Another Rag Rug Tutorial for You Guys ♻️❤️

If you’ve been following along for a while, you already know how much I love a good rag rug project. There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a pile of old clothes, worn-out bed sheets, or fabric scraps into something beautiful and functional that you’ll use every single day. I’ve shared a few rug-making tutorials before, but I keep getting messages asking for more — different techniques, different materials, tips for beginners, tricks for making rugs that actually hold up over time. So here we are. Another rag rug tutorial for you guys, and I promise this one is packed with everything I’ve learned along the way.

Whether you’re brand new to the craft or you’ve already made a few rugs and want to level up your skills, this post has something for you. We’re going to talk about materials, prep, weaving and braiding techniques, finishing edges, washing and care, and a whole lot more. Grab a cup of tea and get comfortable, because we’re diving deep today.

Why Rag Rugs Are Worth Your Time

Before we get into the how-to, let me just say a quick word about why I think rag rugs are one of the most rewarding crafts you can pick up. First, they’re almost entirely free to make if you use materials you already have at home. Old t-shirts, cotton bedsheets, denim jeans, flannel shirts — all of it works. You’re not buying expensive yarn or specialty materials. You’re rescuing fabric that would otherwise end up in a landfill, and that matters.

Second, rag rugs are genuinely durable. A well-made rag rug can last for years, even decades, with the right care. I have one in my kitchen that I made three years ago and it still looks great. Third, there’s no single “right” way to make a rag rug. You can braid, weave, crochet, knit, coil, or latch hook your fabric strips, and each method gives you a completely different look. That versatility is part of what keeps this craft exciting.

And finally — they’re beautiful. There’s a rustic, handmade quality to rag rugs that you simply cannot replicate with a machine-made product. Every rug you make is one of a kind.

Gathering Your Materials

The most important part of any rag rug project is your fabric, so let’s start there.

What types of fabric work best?

Cotton is your best friend for rag rugs. It’s soft, it washes well, it holds its shape, and it’s widely available in the form of old t-shirts and bed sheets. For a braided rug, I especially love using jersey knit cotton (the stretchy stuff from t-shirts) because it’s forgiving when you’re pulling and braiding, and it gives a slightly rounded, cushiony appearance to the finished braid.

Denim is fantastic for a sturdier, more structured rug. Old jeans are perfect, and the weight of denim means your rug will have great heft and durability. A denim rag rug doesn’t move around as much on the floor, which is a huge practical bonus.

Flannel and quilting cotton give you softer, more decorative results and are lovely for rugs you’ll use in a bedroom or bathroom. They cut cleanly and lie flat, which makes them ideal for woven rag rugs.

Avoid synthetic fabrics like polyester or acrylic where possible. They don’t absorb moisture well, they can feel slippery underfoot, and they don’t age as gracefully as natural fibers. If you do have synthetic blends in your fabric pile, save them for a rug that will live in a low-traffic area rather than in your kitchen or entryway.

How much fabric do you need?

This always depends on the size of the rug you’re making and the technique you’re using, but a rough rule of thumb for a braided rug is that you’ll need about one pound of fabric strips for every square foot of finished rug. For a modest 2×3 foot bathroom rug, you’re looking at roughly six pounds of fabric, which sounds like a lot but translates to maybe four or five old t-shirts and a couple of sheets. For a larger kitchen or living room rug (think 3×5 feet), plan on fifteen pounds or more.

It’s always better to have more than you think you need. Running out of a particular fabric mid-project is frustrating, especially if you’ve been mixing colors in a specific pattern.

Tools you’ll need:

For braiding, you really don’t need much beyond your hands, a safety pin or braid clamp to hold your starting point, and a large needle or awl for sewing the coils together. A pair of sharp fabric scissors is essential. Some people like to use a rotary cutter and cutting mat for slicing fabric into strips, which saves a lot of time if you’re working with flat fabric like sheets.

For weaving on a frame loom, you’ll need a loom (which you can absolutely make yourself from scrap wood and nails), a shuttle or stick to carry your weft strips, and a comb or fork to pack the weave down tightly.

