Friday, June 11, 2010

And We Have Rugs

Way last winter I decided that my bathroom rugs were on their last legs, so I decided to crochet some rag rugs. I've been wanting to do that for years and figured it was time to get off my duff and just do it! The best thing to use, I discovered after cruising the Net, is old sheets. Heck, I have tons of old sheets! I'm sleeping on old sheets. Not really, I just upgraded the sheets for our bed thanks to an unbelievable clearance sale at Kmart.

The center was not made from sheets, but a very large piece of very cheap navy fabric from my stash that I was anxious to get rid of. Then I started culling sheets out of my closets.

The lighter green is from a queen size set from our bed, and the darker green is a twin sheet someone gave me. It was fitted so I had to cut off the elastic and square it up. All of my strips were made with a rotary cutter, and I cut them all 1". Then I went scrounging again and found a twin set the boys used to sleep on in a light blue print. I thought that would be enough but one of the things I learned doing rugs is more is not only better but essential! Now what?

I kind of dropped the project for a couple of months, but the other day I decided to give the bathroom rugs their last wash. No dryer, just a gentle cycle and lay flat to dry. I put them in and left for a few hours. When I got home my hubby showed me the rugs-nothing but a big pile of fuzz! They weren't even that old! I had to get busy again.

Hubs and I hit a couple of garage sales and I thought I was in business. But when I got home I realized the "new" sheets were in better shape than the ones I had on the daybed in the guest room, so I washed them and dug out my sheets. I filled an old laundry basket with sheets for future rug projects. I found, in the back, a queen set that isn't deep pocket and is fairly worn-kind of a blue/green/burgundy plaid. I didn't know how it would work but I think it's just fine. I discovered that I finished the center on the oval rug wrong and it's lopsided, but I decided I didn't have to be that fussy for my own bathroom. They sure look different with the different strips, don't they?

I did a single crochet, but I only made the stitches into the back loop of the previous row to give it dimension without making it too thick.

You probably notice a pattern here-blue/green/rose or burgundy. I love the color combination and can't make myself change it. My wardrobe yes, but my house is mostly these colors.

2 comments:

  1. wow, such an ambitious project. I love rag rugs but it's the whole cutting up the strips that puts me off making one. Oh, and maybe also the fact that I don't know how to crochet. Great job on yours. Enjoy!!

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