41. A Braided Rug

This morning I laced together the last piece of braid in Jemima's rug. This project has been somewhat a labour of love for me. As far as crafts go, I'm not very patient and this was one project that was never going to be completed in a hurry.

I knew all along that I would eventually finish it of course. Making something for the kids provides that pull to keep on going, just do a wee bit more for the day. It's also a special project for me, because it seems to sum up what born again creations is really about. Finding something old and unwanted, changing it, remaking it, redesigning it into something beautiful and functional.

Jemima's braided rug is recrafted from three queen size vintage sheets ripped into 5cm strips. She loved ripping the sheets with me - the sound of the rrrrrip! The question in her eyes "Am I really allowed to do this?" The satisfaction of a growing pile of fabric pieces.  Once you have a few strips ready grab three and sew them all together at the top short end, one on top of the other. This is to secure the braid so that it doesn't unravel.

The next thing to do is start braiding your fabric strips. I found it easiest to secure the end to a door knob and stand up as I worked. Keep braiding, adding fabric when your strips run out. The best way to do this is to make a small nick in both the short end of the fabric and the top of the new piece you want to attach. Lay the new piece behind the short end matching the nicks. Pull the long end of your new piece through the holes and pull tight. There are lots of good youtube videos on braided rugs if you need help.

As you braid roll it into a ball to keep it all tidy. Change colours every now and again, or use two strips of one colour and one strip of a contrasting colour as I did. You'll need a large ball to make a rug, to test the size you can lay it out flat and wind the braid around to see how much more you need to do.

When you're ready to assemble the rug get the end that you sewed together right at the beginning and lay it flat on a table. Wind the braid around it making sure that it lies flat. You can stitch it together using strong upholstery thread or you can get a blunt needle and some lacing cord and weave the braids together - in through one loop of a braid, then around the loop of the braid lying next to it. I started stitching and ended up lacing it. Lacing was quicker but didn't hold the rug together as tightly. With either method don't pull too tight or it will cause the rug to curl up.