taking every other strip into each hand. (Watch the video if that doesn't make sense!) Then you just pull the strips, moving your hands down the row, until you get to the end.

5. Cut slits in the ends of each strip.
Take one strip of fabric and gather both ends in your hand.  Fold over approximately 1 inch of fabric and cut a 1/2 inch slit into the fold.  This will allow you to join the fabric strips.

6. Roll the strips into balls.
The first time I made a rug, I just put the strips into bags and would pull them out.  I ended up with a huge tangled mess.  Now I roll them into balls before I start. This is a little time consuming, but it makes the actual making of the rug go much more smoothly.  So take the strips and roll them up like a ball of yarn, making sure they are mostly laying flat as they are rolled up.

You are ready to make a rug!
There you have it.  Now you should have your supplies gathered and your sheet strips ready to go.

If you want to buy a toothbrush rug needle, they are available on Amazon and I also put together a giveaway for you guys to win a gorgeous wooden rug needle! {Affiliate Link}