How to Make Beautiful Rag Rug {& DIY T-shirt Yarn} – A Piece Of Rainbow
There is something deeply satisfying about making something beautiful out of things you were about to throw away. A rag rug is exactly that kind of project — it transforms old t-shirts, worn-out fabric scraps, and forgotten linens into a vibrant, durable piece of home décor that can anchor a room, add warmth underfoot, and tell the story of the fabrics that went into it. Better yet, if you make your own t-shirt yarn first, you get two crafts for the price of one, and the result is something you genuinely cannot find in any store.
This guide walks you through the entire process from start to finish: how to cut your own t-shirt yarn (sometimes called tarn), how to prepare your fabric strips, and how to crochet or braid a rag rug that looks polished, feels wonderful underfoot, and holds up to real everyday use. Whether you are a seasoned crafter or picking up a hook for the first time, you will find everything you need right here.
Why Make a Rag Rug?
Before we get into the how, let us talk about the why, because there are more good reasons than you might expect.
Rag rugs are one of the oldest forms of textile craft in existence. Cultures across Scandinavia, North America, and the Middle East have been weaving and braiding fabric scraps into floor coverings for centuries. The tradition grew out of pure practicality — fabric was expensive, nothing went to waste, and old clothing got a second life as something functional and beautiful.
Today, the reasons to make one are just as compelling. Buying a quality rug can be surprisingly expensive, and the options at most mainstream stores feel generic. A handmade rag rug, on the other hand, costs almost nothing if you use fabric you already own, it takes exactly as long as you want it to (you can work in sessions over several weeks), and it ends up being completely unique. The colors, the textures, the size — everything is up to you.
There is also a sustainability angle that is hard to ignore. Old t-shirts are one of the most common items that end up in landfills. Cutting them into yarn gives them a second purpose that could last for decades. Some of the most durable rag rugs in existence are well over a hundred years old.
What You Will Need
Getting started requires very little in the way of tools or materials. Here is what to gather before you begin.
For the T-shirt Yarn
You will want a collection of old t-shirts in whatever colors appeal to you. Thrift stores are an incredible resource here — a dollar or two per shirt adds up to a surprising amount of yarn, and you can be intentional about building a color palette. Aim for 100% cotton shirts if possible, since they stretch more predictably and feel nicer underfoot. Jersey knit fabric of any kind works beautifully. Avoid anything with heavy seams, thick ribbing all the way through, or a lot of polyester, as these tend to be stiffer and harder to work with.
You will also need a pair of sharp fabric scissors. This is not a place to compromise — dull scissors make the cutting tedious and messy. A rotary cutter and cutting mat are wonderful if you have them, but they are not essential.
For the Rug
If you are crocheting your rug, you will need a large crochet hook. A size P (11.5mm) or Q (15mm) hook works well with t-shirt yarn, though if your strips are particularly thick you may want to go even larger. Jumbo hooks in wood or resin feel especially pleasant to work with for a project like this.
If you prefer braiding or weaving, no hook is needed — just your hands and a yarn needle or safety pins for joining.
A yarn needle with a large eye is useful for weaving in ends at the finish.
How to Make DIY T-shirt Yarn
This is the part that surprises most people with how simple it is. Once you understand the technique, you can process a pile of shirts into a lovely ball of yarn in under an hour.
Step One: Prepare the Shirt
Lay your t-shirt flat on a table. Cut straight across the shirt just below the armpits, removing the entire top section with the sleeves and neckline. Set that piece aside — you can use it later for smaller strips or discard it. You are left with the main body of the shirt, which is essentially a fabric tube.
Step Two: Create the Loops
Fold the tube in half so that both side seams line up. Now, starting from the fold at the bottom, cut horizontal strips across the fabric, cutting from one side almost all the way to the other — but stop about an inch or an inch and a half before you reach the top (the original hem edge of the shirt). Each strip should be about one to one and a half inches wide, depending on how thick you want your yarn. The thicker the strip, the chunkier and more textured your final rug will be.
When you unfold the tube, you will see that you have a series of connected loops hanging from an uncut band at the top.
Step Three: Connect the Loops into One Long Strand
This is the clever bit. Lay the piece flat so you can see all the loops clearly. You are going to cut diagonally from loop to loop to turn them into one continuous spiral of yarn.
Starting at one end of the uncut band, cut diagonally down into the first loop. Then continue cutting at an angle through each subsequent loop so that instead of separate circles, you end up with one long, unbroken strip. It takes a little practice to see the angles on the first shirt, but once you do it a few times it becomes completely intuitive.
Step Four: Stretch the Yarn
This step is optional but genuinely worth doing. Grab each length of strip and give it a firm tug along its length. Cotton jersey will curl in on itself, hiding the raw edges and creating a rounder, more yarn-like strand. This is what gives t-shirt yarn its characteristic look and feel. Stretch as you go and wind the finished yarn into a loose ball.
Repeat with all your shirts. For a medium-sized rug (roughly 24 by 36 inches), plan on six to ten shirts depending on their size and how thick you cut your strips.
Preparing Other Fabric Scraps
T-shirts are the easiest starting point, but rag rugs traditionally incorporate all kinds of fabric. Old bedsheets, cotton skirts, linen tea towels, flannel shirts, and even denim can all be cut into strips and used. The technique varies slightly depending on the fabric.
Woven fabrics like cotton, linen, and flannel should be cut in strips about one to one and a half inches wide. Unlike knit fabrics, these will not curl when stretched, so they stay flat. This is not a problem — flat strips have a lovely woven look in the finished rug. Just be aware that the raw edges may fray slightly over time, which adds to the vintage character.