For crochet rag rugs, you’ll need a large crochet hook — usually somewhere between a 10mm and 16mm hook depending on how thick your fabric strips are.

Preparing Your Fabric Strips

This step is tedious but important. How well you prepare your strips will affect how your rug looks and feels, so don’t rush through it.

Cutting vs. tearing:

For woven fabrics like quilting cotton, flannel, or denim, you can tear your strips rather than cutting them. Tearing along the grain of the fabric gives you a straight, clean edge and is much faster than cutting. Just snip into the selvedge edge every inch or two and tear across the width of the fabric. The strips will naturally fray a little at the edges, which I actually love — it gives the finished rug a slightly rustic, textured look.

For knit fabrics like t-shirts, you’ll need to cut rather than tear, since knits don’t tear cleanly along a grain. Cut across the body of the shirt in horizontal strips, typically about one inch wide. When you pull on a jersey knit strip, it will curl inward on itself, which is perfectly fine and actually helps the braid look neater.

Strip width:

For braided rugs, I like strips that are about one to one and a half inches wide when cut from woven fabric. For t-shirt fabric, you can go slightly wider — about one and a half to two inches — because the fabric will curl and essentially become narrower as you work with it.

For woven rugs, you can go narrower, around half an inch to three-quarters of an inch, depending on how tight and refined you want the finished weave to look.

Joining strips:

Unless you want to stop every two feet and tie on a new strip (which gets old fast), you’ll want to learn how to join fabric strips so the join is nearly invisible in the finished rug. The simplest method for non-fraying fabrics is a diagonal seam: layer two strips at a right angle, right sides together, and sew a diagonal line across the corner. Trim the excess seam allowance and fold out. The diagonal seam distributes the bulk evenly and doesn’t create a lump.

For t-shirt fabric, a simple slipknot join or even just knotting the strips together works fine — the knots tend to hide within the braid.

The Braided Rug Method (Step by Step)

The braided rug is the most classic and beginner-friendly approach, so this is where I recommend everyone start. The principle is simple: you braid long fabric strips into a rope, then coil that rope and sew the coils together to form a flat oval or round rug.

Step 1: Set up your braid

Sew or safety-pin three strips of fabric together at one end. If you want a striped or patterned rug, now is the time to think about your color arrangement. Anchor your starting point to something stable — a doorknob, a chair back, or a braid clamp works well.

Step 2: Braid

Braid your three strips just as you would braid hair, keeping the tension fairly even and consistent. If you’re using t-shirt strips, try to keep the curled edges facing inward as you braid. The braid should be firm but not so tight that the fabric distorts.

When you run out of one strip, join on a new one. Try to stagger your joins so they don’t all land in the same section of braid at the same time — this helps keep the braid an even thickness throughout.

Keep braiding until you have a substantial length — for a small bathroom rug, you might need fifteen to twenty feet of braid. For a large kitchen rug, you could be braiding forty feet or more. This is a great project to do while watching television.

Step 3: Coil and sew

This is where the rug actually takes shape. Fold the beginning of your braid back on itself to start the center of the rug. For an oval rug, the length of that initial fold determines how long the center of your oval is — a longer fold gives you a longer oval, while a very short fold gives you something almost round.

Using a large blunt needle and strong thread (waxed linen thread, upholstery thread, or even sturdy crochet cotton work well), sew the coils together by lacing through the loops of the braid on each side. Work flat on a table or the floor to make sure the rug stays level. If the rug starts to cup or dome, your stitching is too tight. If it ripples and won’t lie flat, your stitching is too loose.

Continue coiling and stitching, adding your braid around and around the growing rug. When you’ve used all your braid, taper the final end of the braid by trimming the three strips to slightly different lengths, folding the raw ends under, and stitching the tapered end neatly to the rug.

The Woven Rug Method

If you have access to a simple frame loom — or the willingness to make one from four pieces of lumber and some evenly spaced nails — you can create a woven rag rug with a beautiful, structured look that’s quite different from a braided rug.

