How to Make a Beautiful Handmade Doormat from Old Sarees: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
There is something deeply satisfying about giving old things a new life. In every Indian household, there are sarees tucked away in the back of the wardrobe — some faded, some torn at the border, some simply out of fashion. These sarees hold memories, textures, and colors that are too precious to throw away but too worn to wear. If you have been wondering what to do with them, this guide is for you. Today, we are going to walk you through exactly how to make a beautiful, durable, and colorful doormat from old sarees right at home, with no expensive tools and very little experience required.
This craft is known in Hindi as पुरानी साड़ी से पायदान बनाईये, which simply means “make a doormat from old sarees,” and it is one of the most practical, eco-friendly, and creative upcycling projects you can take on. Whether you are a complete beginner or someone who loves DIY and handmade home décor, this tutorial will give you everything you need to create something truly unique for your home.
Why Make a Doormat from Old Sarees?
Before we get into the how-to, it is worth taking a moment to appreciate why this project is so worth your time and effort.
Old sarees are made from fabrics like cotton, silk, georgette, chiffon, and blended materials. Many of these fabrics are incredibly durable even when the saree itself can no longer be worn. When you cut these fabrics into strips and weave, braid, or coil them into a mat, the resulting piece is thick, soft underfoot, colorful, and surprisingly tough. A handmade saree doormat can last for years with basic care.
Beyond durability, there is the environmental angle. Textile waste is one of the largest contributors to landfill pollution globally. India alone generates massive amounts of fabric waste every year, much of it from households discarding old clothing and sarees. By upcycling a single saree into a doormat, you are keeping fabric out of the landfill and giving it a functional second life. This is the very essence of sustainable living, and it costs you almost nothing.
There is also the aesthetic dimension. No two sarees are the same. The combination of colors, patterns, and textures in a handmade saree doormat creates something you simply cannot buy in a store. It becomes a piece of art that reflects your taste, your culture, and your creativity. Guests who see it at your door will inevitably ask where you bought it, and you can proudly say you made it yourself.
Finally, making things by hand has genuine mental health benefits. The repetitive, meditative process of cutting strips, braiding fabric, or weaving rows is calming and grounding. Many people find crafting to be a wonderful antidote to stress, and a project like this gives you a tangible, useful result to show for your effort.
What You Will Need
The beauty of this project is that most of what you need is already at home. Here is a complete list of materials and tools.
Materials:
You will need two to four old sarees depending on their size and the size of doormat you want to create. Cotton sarees work best because they are the most durable and easiest to cut and handle, but silk sarees add a beautiful sheen, and blended fabrics work perfectly well too. The more colorful and varied your sarees, the more vibrant your finished mat will be. If you only have one saree in a single color, you can supplement with old dupattas, cotton dress material, or any fabric scraps you have lying around.
You will also need a strong thread or twine for binding. Jute twine works particularly well because it is thick, natural, and very tough. You can also use thick cotton thread or even thin rope.
If you plan to make a woven or braided mat that needs a backing, a piece of non-slip rubber mat or a jute backing cloth is helpful, though not strictly essential.
Tools:
A good pair of fabric scissors is essential. Sharp scissors make cutting the long, even strips much easier and your hands will thank you. A rotary cutter and cutting mat are even better if you have them, but scissors are perfectly sufficient.
A large needle — specifically a tapestry or upholstery needle with a wide eye — is needed for some methods of construction, particularly if you are sewing the coils or braids together.
A ruler or measuring tape helps you cut uniform strips, which leads to a neater finished product.
A crochet hook is optional but makes certain techniques much easier and faster, particularly if you want to create a crocheted doormat.
Fabric glue or a hot glue gun can be useful for securing ends and finishing edges neatly.
Preparing Your Saree Fabric
This is the most important preparatory step, and doing it carefully will make the rest of the process much smoother.
