No sew rug braiding tutorial

Cutting T-shirt:

Before we started, of course, we need to cut the t-shirt(s) into stripes. The stripes can be 1 - 3 inches width. The width will determine the thickness of the final rug. The wider, of course, the thicker the rug be. It doesn't really matter how long your stripes be. Well, if you don't mind joining the stripes often, then you can cut your stripes shorter. I found that working with short stripes are easier. However, the join makes a bulk (if I didn't hide it properly). So, I would say decent length - the length you are comfortable to work with - is OK.

Step by step cutting t-shirt into stripes

After cutting the t-shirt into stripes, I also making a cut in the short edge (for joining stripes). I called it a connection eye.

Step by step cutting the connection 'eye'

Making the initial knot:

Before you start having fun braiding your rug, you need to make the initial knot.

Step by step making initial knot

Basic braiding step:

Now you are ready to start braiding your rug. If you know how to make a 4 thread braid, then you know how to braid your rug. If you don't, don't be discouraged. In the picture below, I will show you how to braid the rug step by step.

Step by step braiding

While braiding, keep attention to your tension. Try to keep your tension consistent to make a neat width stripe. Also working in a flat surface will help you maintain the flatness of the rug.

Joining stripes:

After braiding a while, you will reach the end of your stripe. Worry not. We are going to join the short stripe with a new stripe. Remember the connection eye we made earlier? We are going to use it now. How? Just follow these steps.

Step by step joining stripes

Making the first turn:

For an oval rug, stop when you reach half the length of the rug you want. For other shape, stop after you reach the desired width. Then, make a turn.

Step by step making a first turn

Making turn for non-oval rug:

If you are making an oval rug, then the rest of the step is not applied to your rug. If you are making a non-oval rug, then, you will likely need to make another turn. There are two kind of turn that you might use:

1. Straight edge turn. This turn will result in a straight edge. Of course, the straightness of the edge will also depend on the tension you applied when making the turn. The following first straight edge turn steps is the step to make straight turn when you reach the initial knot.

Step by step straight edge turn on initial knot

For the rest straight knot, follow these steps:

Step by step braiding straight turn

2. Slanted edge turn. This turn will result in a slanted down edge. The first 3 steps to make a slanted edge on the initial knot is similar to the straight turn on the initial knot. I didn't make a slanted edge turn on my rug so I don't have any picture. However, I will do my best to explain the steps.

Step by step slanted edge turn on initial knot

The rest slanted turn is similar to straight edge turn.

Step by step braiding slanted edge

Note: on the picture above, I skipped the last braid to make a bigger angle slanted edge. If you don't skip the last braid, you will still get a slanted edge in smaller angle (shown in the red box).

Adding braids:

When braiding customized shape rug, sometimes you will need to add some braid. These steps show how to add braid.

Step by step adding braids

Decreasing braids:

Of course, sometimes you also need to decrease the braid. It's really easy to decrease your braid. Once you braid till the desired width, make a turn (straight/slanted - depend on your design). On the step by step below, I made a slanted edge.

Step by step decreasing braid continued with slanted edge

Tips:

• When using different thickness of t-shirt, adjust the width of the t-shirt accordingly to have similar braid thickness in the end. using same width for thick and thin t-shirt will result in different bulkiness of the rug. Also it will make a little big challenging to keep the braid width similar.
• When cutting the connection 'eye', make sure that the width of the 'eye' is not too large or too small. Just enough to slip a stripe is enough.
• Either you are making oval or other shape rug, keep the width of your braid consistent for each column. If your stripe is thinner than the other stripe, you might need to loosen it more. If your stripe is thicker than other stripe, then you might need to tighten it up to keep the width of the stripe consistent.
• Work on a flat surface to help maintain the flatness of the rug.
• When joining stripes, try to hide it between braids or on the wrong side of the rug.
• When making a non-oval rug, be careful on adding/decreasing braids as well as making slanted edge. Pick right side and braid your design around the right edge.
• If you are using a t-shirt with printing, try to hide the print inside the stripe or between the braid.