Setting up your warp:

The warp is the set of vertical threads that you string across your loom before you start weaving. For a rag rug, you want your warp to be strong, because it bears all the tension of the weaving. Cotton string, jute twine, or strong cotton yarn all work well. String your warp threads close together (about four to six threads per inch for a dense, sturdy rug) and make sure the tension is even across the whole loom.

Weaving the weft:

Your fabric strips are the weft — the horizontal passes that go over and under the warp threads. Wind a long strip onto a flat shuttle (or even just a piece of cardboard) and pass it through the shed (the gap between alternating warp threads). Pack each row of weft down firmly with a weaving comb or your fingers. Alternate your over-under pattern with each pass to create the classic plain weave structure.

You can change colors and fabrics as often as you like, creating stripes, color blocks, or random scrappy patterns. Leave a small loop at each selvedge edge rather than pulling the weft too tight, which would cause the rug to narrow as you weave.

Finishing the ends:

When your rug is woven to the desired length, remove it from the loom and finish the warp ends by knotting them together in pairs or weaving them back into the rug. Hemming the short ends with a fold and a line of hand stitching is a clean, professional finishing touch.

The Crochet Rag Rug Method

For anyone who already knows how to crochet, making a rag rug with your fabric strips is wonderfully intuitive. You’re just crocheting with fabric instead of yarn.

Start with a foundation chain — the length of this chain determines the width of your rug if you’re working in rows, or you can work in the round starting with a magic ring for a circular rug. Use a large hook (12mm to 16mm is typical) and work single crochet or slip stitch rows or rounds, joining new fabric strips as you go.

Crochet rag rugs tend to be thicker and squishier than braided or woven rugs, making them especially wonderful for bathrooms, bedrooms, or anywhere you want a soft landing for bare feet.

Tips for Making Your Rug Last

A handmade rug is an investment of your time and materials, so it’s worth taking a few extra steps to make sure it holds up beautifully.

Use a rug pad underneath any rag rug, especially on hardwood or tile floors. This prevents slipping, protects your floor, and actually extends the life of the rug by reducing friction on the bottom.

Wash your rag rug in cold water on a gentle cycle, and either air dry it flat or tumble dry on low heat. High heat can shrink cotton and weaken the stitching on a braided rug over time.

If your braided rug’s coils start to separate after washing, that’s a sign that the original stitching was a bit sparse. A few extra stitches around the perimeter will tighten things up beautifully.

Rotate your rug occasionally if it lives in a high-traffic area. Just like rotating a mattress, this helps it wear evenly rather than developing a worn patch in one spot.

Color Planning and Design Ideas

One of the most fun parts of making a rag rug is thinking about color. You can go completely random and scrappy for a true patchwork feel, or you can be more intentional with your color story.

For a cohesive look without spending money on specific fabrics, try sorting your t-shirts and sheets by color family before you start cutting strips. Grouping your blues together, your warm neutrals together, your pinks and reds together means you can create something that feels intentional even when the fabrics themselves are completely mismatched.

Denim and natural cotton together make a classic, timeless combination that looks right at home in a farmhouse-style kitchen. Blues, creams, and warm yellows are a perennial favorite for kitchen and entryway rugs. For a bedroom, softer tones — blush, sage, dusty lavender — create something that feels calm and restful underfoot.

Don’t be afraid to embrace the scrappy aesthetic, either. Some of the most beautiful rag rugs I’ve ever seen were made with no color planning whatsoever, just a glorious riot of every color from the rag bag. There’s an honesty to that approach, a record of every old shirt and well-loved sheet that went into it.

A Final Word

I really do believe that rag rug making is one of those crafts that gives back more than it takes. It costs almost nothing, it keeps textile waste out of landfills, it produces something genuinely useful and beautiful, and the process itself is meditative and satisfying in a way that’s hard to describe until you’ve experienced it.

If this is your first rug, I hope you find it as addictive as I did. If this is your fifth or tenth, I hope there’s something new here that inspires you to try a different technique or a fresh color palette. Either way, I’d absolutely love to see what you make — share your photos in the comments or tag me on social. There is nothing I love more than seeing your finished projects.

Happy rug making, friends. Use what you have, make something beautiful, and don’t forget to enjoy every step of the process. ♻️❤️