How to Make a Doormat or Aasan from Old Sarees: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

There is something deeply satisfying about transforming something old and worn into something beautiful and useful. Old sarees, with their rich textures, vibrant colors, and sentimental value, are among the most versatile materials you can repurpose at home. Whether you call it a doormat, an aasan, a sitting mat, or a floor rug, making one from old sarees is a tradition that has been practiced across Indian households for generations. Today, this craft is experiencing a well-deserved revival as more people look for sustainable, zero-waste alternatives to store-bought products.

In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about making a doormat or aasan from sarees — from choosing the right materials and preparing the fabric to several different techniques you can use depending on your skill level and the tools available to you. Whether you are a complete beginner or someone with some basic crafting experience, this tutorial will walk you through every step with clarity and care.

Why Make a Doormat or Aasan from Old Sarees?

Before diving into the how-to, it is worth taking a moment to understand why this project is so worthwhile.

Old sarees are abundant in most Indian homes. Every family has a stack of sarees that are too worn to wear but too beautiful to throw away. Silk sarees develop thin spots and small tears over time. Cotton sarees fade, fray at the borders, or simply fall out of fashion. Instead of letting them sit in a cupboard or end up in a landfill, repurposing them into mats gives them a second life that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

From an environmental perspective, making your own doormats and aasans from old sarees is a form of upcycling that reduces textile waste. The fashion and textile industry is one of the largest sources of pollution globally, and small household decisions like this one genuinely make a difference over time.

From a practical standpoint, handmade saree mats are thick, durable, and surprisingly beautiful. The colors and patterns of old sarees, especially silk and cotton ones, create floor mats that no factory-made product can replicate. Each one is unique.

And from a cultural perspective, making things by hand from what you have at home is a skill worth preserving. Many grandmothers and great-grandmothers in India made exactly this kind of mat — sometimes called a “dari” or “chatai” in different regional traditions — and reviving this practice connects you to that lineage of resourcefulness and creativity.

What You Will Need

The exact materials depend on which technique you choose, but here is a general list of what you will likely need before you begin.

You will need several old sarees. For a standard doormat of about 18 by 30 inches, plan to use at least two or three full sarees. For a larger aasan or sitting mat, you may need four to six. Cotton sarees are ideal for doormats because they are sturdy and absorb wear well. Silk sarees produce beautiful aasans but are more slippery, so you may want to add a non-slip backing. Synthetic sarees can also be used but are harder to cut and may not hold braids as firmly.

You will need a pair of sharp fabric scissors. Old saree fabric, especially at the borders, can be thick, so using a scissors that is genuinely sharp will save you a great deal of frustration.

Depending on your method, you will also need a large blunt needle and thick thread or jute twine for stitching, safety pins or clips to hold sections together while you work, a ruler or measuring tape, chalk or a fabric marker, and a flat surface like a table or clean floor to work on.

If you want to add a non-slip base, pick up a piece of rubber mesh or a non-slip mat liner from a hardware or housewares store. This is especially important for aasans placed on smooth floors where someone might sit or stand during yoga or puja.

Preparing Your Sarees

The first step in any saree mat project is preparing your fabric properly. This step is often rushed, but taking the time to do it well will make every subsequent step easier.

Start by washing all your sarees. Even if they look clean, sarees that have been stored for years carry dust, old starch, and sometimes mildew. Wash them in cool water with a mild detergent, then dry them fully before you begin cutting. Working with damp fabric leads to uneven strips and makes it harder to judge how things will look when finished.

Once your sarees are clean and dry, iron them flat. This makes cutting much more accurate and helps you see the true colors and patterns, which is useful when you are planning how to arrange colors in your final mat.

Now cut your sarees into strips. For most techniques, strips of about one to two inches wide work well. You can cut them across the width of the saree or along the length, depending on which direction gives you longer strips. Longer strips mean fewer joins in your finished mat, which makes it look neater.

One trick many crafters use is to make a small cut with scissors and then tear the fabric along the grain. For plain cotton sarees, this works beautifully and creates a clean, straight edge far faster than cutting all the way across. However, for sarees with a woven border or any kind of embroidery, stick to scissors because tearing can damage those embellishments.

If you have multiple sarees, sort your strips by color before you begin. This helps you plan your pattern — whether you want a rainbow gradient, alternating colors, or a mix of everything together.

Technique One: The Braided Doormat

The braided doormat is the most popular technique for beginners because it requires no special tools and produces a mat that is thick, sturdy, and visually striking. This method works particularly well with cotton saree strips.

To begin, take three strips of roughly equal length and tie them together at one end with a knot. Pin or clip the knotted end to a heavy object or doorknob to keep tension on the braid as you work. Now braid the three strips together just as you would braid hair — right strip over the center, then left strip over the new center, and so on. Keep the tension even throughout. The braid should be firm but not so tight that the fabric puckers.

When one strip runs out, simply overlap a new strip with the end of the old one by a few inches and continue braiding. The overlapped section will be hidden within the braid. Try to stagger your joins so that all three strips do not run out at the same time, which would leave a weak spot in the braid.

Once you have a long braid — at least several feet, ideally ten feet or more to start — you can begin coiling it into a mat. Place the braid on your work surface and begin coiling it from the center outward in a flat oval or circle. As you coil, use your thick thread and blunt needle to stitch adjacent loops of the braid together. Go through both loops with each stitch and pull the thread firmly. These stitches are what hold the mat together, so do not be stingy with them.

For an oval mat, start by laying six to eight inches of braid in a straight line, then bend the braid and bring it back parallel to the first line, stitching the two together as you go. Continue wrapping around this central oval, stitching each new layer to the previous one. For a circular mat, simply coil from the very beginning without that straight center section.

