BRAID A COZY RAG RUG

Rag rugs have been around as long as frugal folks have set aside worn clothing until they found something useful to do with the fabric. Besides keeping bare feet off ice-cold floors in winter, rag rugs added a pop of color and hominess to interiors that didn’t have much else going for décor — think of those rough log cabins and sod houses our ancestors lived in. Not many of those homesteading-era rag rugs are left; families simply used them until they wore out completely. And rag rugs fell out of fashion for a while in the 20th century.

You can recreate this pioneer style in your modern home by upcycling old fabrics to make your own creative, colorful floor coverings. Making rag rugs requires only the most basic sewing skills — just a simple stitch to hold the braids together. So, put your natural frugality to use and start gathering up that old fabric.

To prepare your fabric, you’ll need to remove any pockets, zippers, buttons, and collars,