The width of your strips determines the size of your yarn.
Cutting t shirts for rag rugs.
Make horizontal cuts across the t shirt stopping where the top half meets the bottom.
Next step is to prepare the t shirts by cutting them and turn them into yarn.
Only basic crochet skills are required to make this handy mat.
I haven t done that but i think i will.
Snip off the bottom hem and discard it.
Now you have the trunk of the shirt left which is a tube shaped piece of fabric.
I used a method that i found on youtube but i took some photos of this step for here.
If you know the basics of crocheting this project stitches up quickly.
Cut the strips wider for thin fabrics narrower for thick fabrics so the finished t shirt yarn stays at a consistent thickness.
1 inch horizontal strips will yield a bulky weight.
The trick here is to adjust the width of your t shirt strips.
This is how i do mine.
You ll only need one or two old t shirts some scissors to cut up your yarn with and a large crochet hook.
There are lots of different methods to do this that will still give you usable strips but i think this is the easiest way and uses as much of the t shirt as possible.
You can find the full step by ste.
You can crochet a sturdy machine washable rag rug from old t shirts after turning the shirts into soft and stretchy yarn.
You can also use this same technique to make t shirt yarn for knitting and crochet just look for t shirts without side seams and cut the strips about 1 wide.
If you re working with a flat sheet or pillowcase cut off bulky hems so you just have a piece of flat fabric.
Hi and thank you for your advice about cutting old t shirts into rags.
For most common t shirts 1 5 to 2 wide t shirt strips works great for t shirt yarn.
I like your idea about making them nice and neat though.
To use old shirts for rag strips cut off the bottom hem and cut across the garment near the armpits.
I do that too but actually go beyond t shirts and i cut up old sheets or any other soft material that i can use from old stuff.
Ideal as a bathmat or doormat that can go in the washing machine when it gets a bit dirty.
Cut off elastic or hems so the fabric lies flat.
A supplemental instruction video showing you how to cut old t shirts into strips perfect for making a braided t shirt rug.
I used 5 5 t shirts to make a rug that is approximately 18 in diameter but if you have more time and patience than i do or if you want a bigger rug you could use more shirts.
Cut the top of the t shirt off just under the armholes so you end up with a rectangular shape.