How to Make an Amish Knot Rag Rug: The Complete Toothbrush Rug Tutorial for Round and Oval Rugs
There is something quietly beautiful about a handmade rag rug. It carries the weight of thrift and intention — fabric that once had another life, now underfoot and loved all over again. The Amish knot rag rug, also called the toothbrush rug, is one of the oldest and most satisfying of all no-sew rug-making traditions, and once you learn the technique, you will find yourself eyeing every worn-out shirt, old pillowcase, and soft flannel sheet in an entirely new way.
This tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know to make both a round rug and an oval rug using the Amish knot method. Whether you are a complete beginner or someone who has dabbled in rag rugs before, this guide will give you the foundation, the confidence, and the practical knowledge to create something durable, beautiful, and deeply personal.
What Is an Amish Knot Rag Rug?
The Amish knot rag rug gets its name from the knotting technique at its heart. Unlike braided rag rugs, which require sewing or safety-pinning strips into a braid and then stitching those braids together, the Amish knot rug is a true no-sew project. The fabric strips interlock through a series of loops and knots, creating a dense, sturdy weave that holds together without a single stitch.
The “toothbrush rug” name comes from the original tool used to make them — a large, blunt needle fashioned from the handle of an old toothbrush, with the bristle end removed and a hole drilled through the handle. Today you can buy purpose-made toothbrush rug needles, or use a large plastic tapestry needle, a craft lacing needle, or even a simple piece of bent wire. The tool is humble. The result is remarkable.
This style of rug has been made in Amish and Mennonite communities for generations as a way to use up every scrap of fabric, creating floor coverings that are thick, cushioned, and practically indestructible with minimal supplies and no sewing machine required.
Why Make a Toothbrush Rag Rug?
Beyond the beautiful finished product, there are so many reasons to love this craft.
It is genuinely sustainable. You are giving new purpose to fabric that would otherwise be discarded. Old jeans, flannel shirts, cotton T-shirts, jersey knit fabrics, wool sweaters, fleece blankets — all of it becomes fair game. You are not buying anything new. You are transforming what already exists.
It is accessible. You do not need a loom, a sewing machine, or any significant investment in equipment. The learning curve is gentle. Most people feel comfortable with the basic knot within the first twenty minutes of practice, and the repetitive rhythm of the work becomes meditative.
It is flexible. You can make a rug that is four inches across or four feet across. You can work in one color family for a harmonious look, alternate light and dark strips for a classic two-tone style, or throw in every color you own for something cheerful and eclectic. The pattern — if you can call the Amish knot itself a pattern — adapts to whatever fabric you have on hand.
And it is durable. A well-made Amish knot rug will last for years. It can be washed in the machine on a gentle cycle and laid flat or hung to dry. It will not unravel because there are no loose threads, no sewn seams to split, no braids to come undone.
Materials You Will Need
Before you begin, gather your supplies. You do not need much, but having the right things on hand makes the process smoother.
For fabric, you will want strips of material cut or torn to about one inch in width and as long as you can manage. The fabric should be soft and pliable — stiff or wiry fabric is difficult to work with and produces a rug that is uncomfortable underfoot. Ideal choices include old cotton T-shirts, flannel shirts or pajamas, jersey knit fabric, fleece, lightweight denim, old sheets and pillowcases, wool (from felted sweaters or blankets), and cotton canvas or muslin. Avoid very thick or stiff materials, especially for your first project. You will need significantly more fabric than you might expect — a round rug about 24 inches in diameter typically uses somewhere between three and five pounds of fabric strips, depending on fabric weight and how tightly you knot.
For tools, you need a toothbrush rug needle or large tapestry needle with a blunt tip and a large eye that will accommodate your fabric strips. You may also want small clips or clothespins to hold your work in place as you get started, and scissors for cutting your strips.
That’s it. That is genuinely the complete materials list.
Preparing Your Fabric Strips
How you prepare your fabric strips matters more than you might think. The strips need to be consistent in width and long enough to work with comfortably. There are two main approaches.
The first is cutting. Fold your fabric and cut strips with scissors or a rotary cutter and mat. A rotary cutter makes this faster and more consistent. Cut strips about one inch wide for lighter fabrics, up to one and a half inches wide for thinner materials. If your fabric frays easily, cutting is preferable to tearing because the edges stay more intact.
