If you are thinking of adding a bit of color to your home, there are many alternatives that you can implement without spending a lot of money, and even taking advantage of other things that are in disuse.
A rug is a decorative object that always goes well, not always because of its function, but also because it adds color and a bohemian style to your home. Although there are many ways to do it (with pom-poms, with lights, or with scraps of fabric, for example), in this note you will learn how to make a colorful mandala rug with old t-shirts, and a hula hoop! The secret is that you will not need to knit and that you will have as many colors as you want on your floor.
Materials
- 1 hula hoop or cardboard
- Old and disused t-shirts (that you cannot give to someone who needs them). You will need 6-7 for a 30″ diameter rug (to cover the size of the hoop)
- Scissors
Process
1. Choose the color of the t-shirts that you will use, since that will be the fabric that you will use to make your rug. Here we have used a combination of pink, fuchsia, yellow, light blue and turquoise, but you can use as many as you want.
Note: Dying the shirts in the colors you like can also be an option if you can’t find any old shirts in the shades you want.
2. To assemble the “thread” from the shirts, first cut the sleeves and open the garment completely to cut the longest possible strips (guide yourself by the diagram in the photos). It will be easier for you to cut wider strips in the case of thin fabric shirts and narrower ones, in the case of thicker fabrics. For the most common, you can use a measurement of around 2″.
You can also join two pieces of fabric of different colors by cutting an opening in one of them and passing the end of the other inside, as you can see in the photo above.
Then, roll each color into a ball, as if you were going to knit.
3. Arm your loom. For this you can use a hula hoop or, if you don’t have one, you can make a mold out of cardboard.
In the case of cardboard, you should draw a circle as big as you want your rug to be. Then, divide the circle into equal parts and then into 10 degree segments. Cut it but leave about 2″ all the way around to make small slits for the yarn to pass through.
If you choose the hula hoop instead, you will probably need tape or clips to secure the thread at the beginning.
4. In both cases you must go through a thicker wool or thread as a support and guide. All the strips should cross in the center and be tied at the ends. Then, choose a direction and begin to “weave” going over and under, as if forming a chain (guide yourself in the photographs).
5. Continue adding yarn and weaving. Try doing it by color to create a mandala look.
6. Once you’ve reached the end, tie a knot or sew the ends together to secure the assembly.
7. You can decorate with tassels or pompoms, tying them anywhere on your rug.
Pom poms can be made from thin strips of T-shirt yarn. You can make them with them in the same way as with wool.
Place your rug wherever you want and enjoy a shower of color in your home!