DIY: Sewing Room Scrap Rug

I was having a hard time picking a rug to use in my new sewing room, when I came across these TÅNUM runners at Ikea (Sadly discontinued, but replaced with the Rangstrup). They're made using leftover fabric (scraps!), from their bed linen collections. I loved the idea that they were made from scraps, and figured they'd be good at hiding threads and trimmings. Plus they're sort of low-volume! The only problem is the two available sizes (2'4"x5'x11" and 2'0"x2'11") were much too small for my room.

Then I remembered this idea I saw on Apartment Therapy a few years ago, where someone had taken smaller rugs and stitched them together to create one big rug. I decided to try that! I took some photos of how exactly I made my rug to share too.


Materials:
- Runners or other small rugs
- Cotton twine
- Metal darning needles
- Clips (I used Clover Wonder Clips)
- Scissors


1. Shop for your rugs. I used four runners* to create a rug that is 5'11"x9'x4". It's pretty close to a 9'x6' standard size, which meant it was easy to find a rug pad that was a good fit.

*I used the TÅNUM runners from Ikea, which have unfortunately been discontinued.

Take a measuring tape with you when you shop and measure each one to ensure they are the same size. My first trip I bought four just based on the colors, and then realized they vary some in length. A few returns and another trip later and I ended up with four runners that were mostly the same size.


2. Place the two rugs you're joining right sides together. Clip the rugs together at each end. Find the center and place a clip. Continue to find the center between the clips until the whole length is clipped together. This allows you to slightly stretch the rugs and ease them together if one is a little longer than the other.

3. Cut a long length of cotton twine, knotting one end. Leave a tail around 5" long so that it can easily be woven in when you're finished.


4. Using a whipstitch, begin sewing the two rugs together along the edge. Don't pull the stitches too tight, you want the seam to be able to lay flat when you're finished. I found this method easier than trying to do it with both rugs flat.

5. When you run out of twine, make a knot and thread a new length. Continue stitching until you're done. Weave loose ends into the back of the rugs before trimming.

6. Pull the rugs flat and smooth with your hands. A good steam can also help relax the seams flat. I use this steamer, it's great for steaming wrinkles out of quilts too.


I'll admit, there a few spots where my seams are a bit lumpy, but I'm hopeful that they will relax with time. I'm really happy with the end result. I only spent $60 on the runners I used for this rug, which is pretty hard to beat considering the finished size of approx. 9'x6'!

Happy Crafting!