Inside: A simple tutorial on how to make a rag rug from upcycled clothing fabric scraps.

He blames it on a scented candle gone wrong, but I have suspicions! There is an unsightly burn on the carpet in my son’s room. What I needed to do, was to make a rag rug, to not only hide the mark but to break up the sea of grey on the floor in his bedroom.

I developed a simple way of making a rag rug by wrapping and weaving fabric yarn around some old rope. And I upcycled his old jeans to make this lovely denim rag rug.

The rag rug looks great on the floor in his bedroom. And you’d never know there is a burn underneath it. He loves the unique indigo colour of the denim too.

Why Make A Rag Rug

There are many reasons why I decided to make this upcycled rag rug

• It’s very affordable
• It is eco-friendly as upcycling fabric
• It’s an easy and enjoyable craft
• No fancy tools need
• No need to use the sewing machine
• No need to use any glue
• No crocheting or knitting needed

What Fabric Can You Use

You can create a rag rug with any fabric you can make into yarn. These include upcycled clothes such as t-shirts, denim and sweaters.

I used old jeans and kept all my family’s old denim to upcycle and repurpose. I make tons of things for the home out of them.

I’ve made jeans rugs before, one was a no-sew denim waistband rug, but that used a lot of glue. The other was a chevron rug, but that involved a lot of sewing.

The best thing about using denim is its plentiful, hardwearing and the colour.

Making yarn from old clothes you can’t donate is sustainable and eco-friendly.

How To Make A Rag Rug

There is a printable craft card for this tutorial with a video at the end.

What you need

• Approx eight legs (4 pairs of jeans) – This may vary depending on the style and size of the jeans you use. This estimate is based on four pairs of straight-legged adult jeans of average size.
• Twenty meters of rope 14mm thick – You can use slightly thinner rope, but you will need more to make a rug the same size.
• Scissors, ruler and pen
• A Crochet hook or something similar is not for crocheting but just a tool to help hook the fabric through a loop.

How To Make Denim Yarn

Denim fabric yarn is made like this t-shirt yarn (check out the infographic). That makes diagonal cuts across the tubed fabric to make one long strip of continuous fabric. (I made recycled sweater yarn this way for Valentine’s heart wreath.)

Step 1: Cut the legs off the denim jeans from the top of the thigh, just below the pockets. Also, cut away the bottom hem of the jeans. (Keep them to one side for other denim seams/hem upcycles).

Step 2: Next, turn the jeans leg inside out and lay it flat on a table. Then with a pen, mark lines across the length of the leg. The lines should be the width of a ruler (approx 3cm) and finish about 3cm from the top.

Step 3: Next, cut along the lines with scissors. Make sure you stop before getting to the top of the jeans leg. You’re basically fringing the leg.

Step 4: Next, this is where the magic happens. Lay the fringed denim leg out and cut the first strip to the edge at the top.

Begin the next cut with the next strip, working diagonally across the top of the fabric to the start of the next strip.

Continue cutting diagonally from the end of one strip to the start of the next one until you’ve cut all the strips apart.

Step 5: You will have one long strip of denim yarn. Wrap it into a ball. You will need to make at least eight balls of denim yarn.

How To Wrap and Weave The Yarn Into A Rag Rug

Step 1: Firstly, cut a strip of denim yarn into about 2 meters in length. Then tightly wrap it around the end of the rope overlapping. You might find it easier to secure the end temporarily with a pin.

Step 2: Coil over 15-20 cm of the rope tightly after wrapping it. You might want to secure it in place with a pin. Take the end of the denim yarn and thread it through the centre of the coil. Use the crochet hook to help hook it through the middle of the hole.

Pull the yarn from the back between the top ropes all the way through. Then wrap it around the first two rows and repeat. It holds the rug together. Watch this video of the process here.

It is the trickiest bit of making the rag rug, but once you get started, it gets easier.

Step 3: Next, wrap the denim yarn around the single strand of rope three times. Then, pass it through the strand of rope below, wrap it around two strands and repeat.

Step 4: Carry on wrapping the denim around the rope 3-4 times before pulling the fabric through and threading around two thicknesses of rope.

When the fabric has run out, start another length of yarn. Wrap this over the end of the last yarn strip to hold it in place.

Step 5: If you run out of rope, join a new coil using duct tape. When wrapped in denim, you won’t see the join.

Step 6: When the rope runs out or the rag rug has reached the size you want it to be, finish off the rug by weaving the end of the fabric yarn into it.

If you want to make the rug larger, add another coil of rope. Use a strip of denim yarn to weave the end into the rug. Then carry on weaving and wrapping the rope around the edge of the rug until you get the size you want.

The new denim rug looks great in my son’s room and does the job of hiding that burn mark and breaking up the grey carpet.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Type of Denim To Use To Make A Rag Rug

You can easily make a lot of fabric yarn from the legs of old jeans. One leg will create a large ball of yarn.

Use any style of jeans, but flared and boot-cut jeans produce more yarn than skinny jeans.

Softer-worn denim will be easier to weave and wrap than thick stiff denim. Use stretched and non-stretched denim. Both types will fray, but I’ve found that stretch denim frays less than non-stretched.

2. Why Cut the Yarn into 2-meter Strips?

It is much easier to manage the weaving with shorter strips of yarn around the rope. As it’s pulled through a small hole, it would take a long time with a whole ball of yarn.

You are more likely to get tied up in knots with longer strips of yarn!

3. Can I Use Other Fabrics?

Yes, t-shirts work well. They won’t fray and give a smoother finish. Other fabrics to try are old bed sheets and sweaters.

Just ensure the fabrics aren’t too heavy and stiff, as they can be challenging to weave around the rope.

4. Can I use Any Rope?

You can use nylon or natural rope. The rug works best with one that is between 8mm-14mm thick. Just remember that if you use 8mm thick rope, you will need more to make a rug the same size as that made with 14mm rope.

5. What Can I Make From The Rest Of The Jeans?

There are many amazing things to make from scraps of denim, such as denim roses, pom-pom flowers and bow ties. Find ideas of what you can make from one pair of jeans here.

You will have eight back pockets left over if you use four pairs of jeans. There are several craft ideas for denim pockets here, from wall organisers to sunglasses cases.

Use the jeans waistbands, hems and seams to make key-fobs, denim bracelets and even denim Christmas decorations.

Another excellent upcycled rug to make from old clothes is this sweater felt rug.