Continue braiding and coiling until your mat reaches the size you want. To finish, taper the last foot of braid by gradually trimming and tucking each strip so the end of the braid becomes narrower, then tuck it neatly underneath the mat and stitch it firmly in place.

A well-made braided doormat from cotton sarees can last for years. It can be taken outside and beaten to remove dust, and it can be washed by hand or in a machine on a gentle cycle.

Technique Two: The Woven Aasan

Weaving produces a flat, tightly interlocked mat that is ideal as an aasan — a sitting mat used for yoga, meditation, or prayer. It lies flatter than a braided mat and has a more traditional, handloom-like appearance.

For this technique, you will need a simple frame loom, which you can make at home from four pieces of wood nailed into a rectangle and nails or pegs hammered along two opposite edges at half-inch intervals.

To set up your warp — the threads that run in one direction — tie your saree strips to the nails on one end of the frame and stretch them tightly across to the nails on the opposite end. These warp strips should be fairly taut. Pack them close together for a dense mat.

Now weave your weft strips — the ones going in the other direction — over and under the warp strips alternately. Push each row of weft firmly against the previous row to create a tight, compact weave. When you reach the end of a weft strip, simply overlap the next one by a couple of inches and continue. The overlapping ends will be tucked in at the end.

Alternate your colors in whatever pattern appeals to you. Stripes are the simplest arrangement, but you can also create checks, gradients, or even geometric patterns if you plan carefully. Many people weave a border in one color and a center panel in another, which looks elegant and intentional.

When your woven panel reaches the desired size, carefully remove it from the loom and knot or stitch the ends of the warp strips to prevent unraveling. Fold these ends under and stitch them down flat for a clean finish.

A woven aasan made from silk saree strips has a beautiful sheen and feels luxurious underfoot or beneath you when seated. It makes a genuinely lovely puja mat or yoga aasan.

Technique Three: The Rolled Fabric Mat

This is perhaps the simplest of all the techniques and requires very little sewing. It works best with thin, smooth sarees such as chiffon or georgette.

Roll each saree strip tightly lengthwise to create a firm rope-like tube of fabric. You do not need to stitch the roll shut — simply keep rolling and it will hold its form once coiled.

Coil these fabric ropes just as you would with the braided strips in the first technique, stitching each coil to the one beside it with strong thread. This method is quick and produces a mat with a distinctive texture — raised, rounded ridges that look almost sculptural.

Because this technique produces a less dense mat than braiding or weaving, it is best used as a decorative piece rather than a heavy-duty doormat. It makes a beautiful bathroom mat, a small prayer rug, or a decorative piece placed under a lamp or potted plant.

Adding a Non-Slip Backing

Regardless of which technique you use, adding a non-slip backing is a good idea for safety and longevity, especially for mats placed on tile, marble, or polished wood floors.

Cut a piece of rubber mesh or non-slip liner slightly smaller than your finished mat. Using strong fabric glue or by hand-stitching around the edges, attach the liner to the underside of your mat. This simple addition makes a significant difference and prevents the mat from sliding underfoot.

If you do not have commercial non-slip liner, a piece of old jute bag or even thick burlap stitched to the back will add friction and extend the life of the mat considerably.

Caring for Your Saree Mat

Handmade saree mats are surprisingly durable, but a little care will help them last much longer.

For cotton mats, shake or beat them outdoors regularly to remove dust and loose dirt. Wash them by hand in cool water with mild soap every few months, or machine wash on a gentle cycle. Lay flat to dry rather than hanging, which can stretch the mat out of shape.

For silk or synthetic mats, hand washing is preferable. Gently scrub with a soft brush, rinse thoroughly, and dry flat in the shade. Direct sunlight will fade silk fabric over time, so keep silk aasans away from prolonged sun exposure.

Store mats rolled rather than folded to prevent crease marks from becoming permanent. A rolled mat takes up less storage space anyway, so this is a win on both counts.

Tips for a Beautiful Finished Mat

A few extra pointers will help you get results you are genuinely proud of.

Mix old and worn sarees with slightly newer or brighter ones. The contrast between faded and vivid strips often creates the most visually interesting mats. Do not be afraid of imperfection — slight variations in strip width, small irregularities in the braid, or a slightly uneven coil all add to the handmade charm of the finished piece.

Keep your strips as consistent in width as possible. This is especially important for the braided technique, where uneven strips create a lumpy, uneven braid. A ruler and chalk marker are your friends here.

If you are making a mat as a gift or for a special occasion like a housewarming, consider choosing sarees in colors that complement the recipient’s home. A coordinated color palette — even if the individual sarees are mismatched — gives the finished mat a polished, intentional look.

Finally, label your mat. If you are making it from a saree with sentimental value — a grandmother’s wedding saree, a child’s first silk pavadai — take a small strip of cotton and write the story in fabric marker, then stitch it to the back. Years from now, when someone picks up that mat, they will know exactly what it is made of and where it came from. That small act of labeling transforms a useful object into a piece of family history.

A Final Word

Making a doormat or aasan from old sarees is one of those projects that gives back far more than it asks. It asks for a few hours of your time, a pair of scissors, some thread, and fabric you already own. In return, it gives you a beautiful, durable, one-of-a-kind piece for your home, the satisfaction of making something with your own hands, and the knowledge that you have kept a piece of textile out of the waste stream.

The techniques described here range from beginner-friendly to slightly more involved, but none of them require expensive tools or years of experience. Anyone who can cut fabric, braid, and thread a needle can make a lovely mat on their very first try.

So pull out those old sarees, wash and iron them, pick up your scissors, and begin. The floor of your home is waiting for something handmade, colorful, and full of history.