Free Easy DIY Crochet Rag Rug Sewing Tutorial | Missouri Star Quilt Co.

There is something deeply satisfying about turning old fabric scraps into something beautiful and functional. If you have a pile of worn-out jeans, leftover quilting fabric, or old T-shirts taking up space in your sewing room, a crochet rag rug might be exactly the project you have been waiting for. This tutorial walks you through every step of making your own crochet rag rug from start to finish, the Missouri Star way — approachable, fun, and perfect for all skill levels.

Whether you are a longtime quilter looking to try something new or a complete beginner picking up a crochet hook for the first time, this guide has you covered. Let’s dig in.

Why Make a Crochet Rag Rug?

Before we talk about how to make one, let’s talk about why you should. Rag rugs have been a beloved part of American homemaking for generations. Pioneers and settlers made them out of necessity, cutting worn clothing and feed sacks into strips and weaving or crocheting them into floor coverings that were both durable and charming. Today, we make them for many of the same practical reasons — but also because they are simply gorgeous.

A crochet rag rug made from cotton fabric strips holds up beautifully over time. It can be tossed in the washing machine, laid in a high-traffic kitchen or entryway, and still look wonderful after years of use. You can customize the colors to match any room in your home. You can make it large or small. You can use brand-new fabric from Missouri Star’s incredible collection, or you can dig through your fabric stash and give new life to remnants that would otherwise go to waste.

This is also one of the most beginner-friendly crochet projects out there. You do not need to know dozens of crochet stitches or follow a complicated pattern. With just a chain stitch and a single crochet, you can create something beautiful and useful.

What You Will Need

Gathering your supplies is the first step, and the good news is that this project does not require much. Here is what you will want to have on hand before you begin.

Fabric: The backbone of any rag rug is the fabric you choose. Cotton quilting fabric works wonderfully and gives you an enormous range of color and print options. Old denim jeans add beautiful texture and incredible durability. Flannel shirts and sheets create a softer, cozier rug. T-shirt knit fabric is stretchy and gives a lovely, casual look. You can mix fabrics as long as they are of similar weight so your strips stay consistent.

For a rug that measures roughly 24 inches by 36 inches, plan on having approximately 2 to 3 pounds of fabric. If you are working from a fabric stash or cutting up old clothes, that tends to add up faster than you might expect. If you are purchasing new fabric from Missouri Star, fat quarter bundles or yard cuts in coordinating colors are a fantastic option.

A Large Crochet Hook: For rag rugs, you want a jumbo crochet hook. A size N (9mm) or P (10mm) hook is commonly used, but if you are working with very thick strips, go even larger. Plastic or ergonomic hooks are easier on your hands during a long crocheting session.

Scissors: Sharp fabric scissors make the strip-cutting process much easier and more enjoyable. Rotary cutters and a self-healing mat are even better if you have them.

A Ruler or Quilting Ruler: For cutting your strips to a consistent width.

Optional: A seam ripper and an iron can help if you want to open seams or press your strips flat before cutting.

How to Prepare Your Fabric Strips

This step is where the magic begins, and it is also where a little preparation goes a long way. Properly prepared fabric strips make the crocheting process smooth and enjoyable.

Step 1: Wash and dry your fabric. If you are using new fabric, pre-wash it to remove sizing and account for any shrinkage. If you are using old clothing, give it a good wash so everything is clean and ready to work with.

Step 2: Cut your fabric into strips. Lay your fabric flat on a cutting mat or table. Using your ruler and rotary cutter or scissors, cut strips that are approximately 1 to 1.5 inches wide. For thinner, drapier fabric like quilting cotton, go closer to 1.5 inches. For thick denim or flannel, 1 inch is usually plenty.

The length of your strips will vary depending on the size of your fabric pieces. Try to cut in long, continuous strips whenever possible — you will join them later and fewer joins means a smoother finished surface.

Step 3: Join your strips into a continuous strand. There are two popular methods for doing this, and both work well.

The first method is the simple overlap-and-tie: place two strip ends perpendicular to each other, overlap them by about half an inch, and tie a small knot. Trim the tails close to the knot. This method is quick and works for almost any fabric.

The second method is the fold-and-pull: cut a small slit near the end of each strip, about half an inch from the end. Thread one strip through the slit of the other, then loop the opposite end of that strip through its own slit and pull gently to create a flat, secure join. This method creates almost invisible joins and is especially nice for fabric that will fray.

Step 4: Wind your joined strips into a ball. This keeps things tidy while you work and prevents tangles. Make your balls roughly baseball-sized for easy handling.

Learning the Basic Stitches

If you are new to crochet, don’t let this part intimidate you. Rag rug crochet uses just two stitches, and both are easy to learn in minutes.

The Chain Stitch: Make a slip knot on your hook. Yarn over (in this case, “yarn over” means wrapping your fabric strip over the hook) and pull through the loop on your hook. That is one chain stitch. Repeat to make as many chains as your pattern calls for. The chain forms the foundation of your rug.

The Single Crochet: Insert your hook into the designated stitch, yarn over, and pull up a loop so you now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull through both loops. You have completed one single crochet. This is the only stitch you will use throughout the body of the rug.

It can help to practice these stitches on a small swatch of strips before you start your actual rug. Give yourself ten minutes of practice and you will feel confident moving forward.

Step-by-Step Crochet Rag Rug Tutorial

Now comes the fun part. Let’s make your rug.

Step 1: Create your foundation chain. Decide on the width you want your finished rug to be. Keep in mind that crocheting adds bulk, so your foundation chain will stretch slightly as you work. For a rug that finishes at about 24 inches wide, chain approximately 30 to 36 stitches. A good trick is to lay your chain flat on the floor and measure it before you begin crocheting into it — adjust as needed.

