Snug as a Bug in a Braided Rug
Make unwearable or irreparable clothes into something useful like turning them into practical and comfortable braided rugs.
November/December 1971
by Miriam Fraier Korshak
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Materials needed by rug size
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"Snug as a bug in a rug". When Ben Franklin coined that phrase it probably described exactly how he felt... sitting in his platform rocker in front of a cosy Franklin stove, with his head in the clouds and his feet resting warmly on a braided rug.
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The practical comfort of braided rugs would have been completely compatible with the frugal and ingenious creator of Poor Richard . . . they effectively insulate the floor from cold and the eye from barrenness.
The beauty of it all is that braided rugs are just as practical and just as comfortable now as they were 200 years ago . . . and you can probably handcraft a sturdier one today for less cost and effort than ever before.
The trick is in salvaging the jetsam of a cast-off society . . . unwearable or irreparable clothes—even old blankets—can all be cut up and used.
Ideally, raw materials for a braided rug should be pure wool . . . it even seems a little heretical to construct one out of synthetics. Besides . . . wool wears well, repels moisture, is warm and assumes a pleasing depth of color.
Your own discards can provide the beginnings for a rug and it's sort of fun—when the floor covering is finished—to see some favorite piece of apparel having a second lease on life. Friends, too, are likely contributors . . . especially when reminded that something of themselves will be braided into posterity. And don't overlook old Army and Navy uniforms, which are 100% virgin wool. There's a certain gratification to begotten from cutting them up and making something useful—finally—from the fabric. But the ripest pickings of all are at thrift stores and rummage sales. Thrift stores often have stock that's been on the rack too long and rummage and garage sales, being short term operations, must liquidate all inventory at closing time. Not only are prime woolen pickings often absolutely free at such a sale . . . you'll probably be thanked if you cart them off on the last day of the event .
PREPARATION
Make sure your gleanings are clean before you cut them up. There's no point in making a dirty new rug, and it's more pleasant to work with clean materials anyway. Dry-cleaning isn't necessary, however, even though the rug materials are wool. Simply rip out major seams and hems, remove zippers, buttons and trim . . . and send what's left through the washing machine.
Use reasonable precautions when doing this washing. Don't mix light colors with dark and do use mild soap and cool water. Any bleeding that takes place will simply mute the colors to more subtle tones and any shrinkage will compact the fiber for a longer wearing rug. The clean, dry pieces should be pressed flat before marking and cutting.
CUTTING
First cut a piece of cardboard 3" wide and about 12" long. Lay this on the flat fabric and mark off lines the width of your pattern and as long as possible (Figure 1). A crayon, chalk, or felt tip pen can be used for this marking, as long as the color contrasts with the color of the material.
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