Pot Holder Area Rugs
I recently had a chance to attend a workshop where we learned how to make pot holder style area rugs. Chances are, when you were a kid you took bands of colored fabric and wrapped them around a plastic peg to make a colorful hand woven pot holder. As a child it was a fun craft project that you often gave to a parent. Now as an adult you can use that same technique and create a unique, one of a kind, area rug out of recycled materials = your worn out clothes.
C
rispina Ffrench created this technique and has been creating pot holder rugs for over 20 years. Crispina now teaches workshops out of her gorgeous converted church in Pittsfield, MA. She is a self-proclaimed recycling junkie. Whether reusing old sweater to create quilts, Christmas stockings, or area rugs, she doesn’t let any scrap of fabric go to waste. At the workshop I found the process remarkably easy, and as a side benefit, once you learn the basics, it even has a meditative quality.
The process is simple:
*Cut up your old clothes to create loops
*Hang loops on the appropriate size loom
*Weave loops
*Finish it off by weaving the ends together and off the loom
As an interior designer I see great potential in these rugs. The finished look would have great application in just about any non-formal room of your home. The overall look is causal but can go from country to modern in design. A few of the things I like most about these pot holder rugs are that you can make them any size you want, from a small mat to a 12 x 16 large area rug, and it uses all recycled materials.
The possibilities are endless with the look and feel of both color choices and materials. I chose to use a black, white and grey color scheme and used mostly T-shirts. My good friend 
Kris who took the class with me used mostly sweaters in neutral tones with pops of color woven throughout the rug. The completed projects as you can see are very different. In our class of about 10 students it was interesting to see how everyone took their rug in their own direction and each one was completely unique.
I enjoyed learning this new technique from Crispina. She was a great teacher, and I would recommend her workshops. I plan to continue to make these rugs in my spare time. I look forward to experimenting with the bits of scrap fabric that I have collected over the years from past interior design jobs.
I hope these new photos help answer some of the questions I have received about making the loom. I purchased this loom from Crispina after taken her class.
For more information on Crispina Ffrench and her rug-making classes, please see crispina.com .
Heather McManus
December 6, 2012
Jamie
25 Jan 2013I do not understand how you get the right amount of tension on each looper? Is it tied off as you go?
HeatherM
25 Jan 2013Hi! Thanks for reading my blog! I will do my best to answer your question, but its hard to describe this with words. Crispina Ffrench was a good teacher and I thought her workshop was her reasonable priced if you really want to learn more.
Its important to have material that are a little stretchy. It seems that cut up sweaters are a little easier to work with but T-shirts are good too. Its hard to get the exactly size loop to span your loom, so if you need to add another smaller loop, you do it by making a slip knot. When I made mine I used all T-shirts which are less stretchy and I made it very tight on the loom. In trying for perfection I made it a lot harder to get it off the loom because my tension was rather tight. It does look nice and orderly once it done though.
I hope that answered your question!
Keep check in, I promise to keep the creative ideas flowing in my blog.
Armando Neuner
3 Mar 2013I just want to tell you that I am beginner to blogging and site-building and honestly enjoyed your blog site. Most likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog post . You really come with remarkable well written articles. Thanks a lot for sharing with us your website page.
Ellen Moog
12 Apr 2013Yours is the best explanation I have seen!! 2 questions: 1. Do you actually sew the ends of each piece of fabric to make the loops? 2. Have you ever made a potholder rug using cord similar to macrame cords?
Thanks for your help.
Ellen from WA
HeatherM
12 Apr 2013Hi Ellen! I’m so glad you like it! When you use old clothes you don’t have to sew anything because you cut the shirt from the bottom into loops. But if you were using a length of fabric you would have to sew to create the loop. I hope that explains it.
I have never used macrame cords but I bet it work.
Happy Rug Making!
Heather
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phyllis
30 Dec 2013I just started to get into this with my daughter and we want to make a pot holder rug loom and rugs. She has been making scrap potholders out of t shirts and wanted to sew a bunch together to make a rug. So I just discovered that we could make a huge loom and make rugs…. But what I don’t understand is how to get the loops so big without tying knots… I tried tying pieces together, but then you get lumps where the knots are tied. How do you get pieces long enough to stretch the 3 or 4 feet to the other side of the loom without tying pieces of wool together? Or are you somehow tying a knot that is flat? Thank yoU!!