Step 2: Single crochet across the foundation chain. Starting in the second chain from your hook, single crochet into each chain stitch across. At the end of the row, chain one and turn your work.

Step 3: Continue crocheting row by row. Single crochet across each row, chaining one and turning at the end of each row. Keep your tension even — not too tight and not too loose. Your goal is a flat, even fabric. If your rug starts to curl or cup, your tension is too tight. Loosen up slightly and it will lie flat.

Step 4: Add new fabric strips as needed. When you near the end of a fabric strip, join a new one using your preferred method from the preparation steps above. You can also simply lay the end of one strip alongside the beginning of another and crochet over both for a stitch or two, which buries the join neatly inside the rug body.

Step 5: Continue until you reach your desired length. For a standard bath or kitchen rug measuring about 24 by 36 inches, you are looking at roughly 40 to 50 rows depending on your strip width and tension. For a larger area rug, simply keep going.

Step 6: Finish off. When your rug is the size you want, cut your fabric strip leaving about a 6-inch tail. Pull the tail through the last loop on your hook to secure it. Thread the tail onto a large-eye needle or tuck it under several stitches on the back of the rug with a crochet hook to hide it.

Step 7: Weave in all ends. Go back and tuck any remaining tails from your fabric joins neatly into the back of the rug. Give everything a gentle tug to make sure nothing will pull loose.

Making an Oval Rag Rug

If you prefer an oval or round rug to a rectangular one, the technique is slightly different but equally simple.

For an oval rug, start with a shorter foundation chain — about 10 to 20 chains depending on how elongated you want the oval to be. Then, instead of turning at the end of each row, you crochet around the foundation chain continuously, working stitches into both sides of the chain.

At each end of the oval, you will need to add extra stitches to allow the rug to lie flat. At the ends of the oval, crochet two single crochets into the same stitch every few stitches around the curve. This “increases” the fabric to accommodate the turn without puckering.

As your oval grows, you will continue to increase at the ends of each round — typically adding stitches every third or fourth stitch as the circumference grows. The oval rug method takes a little more attention to increases than a simple rectangle, but the finished result is stunning and works beautifully as a bath mat, entryway rug, or kitchen accent.

Color and Design Ideas

One of the absolute best parts of making your own rag rug is choosing your colors and fabric combinations. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.

A scrappy, multicolored rug made from whatever fabrics you have on hand is the classic choice and is hard to beat. Each strip of color adds personality and charm, and no two scrappy rugs ever look exactly alike.

If you prefer a more coordinated look, choose two or three fabrics that share a color palette and alternate them every few rows. A simple stripe pattern this way looks surprisingly polished and deliberate.

Missouri Star’s fabric collections are a treasure trove for rug making. Their precut fabric lines come in perfectly coordinated colors, so if you purchase a few bundles in complementary prints, you can achieve a beautifully cohesive look without having to do any color matching yourself. Their seasonal collections especially lend themselves to holiday rugs — imagine a cozy red-and-green rug for a Christmas entryway or a pastel spring rug for a bathroom.

Denim is always a wonderful choice for a neutral base. Mixing light and dark denim strips gives a casual, relaxed look that works in almost any home. Add pops of color by tucking in a few brighter strips here and there.

For a farmhouse-style rug, stick to black, white, and grain sack stripes. For a bohemian look, go big with jewel tones and earthy textures. For something modern and clean, pick one bold color and pair it with neutral white or natural linen.

Tips for Success

A few tips collected from experienced rug makers can save you a lot of time and frustration as you work through your project.

Keep your tension as consistent as possible from row to row. Inconsistent tension is the most common cause of a rug that won’t lie flat. If you notice the rug starting to ripple, take a moment to check whether you are crocheting tighter or looser than your earlier rows.

Crochet on a flat surface whenever you can. Stopping frequently to lay your work on the floor and check that it is lying flat will help you catch problems early.

Work in good light. Rag rugs made from busy prints or mixed fabrics can make it hard to see your stitches clearly. Good lighting makes it much easier to count stitches and keep your rows even.

Take breaks. Crocheting with fabric strips takes more hand strength than working with yarn. Give your hands a rest every 20 to 30 minutes, especially when you are first getting started.

Don’t worry about perfection. Rag rugs are a folk art tradition, and their handmade character is precisely what makes them beautiful. Slight variations in tension or a join that shows here and there only add to the charm.

Caring for Your Finished Rug

One of the best things about cotton rag rugs is how easy they are to care for. When your rug needs cleaning, simply toss it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold water. Tumble dry on low or hang to dry. Cotton rugs can handle regular washing beautifully without losing their shape or color.

For rugs made from a mix of fabrics, use the care instructions for the most delicate fabric in the mix. Most quilting cottons and flannels wash wonderfully.

If your rug slides on hard floors, pick up an inexpensive rug pad from any home goods store. Cut it to fit your rug’s dimensions and lay it underneath. This keeps the rug in place and adds a little extra cushion underfoot.

A Final Word From Missouri Star

At Missouri Star Quilt Co., we believe that sewing, quilting, and fiber arts are about much more than the finished project — they are about the joy of the process, the creativity of the maker, and the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. A crochet rag rug is the perfect embodiment of that spirit. It is practical, beautiful, deeply personal, and endlessly customizable.

Whether you are working through an old fabric stash or picking up fresh new yardage from our shop, we hope this tutorial gives you everything you need to dive in with confidence. Grab your hook, start cutting your strips, and enjoy every single stitch. Your floors are about to get a whole lot more beautiful.

Happy making!