The second is tearing. For woven cottons like old sheets and shirts, tearing works beautifully. Make a small snip at the selvage edge, then tear across the width of the fabric. This gives you a long strip quickly. Tearing also naturally softens the edges of cotton fabric, giving the finished rug a pleasantly fuzzy texture.
Once you have your strips, you need to join them into long continuous lengths. There is a simple no-sew method for this. Take two strips and hold their ends overlapping. Make a small cut through both layers at the overlapping point, then fold one strip’s end through the slit and pull the other end through the fold. Pull gently to tighten. This creates a flat, secure join that will not add a lump to your rug.
Wind your joined strips into loose balls so they are easy to work with as you knot.
Understanding the Amish Knot
The Amish knot is the single technique that makes this entire rug possible, so it is worth spending a few minutes truly understanding what is happening before you begin. At its core, the knot involves two loops of fabric interlocking with each other. You pull one loop through another, then pull the next loop through that one, and so on. It is somewhat like a crochet chain, but done entirely with fabric strips and a needle rather than yarn and a hook, and the loops interlock in a way that pulls them snug against each other from both sides.
When you are making the rug, you will be working with two separate strands of fabric simultaneously — one threaded through your needle (let’s call it the working strand), and one that forms the foundation loops your needle passes through. As you work, the two strands create a series of interlocked knots that grow into the body of your rug.
The key to a beautiful rug is keeping your tension consistent. Pull each knot snug — not so tight that the strip is distorted, but firmly enough that the finished surface is dense and even. Loose knots create a floppy rug that won’t wear well. Very tight knots create a stiff, puckered rug. With a little practice, you will find the tension that feels right, and your hands will remember it automatically.
How to Make a Round Amish Knot Rag Rug
The round rug is the classic starting point for this technique, and it is forgiving enough that most beginners are happy with their results on the very first attempt.
Begin by cutting two strips of fabric about 18 to 24 inches long for your starting center. These will form the foundation knot at the center of your rug. Fold one strip in half to find its midpoint, then tie a loose overhand knot at that midpoint, leaving a loop. This loop is your starting point.
Thread your needle with the second strip. Pass the needle through the center loop of your starting knot from below, pull the strip through partway, and loop the strip back through itself to create a locked knot. Pull gently but firmly to set it. This is your first Amish knot.
From here, you will work in a spiral. Pass your needle through the loop just created, pull the working strip through, fold it back, pass the needle through that fold, and pull snug. Each new knot attaches to the previous one. Work around the center in a tight spiral, adding knots at regular intervals. To make the rug grow outward without puckering or cupping, you will need to periodically add an extra knot into the same loop — essentially making an increase — so that the outer edge keeps up with the expanding circumference. The rule of thumb is to add an extra knot roughly every four to six stitches as you work the early rounds, adjusting as you go based on whether your work is lying flat.
If your rug starts to cup upward (forming a bowl shape), you need more increases. If it starts to ruffle or wave, you have too many increases. Lay your work on a flat surface frequently to check, and adjust accordingly. This is the one aspect of the round rug that takes a little practice and intuition, but it becomes natural very quickly.
Continue spiraling outward until the rug is as large as you want it, then finish by tucking the last working end through several loops securely and trimming the excess.
How to Make an Oval Amish Knot Rag Rug
The oval rug begins differently from the round rug, but once you have the foundation laid, the process is very similar. Oval rugs are often even more practical than round ones — they work beautifully in front of sinks, along hallways, or beside beds.
To begin an oval rug, you create a foundation chain — a straight line of Amish knots that forms the center spine of the oval. The length of this foundation chain determines the difference between the length and width of your finished oval. If you want a rug that is roughly 24 by 36 inches, your foundation chain should be about 12 inches long.
Make your foundation chain by tying a starting knot as described above, then chaining Amish knots in a straight line rather than a spiral. Work until your chain is the desired length, then turn and begin working around the outside of the chain rather than continuing in a straight line. You are essentially making a long oval by going up one side of the chain and back down the other, adding increases at the two curved ends (which are the ends of your original chain) to allow the work to turn without puckering.