HeatherM
2 Jan 2014Hi Phyllis! The secret is to make a slip knot so 2 loops slip knot to make the right size(sometimes 3). That does make the knot area slightly more bulky but by the time you have a rug made there are a lot of them, so it all evens out and becomes pretty consistent.
Best
Heather
PS please send pics of your work I would love to see!
Betty
3 Mar 2014I cut my t-shirt strips in one continuous strip, the same method used ti make t-shirt yarn. Do a Google or YouTube search for the how to. Then use these strips and measure your needed length and knot or serge. The two ends together. You could also cut loops from some shirts and then take a strip and feed one end through the loop and measure extra length needed and serge ends together. I never use knots myself. Serging ends gives a flatter smoother rug!
HeatherM
3 Mar 2014Yes absolutely Betty! The knots are a quick, easy, no sew way to make the rug. Serging would be a nice way to flatten and get the size loops that you need. I would love to see photos of anyones work! Thanks Heather
Judie
18 May 2014This loks like fun. Can you give specifics on how to build a loom large enough for this type of project?
Lenore
1 Aug 2014Very energetic article, I liked that bit. Will there
be a part 2?
Tara
17 Aug 2014How do you make the loom? Is it just 2x4s with nails all around it? How close do you make the nails? This looks like fun.
HeatherM
18 Aug 2014Hi! I bought my loom but it looks pretty easy to make. When I have a minute free I will take a photo and post it for you. Basicly its 2×4 for the wood frame at what size you want to make your rug and then screws about an inch apart.
Thanks for reading 🙂
Heather
el poder de la mente
26 Aug 2014Pretty great post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and
wished to mention that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing on your feed and I hope
you write again very soon!
Msinaals
15 Sep 2014Awesome rug Heather McManus 🙂
MaryG
30 Sep 2014thanks for all your info! I have been saving sweaters and tshirts and am going to attempt to make a loom!
What size did you cut your tshirts and your friend her sweaters? I don’t want to cut the sweaters wrong as they are hard to come by without spending too much money! I am thinking around 2 inches but not sure if the screws are 1 inch apart….thanks for your help…. I am so excited to try this!
HeatherM
30 Sep 2014Hi! I think 2″- 3″ is best, 1″ would be too small. Best of Luck!
Heather
Taurean
12 Nov 2014Hi there! This is great stuff! Just finishing my first small t shirt rug, and used a cardboard box as the loom. I want to go big time now and make a wooden loom for an area rug. One thing I can’t get past is what to do with the tops of the t shirts! Seems a shame to just let them go to waste. Any tips? Thanks!
HeatherM
14 Nov 2014Hi! I am so glad this blog has inspired people to get creative! I would love to see your cardboard loom. I get asked a lot about how to make the loom. I bought one from Crippiana whose class I took to learn this so I can’t really give advice on that.
I know what you mean that it does seem a shame to waste the top of the t-shirts. My friend who introduced me to all this has been making “yarn” out of t-shirts and them weaving that into a poof. She learned the technique on-line, my guess Youtube. I will ask her to write me a little something to share any pictures she might have. Check back for more to answer your question soon 🙂
Heather
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Julie
1 Jan 2015Hi! I stumbled onto your site via Pinterest and the rug, but once here I just had to comment on your site. I love it! The color scheme and background graphic, the nice use of limited graphic objects…well, just everything! I am in the midst of redesigning my site and this is the overall look I am shooting for! Just something well made and nice to read/look at.
Also, am going to be trying out the rug project as well. I do remember these as kits that we always got at Christmas… I guess it was something to do with all that time off!
Elizabeth hijuelos b
18 Mar 2015I want to know if you give classes in Washington DC or in Mexico DF
HeatherMcManus
23 Mar 2015Sorry I don’t teach this. I took a class with Crispina.
Kristin
24 Mar 2015Here are potholder rug making instructions for sale (no sewing needed). Frame making instructions are included. https://www.etsy.com/listing/182819663/rug-making-how-to-make-a-rag-rug-weaving
susan
31 Mar 2015Thanks Kristin! I just ordered the instructions! I was a potholder queen when I wsa a kid, and make rugs now, so this new (old) technique is right up my alley!
