Braided rugs are simple and easy to make. In addition to this, these are cost-effective and let you choose everything according to your taste. By this, you can showcase your artistic side by styling your own braided rug.
However, making and designing all by yourself may overwhelm you at first, but the steps involved are super-easy if followed with utmost care and considering everything important. Apart from the procedure of braiding, there are certain points that are crucial to consider.
Therefore, this write-up includes everything that you need to know and is essential to make a note of.
Table of Contents
Everything that goes behind braided rugs
How did those strands of cloth get tangled in such a beautiful pattern? Well, it takes a lot of effort along with planning to get the desired result. Check below the multiple steps that work together to form an attractive piece.
Choosing Size and Design
The first and foremost step is to check the size you want to make since this will decide the other important things, such as the quantity of the material required to make the braided rug. Measure the area for which you wish to have the rug.
Braided rugs usually come in oval or round shapes, so accordingly, you may mark and measure how long you want to keep the rug. Also, if you’re trying this for the first time, then go for the oval rug because it is easier as compared to the round rug.
Choosing Material
The rug that lays flat and looks flat is the perfect one in terms of the material used and the construction. So, the material should be heavy in weight, or slightly medium weight will also be perfect for the rug. Wool and cotton are the ideal options in such a category.
Wool is soft and best known for its resiliency. It resists wear and tear well and lays flat on the ground. Similarly, cotton is soft and heavy, which makes a good durable rug. The material can be a plain solid color with or without any type of pattern.
To estimate the quantity needed, use the thumb rule, which says that about one pound is needed for each square foot of rug. So, according to the size of the rug you’re looking forward to making, measure the material required. If you’re using cotton, then slightly more material than the calculated one will be used.
Choosing Colors
The colors should be selected according to the interior. The colors can be in contrast to match walls, draperies, furniture, floor, etc. The rug can have more than one color. Color should also be selected on the basis of intensity, like bright or dull, or value, such as light or dark. Please note the former is related to the saturation of the hue, and the latter is related to different shades.
No matter how many colors you choose, one color should cover the major portion of the rug. For instance, if you’re using two colors, then one should be more than 50 percent, say 60%, or slightly more than that. The way colors are arranged in a braid greatly affects the flatness of the rug. Consider using one color in every braid. You can test this before starting the actual braiding of the rug.
Preparation
Before initiating the actual process, check all the material should be cleaned and pressed. The seams should be opening or cut off. The material is cut into strips of certain width which totally depend on the kind of material you’re using. The strips are then joined together with a bias seam.
After the strips are joined, the raw edges of the strips are folded inside and pressed. To keep the folded edges together, roll the strips on rolled magazine or mailing tube.
Braiding
It does not matter how many strands you use to make the braids; however, three strands are easy to make, and several-strand rugs are more firm and strong if they are made in long, straight form instead of oval or round ones. Make sure the braids are firm. Loose braids are stretched out very easily and badly.
To make a tight braid, use a heavy object such as a brick and place it on one end of the braid and stretch it back as you braid. Also, you can use strong support like a door knob. You can also use a safety pin or a clothespin to fasten the braid. These can also be used to hold the end of the braid when you want to leave work.
While fastening the braids together, if the rugs cup, then check that you might not be adding enough loops, but if it ripples, then there are too many loops joined. To add a new length of the thread, fix it to the old one with a square knot.
Remember that at the time of joining the braids together, the color change in the rug has to be at the corner curve of the rug in the diagonal direction. Do not add more joinings in one place, as it will result in a bulge in the rug.
How to know if the rug is braided perfectly?
After going through a lot of steps and preparation, one surely looks for feedback or certain assurance if the result is fine. Moreover, satisfaction after so much hard work matters. Check out the points given below to evaluate the finished braided rug.
- The rug is flat in terms of heaviness, and the colors are chosen.
- The braids are stiff and consistent all over the rug.
- The size and shape are fitting into the space perfectly.
- The colors are perfectly blending in the area, and all the different colors mix together well to give a good combination rug.
- The rug can be reversed.
Summing up
Braided rugs allow you to have multiple colors in a single rug, and that too with the feature of being reversible, which in turn gives more choices of colors to play with. Handmade rugs are a better option since you can choose everything according to your requirements.
Braided rugs bring warmness to the ambiance and spread positive and inviting vibes all around. If you’re starting to make your own braided rugs or have already started, check and consider the crucial points given above to make sure you’re going right and have included everything important in it.