Start by washing all your sarees. Even sarees that appear clean may have dust, oils, or starch on them, and washing ensures the colors are stable and the fabric is soft and pliable. After washing, let them dry completely before you begin cutting.
Once dry, lay each saree flat on a large clean surface. Begin by removing any heavy embroidery, zari (metallic border work), or thick embellishments from the borders. These can make cutting difficult and uneven. You can keep the plain embroidered sections but heavy zari borders are best removed with a seam ripper or small scissors.
Now begin cutting your strips. The standard width for doormat-making strips is about one to one and a half inches. You can go slightly narrower for finer, more tightly woven mats, or slightly wider for a chunkier, more rustic look. The key is to keep your strips as consistent in width as possible throughout, because uneven strips lead to uneven weaving or braiding.
Cut parallel to the length of the saree so that each strip is as long as possible — ideally three to four feet in length or more. Longer strips mean fewer joins and a neater finished piece.
When you have cut all your strips, sort them by color. Grouping similar colors or complementary colors together will help you plan your pattern. For example, you might want alternating rows of deep red and gold, or a rainbow progression from one end of the mat to the other. Having your colors laid out in front of you lets you plan intentionally rather than randomly.
To join two strips together when one runs out, simply tie them in a firm double knot and position the knot so it ends up on the underside of your mat where it will not be visible or felt underfoot.
Three Methods to Make Your Saree Doormat
There are several techniques you can use to transform your fabric strips into a doormat. Here are the three most popular and accessible methods, each producing a slightly different look and texture.
Method One: The Braided Coil Doormat
This is perhaps the most traditional and widely practiced method, and it produces a dense, oval or round mat with a lovely braided texture.
To begin, take three strips of fabric in your chosen colors and knot them together at one end. Secure this knotted end to something stable — you can tape it to a table, pin it to a cushion, or have someone hold it. Begin braiding the three strips together exactly as you would braid hair, bringing the left strip over the center, then the right strip over the new center, alternating steadily. Keep your tension even and your braid tight but not so tight that the fabric bunches or distorts.
As you braid, you will need to add new strips when the existing ones run low. The easiest way to do this is to taper the end of the finished strip at an angle and the beginning of the new strip at the same angle, overlap them by about an inch, and sew or glue them firmly before continuing. This creates an almost invisible join.
Continue braiding until you have a long rope of braid — you will need at least ten to fifteen feet of braid for a small doormat, and more for a larger one. A standard front door mat of about 18 by 30 inches requires roughly 30 to 40 feet of braid, so be prepared to braid for a while. This part of the process is actually very enjoyable to do while watching television or sitting with family.
Once you have enough braid, you will coil and sew it into a mat. Lay the braid flat and begin coiling it from the center outward in an oval or round shape. As you coil, use a large needle and strong thread to whipstitch each round of braid to the previous one, passing the thread through the loops of the braid. Keep your stitches close together — about every inch — for a durable mat that will not pull apart with use.
Continue coiling and stitching until the mat is the size you want. When you reach the end of your braid, taper the final few inches by folding the strips under themselves to create a tapered point, then stitch this end firmly to the edge of the mat so it is invisible and secure.
Method Two: The Woven Doormat
Weaving produces a flat, slightly more formal-looking mat and is a wonderful technique if you enjoy a more structured approach to crafting.
For weaving, you will need a simple loom. You can make one at home using a wooden frame — even an old wooden picture frame works — by wrapping strong thread or twine around it at regular intervals of about half an inch to create the warp threads. These vertical threads form the backbone of your weaving.
Once your warp is set up, take your fabric strips and begin weaving them horizontally through the warp, going over one thread and under the next, then under one and over the next on the return pass. This over-under alternation is the basic principle of all weaving. Push each row of weft (horizontal) fabric down firmly with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb so the rows sit closely together with no gaps.
Change colors as you like to create stripes, patterns, or gradients. The woven structure means your color choices create crisp horizontal bands, which can be very striking.
