Upcycle Style: Denim Rag Rug | My Poppet Makes

There is something deeply satisfying about turning a pile of worn-out jeans into something beautiful and useful. Old denim has a way of piling up in our homes — jeans the kids have outgrown, a pair that finally gave way at the knees after years of faithful service, or those thrift store finds that were almost right but never quite fit. Instead of sending them to landfill, you can transform them into a stunning denim rag rug that will last for years, look great in any room, and give you serious bragging rights at your next craft night.

This denim rag rug project is one of my all-time favourite upcycling makes, and once you try it, I think you will understand why. It requires no specialist equipment, no complicated stitching skills, and very little money. What it does require is a little patience, some time, and a genuine love for giving old materials a brand new life. Let’s dive into everything you need to know to make your own.

Why Denim is Perfect for Rag Rugs

Before we get into the how-to, let’s talk about why denim is such an outstanding material for this kind of project. Denim is one of the most hardwearing fabrics ever woven. It is tightly constructed, resistant to fraying in ways that many other fabrics are not, and it holds its shape beautifully when cut into strips. It is also wonderfully heavy, which means your finished rug will sit flat on the floor without curling up at the edges or sliding around.

Denim also ages gracefully. As you wash and use your rug, the fabric softens and develops that gorgeous faded character that we all love about old jeans. The indigo tones of blue denim work beautifully with so many interior styles — from coastal and nautical to rustic farmhouse to a clean Scandinavian aesthetic. And if you mix in different washes and shades of denim, from pale ice blue to deep indigo to almost-black, you end up with a rug that looks almost woven from watercolour.

Beyond the aesthetics, using old denim is simply the right thing to do. The fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to global textile waste, and denim is particularly problematic because of the water and chemical-intensive process required to produce it. By upcycling your old jeans, you are stepping off that conveyor belt in a meaningful way. Every pair of jeans you turn into a rug is a pair that does not go to landfill.

What You Will Need

One of the best things about this project is how minimal the supply list is. Here is what to gather before you begin:

For the rug itself:

You will need between four and ten pairs of old jeans depending on how large you want your finished rug to be. A small bathroom-sized rug (roughly 40 x 60 cm) will need around four to five pairs. A generous entryway rug (around 60 x 90 cm) will need closer to eight to ten pairs. Do not worry too much about the exact number at the start — you can always source more as you go, and having a mix of different denim weights and washes adds visual interest.

A sturdy pair of fabric scissors is essential. Do not try to do this project with general-purpose scissors; you want a good sharp pair dedicated to fabric. This project involves a lot of cutting, and blunt scissors will make your hands ache.

You will also need a rotary cutter and a self-healing cutting mat if you have them, though they are optional. They do make cutting strips much faster and more precise, so if you plan to make several rugs or work on other fabric projects, they are a worthwhile investment.

For the base:

A rug canvas or mesh rug backing is the easiest way to approach this project if you are making a looped or hooked rug. You can find this at craft shops or online. It is a stiff, open-weave material that you push your fabric strips through, creating loops on the top surface that make up the rug’s pile.

Alternatively, if you want to make a braided rug — which requires no special backing at all — you will need a large blunt needle and some strong thread or twine to sew the braids together.

A ruler or tape measure, fabric marker or chalk, and a few safety pins or clips to hold your work in place round out the supply list nicely.

Preparing Your Denim

This is the step that many tutorials skip over, but it is worth taking time with it because well-prepared fabric strips make the whole project more enjoyable and the result much neater.

Start by washing all your jeans on a hot cycle to pre-shrink them and remove any dirt or oils. Once dry, lay each pair flat on your cutting mat or a clean, hard surface.

Cut off the waistband and set it aside — it is too thick and stiff to work with comfortably. Then cut off the hemmed bottoms of the legs in the same way.

Now slice each pair of jeans up the side seams so you end up with flat panels of fabric. You will have a front panel and a back panel from each leg, so four panels per pair of jeans. Do not worry about the seams at the inner legs; you can simply cut around them and discard those narrow bits, or save them for a future weaving or patchwork project.

From these flat panels, cut your strips. For a looped rug on a canvas backing, strips of about 2 cm wide and 15 cm long work well. For a braided rug, you want longer continuous strips about 3 cm wide — so cut along the length of the panel, not across it, and aim for strips as long as possible.

Consistency matters more than perfection here. Your strips do not need to be laser-precise, but if they vary wildly in width your rug will look uneven. A rotary cutter guided along a quilting ruler makes this step very quick. If you are cutting by hand, draw your lines in chalk first.

As you cut, sort your strips loosely by shade. Pale blues in one pile, mid blues in another, dark or black denim in a third. You do not have to use this system, but having some organisation gives you more control over your finished rug’s colour pattern.

Making a Looped Denim Rag Rug on Canvas

This is the method I recommend for beginners because it is forgiving, produces a very professional-looking result, and goes quickly once you get into the rhythm.

Cut your rug canvas to your desired finished size. Use permanent marker or paint to outline your design if you want one — a simple border in one shade, a geometric pattern, or even a silhouette shape. For a first project, though, I recommend just going with a full canvas of beautiful mixed denim. Simple is always stunning when the material itself is this lovely.

Thread one of your denim strips through your rug hook (a simple latch hook from a craft shop works perfectly). Push the hook through one hole of the canvas from the front, catch the strip, and pull it back through so both ends are sticking up on the front side. Pull them up until they are roughly even and about 2 to 3 cm tall. That is one loop done.

