Rags to Riches I

A finished rug.

I make all of my rag rugs from rags. I think it's ludicrous to use new fabric as rag, but I know plenty of people do. Clothing is too difficult to take apart (which I'm sure is why many people buy new fabric) so I use old sheets. They're conveniently rectangular, lots of yardage in a single piece, and easy to come across. A ripped sheet fits so perfectly into the, "too good to throw away, too bad to keep," category that people are happy to donate to me. As a general rule, two queen sized sheets will weave up to 15 square feet, with a pretty high margin of error.

Pro Tip: Pull out shower curtain so you don't get dye on it like I did.

I have professional grade fiber-reactive dyes, but they're finicky so for rag rugs I usually use Rit. Dump bottle in tub of water, ignore for a few hours, and then give a quick rinse. Easy peasy. The brilliant thing about dying fabric rather then yarn is that the washing machine can do all the heavy rinsing and washing for you. Just make sure to do an extra rinse afterwards to make sure there isn't any dye lingering in the drum.

The Long Part. The Very Long Part. 

What takes the longest is cutting fabric into strips. There are two main methods, ripping, and the rotary cutter. I recommend a rotary cutter as it can go through three or four layers at once and is therefore some what faster. Either way, wear a mask. Tiny fibers go EVERYWHERE and when I forget the mask I end up coughing and sneezing like it's 1914. The finished strips can be wound into balls, although for today I just tied them into bundles.