As with the round rug, adding increases at the curved ends is the key to keeping your work flat. A general guideline is to make two or three extra knots at each end per round, but adjust based on what your work tells you. Every fabric behaves slightly differently, and part of the charm of this craft is that it requires you to pay attention and respond.
From here, you continue spiraling around the oval, working the straight sides without increases and adding increases at the ends, until your rug reaches the desired size.
Choosing Colors and Fabric Combinations
This is where things get personal and genuinely fun. Some of the most beloved Amish knot rugs are made from a deliberately planned palette — one color family throughout, or alternating light and dark strips that create a graphic, striped effect as the spiral grows. Others are pure improvisation, every strip a different color and texture, the rug becoming a kind of textile diary of the fabrics that passed through a household.
For a harmonious look, sort your strips by color family before you begin and try to alternate between two or three colors in a deliberate way. Because you are working with two strands simultaneously, you can create a stripe pattern simply by switching one strand at a time.
For a more rustic, traditional look, mix freely. Many antique Amish rugs show this kind of joyful randomness, and there is real beauty in the honest record of what was used up.
One practical note: if you are mixing fabric weights, try to pair lighter fabric strips with other lighter strips and heavier strips with heavier ones. Mixing a very thin cotton with a thick fleece in the same row can create uneven tension. It is not a hard rule, but it helps.
Finishing Your Rug
When your rug has reached the size you want, it is time to finish cleanly. Cut your working strip leaving about six inches of tail. Thread this tail through your needle and weave it back through several of the loops you have already made, following the path of the knots so the end is hidden and secure. Do the same with any other tails you have on the underside of the rug.
Turn the rug over and take a moment to look at the back. Trim any tails that are poking out. The back of a well-made Amish knot rug is almost as tidy as the front, and both faces are attractive enough to flip the rug over and use either side.
If any sections feel looser or more open than the rest, you can use your fingers to work the knots more snugly together. The interlocked structure of the Amish knot means that you can redistribute tension through the work to some extent, evening things out.
Caring for Your Rag Rug
Amish knot rug rugs are wonderfully easy to care for. Shake them out regularly to remove dust and debris. For washing, machine wash on a gentle or delicate cycle in cold water. Use a mild detergent and avoid bleach, which can weaken fabric fibers over time. Do not put your rug in a high-heat dryer — the heat can cause the strips to shrink unevenly. Instead, lay the rug flat on a clean surface or hang it over a railing to air dry. It may take a few hours or even overnight, but the rug will keep its shape beautifully.
If your rug develops a spot or stain, spot cleaning with a damp cloth and a small amount of gentle soap usually handles it without needing to wash the whole rug.
With basic care, a well-made Amish knot rug will last for many years.
Tips for Success
Keep your strips consistent. Consistency in width and tension is what creates an even, professional-looking finished surface. Take your time when preparing your strips and your work will thank you.
Work in good light. The loops can be small, especially at the center of the rug, and seeing clearly makes a real difference — especially when you are just learning.
Don’t be afraid of imperfection. Small variations in your tension or the occasional slightly misshapen loop will disappear into the texture of the finished rug. Step back from your work regularly and look at it as a whole. You will likely find it is far more beautiful than the close-up view suggests.
Build a stash of fabric. Once you understand how much fabric this craft uses, you will begin thinking differently about what you keep. Old sheets are gold. Flannel is a dream to work with. Fleece is fast and forgiving. Start collecting now, because you will want to make more than one rug.
Make it social. The repetitive, rhythmic nature of the Amish knot lends itself perfectly to conversation. This is the kind of craft you can do while talking with family, listening to a podcast, or watching something on television. The hands stay busy and the mind is free.
A Final Word
There is a reason this technique has survived for generations in communities that valued usefulness, ingenuity, and care. The Amish knot rag rug asks almost nothing of you in terms of materials or tools, and rewards you with something genuinely lasting. When you use fabric that carried other memories — a shirt a child grew out of, sheets from a grandmother’s linen closet, old clothes that were worn down to softness — the rug becomes more than a floor covering. It becomes a kind of record.
Make your first one and see what you think. Most people find they are planning the second one before the first is even finished.