Move to the next hole and repeat. Work row by row across the canvas. You will find that the holes in rug canvas are fairly close together, so your loops will pack in tightly and cover the backing completely.

Keep an eye on your colour distribution as you work. If you want a random mixed look, just grab whichever strip comes to hand from your pile. If you want a more deliberate design — diagonal stripes, a central medallion, a fading gradient from dark to light — lay your strips out in order beforehand so you are not stopping constantly to search for the right shade.

The edges of the canvas need to be finished so they do not fray and so the backing is completely hidden. The simplest way to do this is to fold the edge of the canvas under before you begin your hooking, working your loops right to the edge through the doubled layer. Alternatively, finish the raw edge with a strip of strong fabric tape or denim binding once all your loops are in.

Making a Braided Denim Rag Rug

The braided method produces a more rustic, folk-art style rug with a lovely coiled or oval shape, and it requires absolutely no special tools beyond scissors, a needle, and thread.

Join your long denim strips end to end to create three continuous lengths. You do this by cutting a small slit at the end of each strip, slipping the next strip through the slit, and folding it back on itself — a technique called the T-join. It sounds fiddly but it is very fast and creates a nearly invisible join.

Secure the three joined lengths together at one end with a safety pin or by tying them to a door handle (this is genuinely the best way — it keeps your work taut and makes braiding much easier). Braid the three lengths together in a standard three-strand braid, keeping the tension as even as you can.

As your braid grows, coil it flat on a table and begin to sew the coils together using strong thread and a blunt, large-eye needle. You will be stitching the edge of one coil to the edge of the next. Pull your stitches firmly but do not yank so hard that the braid distorts. Keep your rug as flat as possible as you work — every few metres of braiding, lay it on the floor and check that it is not humping up in the middle or at the edges. If it is, you need to either loosen your braid or make your coils slightly more spread apart.

Continue braiding and coiling until your rug reaches the desired size. To finish the end of the braid neatly, taper the individual strips by trimming them at an angle so the braid narrows gradually to a point, then sew that final point down securely.

Design Ideas and Variations

Part of the joy of this project is how much room there is for creative interpretation. Here are some ideas to spark your imagination.

A gradient rug that moves from very pale, almost-white denim at one end to deep indigo or black at the other is stunning and really showcases the range of tones you can find in a collection of old jeans. Sort your strips carefully by shade and work from lightest to darkest (or the reverse) across your canvas.

Introduce other fabrics alongside your denim for texture and colour contrast. Strips of chambray, canvas, or heavy cotton shirting in whites, creams, and stripes look beautiful woven or looped alongside the blue denim.

Add a pop of colour with a few strips of brightly coloured old clothing — the denim provides such a strong foundation that small accents of red, mustard, or teal really sing against it without overwhelming the overall look.

For a more graphic result, use your permanent marker to draw a simple geometric pattern on your canvas before you begin — wide diagonal stripes, chevrons, or a simple border — and fill each section with a different shade of denim.

Caring for Your Denim Rag Rug

One of the many virtues of denim is that it is very easy to care for. Your finished rug can go straight into a standard washing machine on a cool or warm cycle. Wash it inside a laundry bag or old pillowcase if you want to protect both the rug and your machine from any stray threads. Tumble dry on a low heat or hang to dry — denim dries beautifully flat outdoors in the sun, and the light will give it that gorgeous faded wash.

Shake the rug out regularly between washes to remove dust and debris. If your rug is in a high-traffic area like an entryway or kitchen, a non-slip rug pad underneath is a very good idea both for safety and to help the rug keep its shape.

Over time the loops will compress slightly and the fabric will soften, but this honestly only adds to the charm. A well-used denim rag rug develops a patina and character that new rugs simply cannot replicate.

Sourcing Your Denim

You do not need to sacrifice jeans you are still wearing, of course. Charity shops and thrift stores are a goldmine for denim. Look for the heaviest, most tightly woven jeans you can find — traditional five-pocket styles in standard blue denim are ideal. Avoid stretch jeans (those containing a high percentage of elastane or spandex) as they behave differently when cut into strips, tending to curl and distort.

Friends and family are usually delighted to donate old jeans to a project like this. Post a call-out on a local community group or neighbourhood app and you will almost certainly have more denim than you can use in a matter of days.

Denim offcuts from a garment factory or a fabric shop are another option, and can come in unusual washes and colours that add real interest to the finished rug.

The Bigger Picture: Upcycling as a Creative Practice

Making a denim rag rug is about so much more than the finished object, as lovely as that is. It is a practice of attention and care — looking at something worn out and seeing its potential rather than its limitations. It is a way of making slowly and intentionally, in contrast to the disposable pace of fast fashion. And it is a small but real act of environmental responsibility.

There is also a beautiful historical dimension to rag rug making. People have been making rugs from fabric scraps for centuries, in cultures all over the world. In rural communities before the age of mass manufacturing, nothing was wasted. Every worn-out garment was sorted and saved; rags became rugs, quilts, and braided baskets. When we upcycle today, we are connecting ourselves to that long tradition of resourcefulness and craft.

I love that a pile of old jeans — faded and blown-out and seemingly past their usefulness — can become something genuinely beautiful and new. I hope this project inspires you to look at the worn-out textiles in your own home with fresh eyes and a little creative excitement.

Ready to Get Started?

Gather your old jeans, clear yourself some floor space, and give this project a go. Whether you choose the looped canvas method or the braided approach, I promise you will be delighted with the result. Tag your finished rugs with #MyPoppetMakes — I absolutely love seeing your makes, and a handmade denim rug is always worth showing off.

Happy making!