Step by Step Instructions to Make Your Own Rag Rugs
There is something deeply satisfying about transforming old fabric scraps into something beautiful and functional. Rag rugs have been made for centuries, born from necessity and refined into a beloved craft tradition that continues to thrive today. Whether you have a pile of worn-out T-shirts, outdated bed sheets, or fabric remnants from other sewing projects, you already have most of what you need to create a stunning handmade rug. This guide will walk you through everything — from choosing your materials to finishing your rug — so you can complete your first project with confidence.
What Is a Rag Rug?
A rag rug is exactly what it sounds like: a rug made from strips of fabric, or “rags,” that are woven, braided, or looped together to create a dense, durable floor covering. The tradition dates back hundreds of years, particularly in Scandinavia and North America, where resourceful households would repurpose every scrap of worn clothing or household textile rather than let it go to waste. Today, making rag rugs has experienced a major revival as both a sustainable craft and a way to add handmade character to a home.
The finished product can range from rustic and cozy to surprisingly refined, depending on the fabrics and technique you choose. Best of all, the skill level required is relatively low. Even a complete beginner can produce a beautiful rug on their first attempt.
Choosing Your Technique
Before you gather your materials, you need to decide which method you want to use. There are three main techniques for making rag rugs, each with its own look and skill requirements.
Braided rag rugs are perhaps the most beginner-friendly. You braid strips of fabric just as you would braid hair, then coil and stitch the braid into a flat oval or round shape. The result is a thick, cushioned rug with a classic, traditional appearance.
Woven rag rugs require a loom — either a simple frame loom you can build yourself, a peg loom, or a traditional floor loom if you want to get more serious about weaving. The fabric strips serve as the weft, woven over and under warp threads to create a flat, tightly structured rug.
Locker hooking and latch hooking involve pulling fabric strips through a stiff canvas backing using a specialized hook. These techniques create a looped or cut-pile texture and are excellent for making decorative rugs with patterns.
For this guide, we will focus primarily on the braided technique, since it requires no special equipment and is the most accessible starting point. We will also walk through basic frame loom weaving as a secondary option.
Materials You Will Need
Gathering your materials is half the fun. Here is what you will need to get started.
Fabric: Old T-shirts, flannel shirts, bed sheets, denim jeans, cotton dresses, and wool sweaters all work beautifully. Aim for medium-weight fabrics for your first project, as they are easier to work with than very heavy denim or very lightweight chiffon. Try to keep your fabric choices within a similar weight category so the braid remains even. As a rough guide, a small 2-foot by 3-foot rug will use approximately 3 to 5 pounds of fabric.
Scissors or a rotary cutter and cutting mat: You will be cutting a lot of fabric strips, and good scissors make the job much easier. A rotary cutter is faster and gives cleaner edges, but standard fabric scissors work perfectly well.
A large blunt needle or upholstery needle: For the braided rug, you will use this to stitch the coils together. Choose a needle with a large eye that can accommodate fabric strips.
Strong thread: Linen thread or heavy-duty polyester thread works best. You want something that will hold the rug together through years of foot traffic.
A safety pin or braid clamp: This helps secure one end of your braid while you work. You can pin it to your jeans, a cushion, or a table edge.
Ruler and fabric marker: For measuring and marking your fabric strips before cutting.
For loom weaving, you will also need a simple wooden frame (or a purchased peg loom), nails or pegs, and a weaving shuttle or a long stick to help pass the weft through the warp.
Preparing Your Fabric
Preparation is one of the most important steps and one that beginners often underestimate. Taking the time to prepare your fabric properly will make every subsequent step easier and produce a better-looking finished rug.
Step 1: Wash and dry your fabric. Before you do anything else, wash all of your fabric in hot water to preshrink it. This prevents your finished rug from puckering the first time you wash it. Once washed, dry it completely before cutting.
Step 2: Sort by weight and color. Separate your fabric into piles by weight and by color palette. Even if you are going for an eclectic mix, having a rough plan for your color arrangement will make the finished rug look intentional rather than chaotic. Consider warm tones, cool tones, neutrals, or a specific two- or three-color scheme.