I always thought this technique would make a nice rug, and we sure do have a lot of Tshirts! Win-win!
Thanks Heather, for posting this so I could see what a rug would look like (maybe after a bit of practice? LOL)
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Toby
30 Apr 2015If you’ve ever wondered why persian rugs are so expensive, it’s because just like the rugs in this post – they take time and they’re very personal and unique!
I really like that rug you’ve made actually. The colour is used well, it’s recycled and eco-friendly! Was this your first time making one?
HeatherMcManus
1 May 2015Hi Toby! Yes this was my first time. I love learning new things and when my crafty DIY friend found out about the class we signed up. The response to this blog has been amazing. I think going through the process of making anything gives you a respect for the craft of professional. I help clients purchase Persian rugs, and own a bunch myself. I have great respect for the labor of love that goes into making them, they to me are art pieces you can walk on.
Marlene Mead
20 May 2015Very interested in making a rug in this manner. I have been twinning rugs and have found they are very easy and relaxing to do.I put a fringe on them and they look great and it is an easy way to use some of my fabric stash. Very usable and washsble.
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Ilene
7 Sep 2015I make rag rugs-braided 2″ strips of tshirts braided and sewn in a circular direction. The size of the loom seems difficult. Just how big can you go? How far apart are the nails on the loom?
Heather McManus
13 Sep 2015Hi! You can go as big as you want. It will become harder to work with the bigger you go but 8 x 10 is do-able. The screws are are spaced about an inch a part. Hope that helps. Happy rug making.
Heather
Amy
11 Nov 2015When you are done weaving, how do you finish it off?
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Denise
28 Dec 2015Love your rug… Would like some info on the loom…didn’t see that mentioned in your post!… Thanks.
Denise
Kim Conover
5 Jan 2016I had been playing around with all my fabric scraps about 2 or 3 years ago and was just starting to make one of these rugs- I had built the frame and spaced out all the screws but after purchasing a 12″ plastic long loom at a thrift store just to try it and starting my first wool scarf, the proverbial light bulb went on and I headed back to my barn. I built two long looms with split 2×4’s- one is 34″ long and the other is just under 4′. I used big wooden pegs I already had and spaced them 1 1/4″ apart. I had already cut my fabric into strips- some of the thinner fabrics I cut a little wider and thinner for heavier fabrics. This was experimental- mixing the fabrics didn’t bother me but I chose not to use my tshirt yarn which I am saving for another project. Using long strips joined without sewing made it really easy and super fast. It has a crocheted look to it and is super thick and comfy looking. I’d like to do one in fleece scraps next- though I might just hit the remnant rack at joanns when it’s marked another 50% off! I can only imagine how cozy and plush that will turn out. I plan on a granny square pot holder rag rug in the near future but plan to make the squares only as big as an average tshirt loop will go and then join the squares for a large rug. It’s nice hearing about like-minded people and seeing the kinds of projects they’re working on. Great blog.
Joanne D
5 Sep 2016Kim,
Be careful with fleece rugs. They are VERY slippery on the floor.
Penny Z
31 May 2016I love this idea. We just bought a new house with a huge playroom. It has very thin carpeting and would cost thousands of dollars to replace it. It 18 x 32 As soon as we move in I’m going to make the frame.
Someone was asking what to do with the scraps. I just saw a post on pinterest on how to take a mesh rug pad and cut tee shirt fabric in 1 by 4 inch strips then tie them through the mesh squares to make a shag rug.
Mimi
15 Jul 2016I cut the top and sleeves of tee shirts into strips for shag type hooked/tied rug on mesh. Can use a larger piece of shirt top on your swiffer. Makes good dusting, shop and car wash rags. Also good for DH to use cleaning hunting rifle.
Joanne D
5 Sep 2016This looks so fun! I have been making t-shirt yarn baskets and rugs lately.
When I make the yarn, I cut off the bottom hem of the shirts and throw them in a box thinking they would be good for a potholder type rug at some point. I think if I seam them with a bias seam like making t-shirt yarn, then I could have strips the length I need. My new window porch will be done sometime this winter and a rug like this would be perfect!
Now I have the inspiration. Thank-you!