DIY - Braided Area Rug

Braided Area Rugs are a great way to liven up your living area very inexpensively and they are a lot of fun to do.

I got interested in braided rugs because I do a lot of other fabric crafts and I had a lot of leftover fabric in different colors and sizes that I wanted to use up. Once I started making braided area rugs I got completely hooked on it, they are so much fun to do.

Start by choosing any fabric you like. It can have a pattern, it can be a solid color, it can be scraps, you can mix and match all different fabrics, anything you like. Almost any fabric at all is going to come out to make a nice rug when you are finished.

Go along the shelvage edge of each piece that you are planning on using for your braided area rug. Use scissors to cut a notch in the shelvage edge about every 1½ inches to 2 inches all along one shelvage edge of each piece of fabric that you plan to use.

Now tear your fabric on each of the cuts you just made. Just grab and pull, and it should tear all the way across from shelvage edge to shelvage edge. If you have children this is a great project to have them help with. While you hold on to the larger piece, have a child grab one of the cut bits and then walk or run away from you as it tears. My kids thought this was so much fun!

Now you'll start the braiding. Choose two pieces that are about the same size. On one piece find a place about a third of the way in from the end and fold it there. Take a second piece and put one end of it at the point where you folded so that you now have three pieces dangling down of three different lengths. Then start braiding, right side over the center, left side over the new center, right side over the center, left side over the new center, over and over. Just like you braid hair with three strands.