To cut woven fabric efficiently, fold it several times and make long, straight cuts. You can join strips end to end by cutting a small slit near the end of each strip and threading the next strip through it, pulling until a little knot forms. This join is virtually invisible once the rug is crocheted or braided.
How to Crochet a Round Rag Rug
The most popular method for beginners is crocheting a simple oval or round rug using basic single crochet stitches. You do not need to know how to read a complex pattern — the construction is very straightforward.
Starting the Oval Center
To make an oval rug, begin with a foundation chain. The length of this chain determines the length of your finished rug minus its width. For a small bathroom rug, a chain of ten to twelve stitches is a nice starting point. For a larger oval, chain twenty or more.
Work single crochets along one side of the chain, work three single crochets into the last stitch to curve around the end, then work single crochets back along the other side of the chain. Work three single crochets into the first stitch to complete the oval. You now have a small, flat oval.
From here, simply continue working rounds of single crochet around the oval, adding extra stitches at both curved ends of the oval in each round to keep the piece lying flat. Generally, adding two stitches at each end per round keeps the shape flat and consistent, though you may need to adjust slightly depending on the thickness of your yarn.
Keeping It Flat
The most common issue beginners run into is a rug that starts to curl up at the edges or, conversely, ruffle and wave. Both problems have the same cause: the stitch count is off. If your rug is curling, you need more increases. If it is ruffling, you are increasing too frequently. Take a moment every few rounds to lay the piece flat on the floor and check. Adjust as needed — crochet is extremely forgiving, and adding or skipping a stitch here and there is easy to do.
Finishing
When your rug has reached the size you want, cut your yarn leaving a tail of about six inches. Pull the tail through the last loop to fasten off, and use a yarn needle to weave the end securely into the back of the rug. Do the same with any other ends you have accumulated along the way.
How to Make a Braided Rag Rug
Braiding is even simpler than crocheting, requiring no tools at all beyond your hands and something to stitch the coils together. It produces a dense, firm rug with a slightly more traditional look.
Braiding Your Strips
Prepare three long strands of fabric — these can be single colors or a mix, depending on the look you are going for. Safety-pin all three together at one end, attach them to something stable (the arm of a chair, a doorknob, or a hook works well), and braid them together as you would hair. Keep the braid firm and consistent, pulling each strand out to the sides rather than folding them tightly inward. A loose, even braid will give you the best result.
When you run out of a strand, join a new one by cutting a small slit in both the end of the old strip and the beginning of the new one and threading them together.
Coiling and Stitching
When you have a long braid — three or four yards is a manageable starting length — begin coiling it into a flat spiral. Lay it on a flat surface and use a large yarn needle threaded with a strong length of fabric strip to stitch the coils together as you go. Push the needle through the edge of one row of braid and the edge of the adjacent row and pull snug. Continue working around the spiral, adding more braid and stitching as you go.
For an oval rug, simply fold the beginning of the braid back on itself before you start coiling, creating a straight center rather than a round one.
Keep checking that the rug lies flat as you work. Braided rugs are incredibly durable and tend to look better and better with age.
Choosing Your Color Palette
One of the genuine joys of this project is getting to think intentionally about color. A few approaches that tend to work beautifully:
Working in a limited palette of two or three closely related colors creates a sophisticated, cohesive look. Think all the blues and greens you own, or every shade of terracotta and cream. This approach suits a more modern interior.
Working in a deliberately scrappy, multi-color way — using every color you have — creates a joyful, eclectic rug with the warmth of something that has been gathered over time. This is the most traditional approach and it suits bohemian, cottage, and farmhouse interiors wonderfully.
Alternating rows or sections of color creates stripes or rings, which is graphic and satisfying. You can plan this out in advance or just work intuitively.
There are no wrong answers. Part of the delight of rag rugs is that the constraints of your material supply push you toward combinations you might never have chosen otherwise, and those unexpected combinations are often the most interesting.
Care and Longevity
A well-made rag rug will last for years, particularly if it is made from cotton or a durable blended fabric. Most rag rugs can be machine washed on a gentle cycle in cold water and laid flat to dry — never put them in the dryer, as the heat can cause the yarn to shrink unevenly or cause a crocheted rug to lose its shape.
For rugs placed in high-traffic areas, a non-slip rug pad underneath is highly recommended. This protects both the rug and anyone walking on it.
Over time, the yarn may flatten slightly in areas of heavy use. A quick wash usually revives the texture. Some people find that their rag rugs actually improve with age, developing a softness and patina that the new ones lack.
A Few Final Tips
Cut your strips in batches before you start crafting rather than stopping to cut more mid-project. It keeps the momentum going and means you can assess whether you have enough material before you are halfway through.
Do not stress about perfection. Slight variations in strip width, the occasional crooked stitch, a join that is slightly visible — none of these things matter in the finished object. Rag rugs are an inherently organic, handmade form, and the small irregularities are part of what makes them beautiful.
If you find yourself with more yarn than you need for one rug, start a second. A set of matching rugs for a bathroom, a kitchen, or a bedroom is a lovely thing to have, and making the second one always goes faster than the first.
Finally, share the process. This kind of craft has survived for centuries partly because people taught each other, worked side by side, and took pleasure in making something together. If you have children or friends who want to learn, invite them in. The rug you make alongside someone else will mean even more than one you made alone.
There is real magic in turning a pile of old shirts and fabric scraps into something that anchors a room and outlasts the fashions that produced the fabric in the first place. Every color in your rag rug was once something else — something loved and worn and eventually set aside. The rug gives it all a new beginning, and that is a piece of rainbow worth making.