Step 3: Cut your fabric into strips. For a braided rug, strips between 1.5 and 2.5 inches wide work well. Wider strips create a chunkier, more rustic rug, while narrower strips produce a tighter, more refined braid. Cut along the grain of the fabric as much as possible for stability.
For knit fabrics like T-shirts, cut strips about 1.5 inches wide — they will curl inward as you work, creating a naturally rounded cord. For woven fabrics like cotton sheets or flannel, cut strips about 2 to 2.5 inches wide and fold the raw edges toward the center as you braid to keep them neat.
Step 4: Join your strips into long cords. Rather than working with short strips that constantly need joining, take the time now to sew or tie your strips into long continuous cords. The simplest method is the no-sew diagonal join: cut a small notch near the end of each strip, loop the next strip through it, and pull the other end of the new strip through its own notch to create a secure, flat connection. This technique creates almost no bulk at the join, which is essential for an even braid.
Roll your joined cords into balls to keep them tangle-free as you work.
How to Make a Braided Rag Rug
With your fabric prepared, you are ready to begin braiding and assembling your rug. Follow these steps carefully and you will have a beautiful finished piece.
Step 5: Start your braid. Take three cords in your chosen colors and knot them together at one end. Secure this knot to something stable — a safety pin clipped to your clothing, a table clamp, or even a heavy book. Having the starting end anchored leaves both hands free to braid.
Begin a standard three-strand braid: right strand over center, then left strand over center, and so on. Keep your tension consistent and try to keep the raw edges of woven fabric tucked inward as you go. If you are working with T-shirt strips, they will naturally roll, so you just need to keep the braid snug.
Aim to braid about 12 to 18 inches before you start coiling. This gives you a comfortable length to begin shaping the rug.
Step 6: Begin coiling and stitching. For an oval rug, start by folding your initial braid back on itself at the halfway point of the length you want the center straight section to be. The length of this straight center section determines the overall length of your oval rug. A 6-inch center section will produce a rug roughly 12 to 16 inches wide and 18 to 24 inches long, depending on how many rounds you add.
Thread your upholstery needle with a length of strong thread or a thin strip of fabric. Begin lacing the adjacent coils of braid together by passing the needle through the loops on the outer edges of each coil. Pull firmly but not so tight that the rug puckers. This lacing, rather than sewing across the top, keeps the rug flat and flexible.
For a round rug, begin by coiling the braid in a tight circle from the very start, stitching as you go.
Step 7: Continue braiding and stitching. Work in sessions if you like — braid for a while, then stitch down what you have, then braid more. Many rug makers find it helpful to sit with the growing rug on their lap, stitching as the braid extends outward.
Keep checking that your rug lies flat on the floor. If it starts to curl up at the edges, your braid is too tight relative to how you are joining it. Try braiding a little more loosely, or add a small amount of extra braid on the outside curves before stitching to account for the greater circumference of the outer coil. If the rug ripples or ruffles, you have added too much fabric on the outside curves — ease back on the tension.
Step 8: Change colors. As you finish one ball of fabric cord and move to the next, try to stagger your color changes across the three strands rather than changing all three at once. This creates a gradual, blended shift in color rather than an abrupt stripe, which gives the rug a more polished, professional look. That said, deliberately synchronized color changes create bold graphic stripes, which is also a great effect.
Step 9: Finish and secure the end. When your rug has reached its desired size, you need to finish the braid cleanly rather than simply cutting it off. Taper the end by gradually trimming each strand slightly shorter than the last over the final few inches. Then braid the tapered section, fold the very end under, and stitch it firmly to the last row of the rug. This tuck-and-stitch finish hides the raw end completely and gives the rug a smooth, rounded edge.
How to Make a Simple Woven Rag Rug on a Frame Loom
If you want to try weaving, a basic frame loom is easy and inexpensive to build or buy.
Step 10: Build or set up your loom. A frame loom is simply a rectangular wooden frame with nails hammered at regular intervals along the top and bottom edges, spaced about half an inch apart. The frame should be slightly wider than the finished rug width you want. You can build one from picture frame molding or purchase a small peg loom at a craft store.