When the weaving is complete and fills the entire frame, carefully remove the finished piece from the loom, knotting or tucking the warp ends at top and bottom to prevent unraveling. Trim any loose ends and press the mat lightly with a warm iron to flatten and set it.
Method Three: The Knotted or Shaggy Doormat
This method is quick, very beginner-friendly, and produces a shaggy, textured mat that is wonderfully soft underfoot and extremely eye-catching.
For this technique you will need a base — either a piece of rubber anti-slip mat with holes in it (the kind sold in hardware stores for shelving) or a piece of coarse jute or canvas fabric stretched over a frame.
Cut your saree strips into shorter lengths, about six to eight inches each. Take one strip at a time, fold it in half, pass the folded loop through one of the holes in your base, then pull the two loose ends through the loop and pull tight. This creates a simple lark’s head knot, and it attaches the strip firmly to the base.
Work row by row across the entire base, pushing each knot close to the next, until the surface is completely covered with dense, colorful strips of fabric. The result looks like a thick, looped shag rug and is incredibly soft and inviting. This method is particularly good if your saree strips are irregular in width or length, because the knotted construction accommodates variation much better than braiding or weaving.
Finishing and Caring for Your Handmade Saree Doormat
Once your mat is complete, spend a few minutes on finishing details. Trim any uneven ends with sharp scissors to give the mat a neat edge. For braided and woven mats, pressing with a warm iron on the reverse side helps flatten and set the structure.
To prevent slipping — important for safety, particularly on smooth floors — either apply a few strips of non-slip grip tape to the underside, or use a can of non-slip rubber spray (available at hardware stores) on the reverse. Alternatively, simply place a non-slip rubber mat or shelf liner underneath your doormat.
For care, handmade saree doormats are generally quite easy to maintain. Shake them out regularly to remove dust. Spot clean small stains with a damp cloth and mild soap. For a thorough wash, hand wash in cool or lukewarm water with a gentle detergent, rinse well, and lay flat in the shade to dry. Avoid machine washing, which can distort the shape of braided or woven mats, and avoid direct strong sunlight for extended periods, which can fade the colors.
With basic care, your handmade doormat can last for several years, aging beautifully as the colors soften and the texture deepens.
Creative Ideas and Variations
Once you are comfortable with the basic techniques, there is a world of variation to explore. You can create a set of matching mats — a large one for the main entrance, a medium one for the kitchen, and a small one for the bathroom — using the same saree for a coordinated look. You can incorporate other recycled materials alongside your saree strips, such as old cotton bedsheets, worn denim, or colorful dupattas.
For festive occasions, using a red and gold saree to create a doormat creates a wonderfully traditional, celebratory feel at your entrance. For a modern, minimalist home, using strips of a single color saree in a clean woven pattern creates something elegant and understated.
You can also go beyond the doormat and use these same techniques to make table runners, placemats, wall hangings, cushion covers, and basket liners. Once you learn to see old sarees as raw material rather than waste, the creative possibilities become genuinely exciting.
The Deeper Joy of Upcycling
There is something that goes beyond craft in a project like this. When you hold a doormat woven from your grandmother’s old saree, or braided from the fabric of a saree you wore to a special occasion years ago, it carries a kind of warmth that no store-bought mat ever could. The colors and textures hold memory. The labor of making it is a form of care — for the environment, for your home, and for the story those fabrics carry.
In a world of fast fashion and disposable goods, the decision to make something by hand from what you already have is a quiet but meaningful act of resistance. पुरानी साड़ी से पायदान बनाईये — make a doormat from an old saree — sounds like a simple craft project. And it is. But it is also a way of living more thoughtfully, more creatively, and more sustainably, one colorful strip at a time.
So open that wardrobe, pull out those beautiful old sarees, and let them begin their second life at your doorstep — welcoming everyone who enters your home with color, craft, and care.
