DIY T-SHIRT RUG

If you have a lot of old t-shirts and some serious down time, then this project is for you! A couple months ago, you would’ve found me on our living room floor every night– either making t-shirt yarn or crocheting. As it turns out, it’s a very therapeutic, mindless activity that you can do while watching “Million Dollar Listing New York.”

WHAT YOU NEED
old t-shirts
sewing scissors
crochet hook (I used a Boye N-10.00mm one from Jo-Ann Fabrics. It has a rubber handle, which seemed to be more comfy than the all aluminum ones.)

WHAT TO DO
1. Sort the t-shirts. Initially, I didn’t do this, but quickly realized I wanted some kind of color order, so I commissioned some helpers to do this little task.

2. Cut the t-shirts in 1″ strips to create your t-shirt yarn. Having sharp sewing scissors for this is an absolute must. It makes the cuts so much easier and expedites the whole process.

Disclaimer: I used a LOT more yarn than what is pictured above. But you get the idea!

3. Start crocheting. There are other online tutorials on how to do this, but I never learned the language of crocheting, like “1 SC in stitch, 2 SC in next stitch, repeat”– say WHAT?! So the online stuff didn’t really help. For me, it was a trial and error in the beginning. But once I got the stitch started, it’s just the same thing over and over again. Here’s a how-to video clip on the stitch and how to attach each t-shirt end to each other without using any knots! Yeah, that’s right. No knots!

4. Keep crocheting. And make whatever size you want. I wanted a big one because we had a LOT of old shirts (thanks for your donation, Mom!) and we needed a rug for the baby room.

5. Knot the end. (Ok, I guess you use one knot.) And wah-lah– you have yerself an area rug!

Mya loves playing on it because it’s “bumpy and comfy.” I personally wouldn’t put those two words together, but I’m glad she likes it. And I love how it looks in the nursery, so it’s given me the springing point to decorate the rest of the baby room! We have an Art Attack post coming your way on Monday, so get yourself ready to be inspired! Have a great weekend, e-rybody!