Reusable Bag Rug

Description

24″ x  36″ wide, made of strips of nonwoven polypropylene grocery bags.  Multicolor, perfect as a throw rug or furniture cover for pets since pet hair can be easily wiped off.  Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.  All profits go to charity on the reusable bag items.

Or if you’re feeling crafty, make your own rug:

MAKE YOUR OWN RUG!
Here are the steps to make your own reusable bag rug!

To make a 2 foot by 3 foot you’ll need the following:
– scissors
– at least 25 average size reusable bags that are NONcoated. Do not use the shiny coated bags, they’re too hard to braid. We’ll make those into something else in a different video.

Also handy to have:
– seam ripper
– crochet needle
– some clamps

Step 1 CUT THE BAGS
Cut your bags into strips of equal width and thickness as long as they can be. A good size strip is about as wide as the bag handles. And you can use the handles if you split them in half with your scissors or seam ripper.

Step 2 MAKE THE LENGTH OF THE RUG
Tie 3 of the strips together that are slightly different lengths into a single looseknot. Braid a typical 3 strand braid. Clamp them to something so you can make the braid tight. As you get to the end of your first strip, attach another strip using a square knot. To tie a square knot just think RIGHT over left, LEFT over right makes a knot that’s healthy and tight. And yes it works the other way but it doesn’t rhyme.
Keep braiding and adding more strips until you have the desired LENGTH of your rug. Tie your braid at the end together in another single knot like you did at the top, and don’t worry about how long the ends are, you’ll trim this all later.

Step 3 MAKE THE WIDTH OF THE RUG
Tie 3 more different length strips in a single knot. Lay these next to the first braid you just made. Push the left strip of your new threesome up through the first, closest loop of the first braid. You want it to come in from underneath. Then you’re going to take that strand and CROSS from the LEFT with it over your middle one. Then the farthest strand will CROSS from the RIGHT. Hold those two right ones together. Now you’ve got a new bottom strand underneath. THAT one you’re going to push up through the NEXT loop and (this is where the crochet needle would be handy) pull it through. Now that one that’s popped through it will be the new one that’s going to cross from the LEFT.

So Cross LEFT Cross RIGHT, hold those two together, now you have a new bottom one. Push it through the next open LOOP and pull it all TIGHT.
Cross LEFT Cross RIGHT, push it through the next LOOP and pull it all TIGHT.
Cross left, cross right, push it up and pull it all tight….
Cross left, cross right, push it up and pull it all tight….
And just keep repeating that.

Tie on additional length as the strips you are working on run short and tuck the knots that you’re making on the back side of your rug as you go along. A crochet needle works great to push those down. To avoid knots all in one area is WHY you stagger the length of the strips. At the end tie a single knot. Continue adding on 3 strand strips until you get the WIDTH of the rug you want.

STEP 4 CREATE THE FRINGE
When you’re all done braiding the rug width, you’ll create the fringe. To do this loosen a few of the single knots on one end and take 2 of the strips and tie those ends into a square knot. Remember right over left, left over right, makes a knot that’s healthy and tight. Take one of those first ones and tie another square knot to one of the single strips beside it. And keep using the new strip to tie the next one. Tie these tight and shape the rug as you go along. When you’re done you can trim everything up so that it’s all even at the ends and on the bottom side.

Try to keep your braids even and everything tight so that if your rug gets dirty you can throw it in the washer and not worry about it falling apart.