Step 11: Warp your loom. Warp threads form the structural backbone of your rug. Use a strong, non-stretchy string — cotton twine or kitchen string works well. Tie the end to the first nail at the top left, bring it straight down to the first nail at the bottom, then up and around the second nail at the top, and so on, creating a series of parallel vertical threads. Keep the tension firm and even.
Step 12: Weave in your fabric strips. Cut or tear your fabric into strips about 1 inch wide. Pass the first strip over the first warp thread, under the second, over the third, and so on across the full width. Push this row down to the bottom of the loom. Begin the next row by going under the first thread, over the second, and continuing in the opposite pattern. This over-under alternation is called plain weave and is the foundation of most woven fabric.
Pack each row of fabric tightly against the previous one using your fingers or a wide-toothed comb. The tighter you pack the rows, the denser and more durable your rug will be.
Step 13: Finish your woven rug. When your loom is full, cut the warp threads off the nails, leaving several inches of overhang at the top and bottom. Knot pairs of warp threads together close to the woven edge to prevent unraveling, then trim or tuck the remaining fringe as desired. Some weavers leave a short fringe as a decorative element; others tuck each warp thread back through the last few rows of weaving to hide it completely.
Tips for a Professional-Looking Result
A few habits separate a rug that looks handmade in the best way from one that looks unfinished or uneven.
Consistency matters more than perfection. An even, steady braid or a regular weave pattern will always look better than a technically perfect section followed by a sloppy one. Slow down if you need to.
Work in good lighting. It is much easier to keep your strips folded neatly and your stitches even when you can see what you are doing.
Take breaks. Rug making is repetitive work, and your hands and attention will tire. A ten-minute break every hour keeps your work quality high.
Press your finished rug. Once complete, lay the rug flat on a clean surface, cover it with a damp towel, and press with a warm iron. This settles the fibers, flattens any slight unevenness, and gives the rug a finished, professional look.
Add a non-slip backing. Once your rug is complete, consider applying a non-slip rug backing — either a spray-on latex product available at craft stores, or a cut-to-size non-slip mat placed underneath. This keeps your rug from sliding on hard floors and is an important safety consideration.
Washing and Caring for Your Rag Rug
Rag rugs are wonderfully practical because most of them can be washed in a standard washing machine. Use a gentle cycle with cold or warm water and a mild detergent. Avoid hot water, which can cause braided rugs to shrink unevenly. Tumble dry on low or, even better, lay flat to dry in the sun. Sunlight also naturally disinfects and brightens the colors.
For light cleaning between washes, take the rug outside and shake it vigorously, or hang it over a railing and beat it gently with a broom. This removes trapped dirt and keeps the rug fresh without unnecessary washing.
Ideas for Fabric Combinations
Part of the joy of rag rug making is the endless creative freedom. Here are a few combinations that tend to produce beautiful results.
A monochromatic rug made entirely from varying shades of blue denim creates a sophisticated, almost graphic effect that suits modern and coastal interiors. A warm mix of cream, tan, brown, and rust cotton scraps produces a cozy farmhouse-style rug that works in kitchens and mudrooms. Combining bright, multicolored T-shirt strips gives you a cheerful, bohemian piece perfect for a child’s bedroom or a sunroom.
Mixing textures — pairing the smoothness of cotton with the softness of flannel or the warmth of wool — adds visual depth even when the color palette is restrained.
Getting Started on Your First Rug
The best thing you can do right now is open your linen closet or old-clothes drawer and start pulling out fabrics. Do not worry about having the perfect combination or following every guideline exactly. Rag rugs are a forgiving craft, and the imperfections that come from working by hand are part of what makes them charming.
Start small. A simple 18-inch round braided rug or a small 12-inch by 18-inch woven piece will teach you everything you need to know and can be completed in a weekend. Once you understand how the materials behave, you will have the confidence to tackle a full-size kitchen rug or even a statement piece for your living room.
There is real pleasure in looking down at a rug you made yourself from materials that might otherwise have been thrown away. It carries the warmth of something genuinely handmade, and it connects you to a long tradition of practical creativity that deserves to be kept alive. Gather your fabric, pick your colors, and get started.
