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I was having a hard time picking a rug to use in my new sewing room, when I came across these TÅNUM runners at Ikea (Sadly discontinued, but replaced with the
Rangstrup). They're made using leftover fabric (scraps!), from their bed linen collections. I loved the idea that they were made from scraps, and figured they'd be good at hiding threads and trimmings. Plus they're sort of low-volume! The only problem is the two available sizes (2'4"x5'x11" and 2'0"x2'11") were much too small for my room.
Then I remembered this idea I saw on
Apartment Therapy a few years ago, where someone had taken smaller rugs and stitched them together to create one big rug. I decided to try that! I took some photos of how exactly I made my rug to share too.
Materials:
- Runners or other small rugs
-
Cotton twine
- Metal
darning needles
- Clips (I used
Clover Wonder Clips)
- Scissors
1. Shop for your rugs. I used four runners* to create a rug that is 5'11"x9'x4". It's pretty close to a 9'x6' standard size, which meant it was easy to find a
rug pad that was a good fit.
*I used the TÅNUM runners from Ikea, which have unfortunately been discontinued.
Take a measuring tape with you when you shop and measure each one to ensure they are the same size. My first trip I bought four just based on the colors, and then realized they vary some in length. A few returns and another trip later and I ended up with four runners that were mostly the same size.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQt7iAJQH5inQy0LLdXmbK_wzn9afmSBHtT4OxWK-vGi_mtHxSTC0Fy9JVd7f68r9OImWtC2LaKfxqVgxiOK_H-S0Dlr-qMU4vfy4Q9NOBr75PbLjcaUUORZQODfRBe-I_WguqxWx-8vW/s1600/rug-tutorial-3.jpg)
2. Place the two rugs you're joining right sides together. Clip the rugs together at each end. Find the center and place a clip. Continue to find the center between the clips until the whole length is clipped together. This allows you to slightly stretch the rugs and ease them together if one is a little longer than the other.
3. Cut a long length of cotton twine, knotting one end. Leave a tail around 5" long so that it can easily be woven in when you're finished.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiB5PdDMWL0g2wu2RzzleRjMjnGtJNlGel86Uos7GWsvLMJAbRcjQNAMtnzLgC4cagBLcAk6xX5t5UbF7HifLpAbhQzj9d1Dc3kuBlJt33mNszTM2t1VEDiMvoJJD-Z2s0dcvVBP4s_xk/s1600/rug-tutorial-6.jpg)
4. Using a whipstitch, begin sewing the two rugs together along the edge. Don't pull the stitches too tight, you want the seam to be able to lay flat when you're finished. I found this method easier than trying to do it with both rugs flat.
5. When you run out of twine, make a knot and thread a new length. Continue stitching until you're done. Weave loose ends into the back of the rugs before trimming.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeALA9Gg4a3NIdIApiN2YJjBxsN-lEOrDs2fo2z575PmrBxUTnHzg5NZZK4FDS70KpG8YDafSJPZMVWccz7DIBK9GcHSWtK9ohT4nhwxUhbTMd8SIHBpPNCnHNxFlCBfxTCTOCEpVOgi7/s1600/rug-tutorial-7.jpg)
6. Pull the rugs flat and smooth with your hands. A good steam can also help relax the seams flat. I use
this steamer, it's great for steaming wrinkles out of quilts too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAE-R4lt8uksGEyolOLE7ZxmDf0yWFPB3igmP0HnUU9vUu3hUjnb9nakHWOG_sJ6PG4d6rOvUv-ZOtYuSCNf_btCTHb6clQta6uOCNURZDvOUoqOwlwylkbQoB5zWZm_Maz4a1pNBRcaqQ/s1600/rug-tutorial-1.jpg)
I'll admit, there a few spots where my seams are a bit lumpy, but I'm hopeful that they will relax with time. I'm really happy with the end result. I only spent $60 on the runners I used for this rug, which is pretty hard to beat considering the finished size of approx. 9'x6'!
Happy Crafting!