Country Style Rugs

Tapetti Rustici


Rag rug Rug made with 1/8inch X 1-1/2inch bias strips of finely-woven cotton. Tie the rag strips onto a length of crochet thread (about 2-1/2 feet long). Space the rags evenly and trim them to about 1/4inch in length. Arrange the threadful of rags in loops on a piece of cotton tapestry canvas. Stitch the tread to the canvas from the back. Trim edges of canvas so that they do not show from the top . Press the back of the rug with an iron.


Braided Rug WOOL: Braid three strands of wool yarn. Cut a scrap of cardboard slightly larger than the size the rug. Cover the top surface of the cardboard with masking tape -- sticky side up. Beginning at the center of the cardboard, wind the braided yarn in concentric oval (or circular) rings. The edges of the braid must touch eachother but not overlap. When the rug is the size desired use fabric glue to fasten the ends of the yarn to the last braided row . Using needle and thread, sew the braids together with whip stitches beginning at the center. Remove the rug from the sticky tape and press into shape from the back with an iron. COTTON: If you make this rug using crochet thread the result will be even more beautiful and closer to the 1:12 scale. Use three colors of thread. Cut the crochet thread into lengths of approximately 1.25 meters. Make a braid using a strand of each color and another braid using only the darkest color. Make about three times as many tri-color braids as solid color braids. Arrange in concentric circles on the sticky tape. Keep all ends on the top. Finish as above.	Striped Rug - cotton embrodery floss This was done in tent stitch using three threads on needlepoint canvas (23 threads per inch). The random stripes are a result of using variegated floss. You could use left-over floss in different colors to achieve a nice random stripe too. Wash the rug when finished and shape it. Press with an iron and fold under the canvas edges and bind the edge with overcasting stitches. Trim excess canvas and perhaps glue the edges to prevent any fraying.	Braided Rug - crochet thread This rug is made of multi color variegated crochet thread using a crochet stitch. Until I scanned this rug and saw the details it looked like it was made of braided crochet thread.

Other Ideas: Straw or raffia cocktail coasters = nice "straw rugs" for kitchens. Wide cotton twill tape = use 2 inch width for cotton runners or bathmats. Iron-on backing would help to keep these flat on the floor. Scraps of wool tweed = finish edges and fringe the ends for bedside rugs or throw rugs.