Spring will soon be here and with that comes wetter weather. The snow and ice melts and rain rolls in to give us all of the lovely spring plants to enjoy. This can create quite a mess in the house if you don’t have a proper spot to stick your muddy shoes. Rugs are a great thing to have near the door to drop your shoes and making them out of recycled materials makes them even better. Here are five rugs that you can make to help keep your home clean during the wet and muddy months ahead.
1. Plastic Bag Rug
Over on Instructables, there is a great how-to on creating a braided rug using plastic bags. This is a great alternative to creating plastic bag “fabric” and you can make this any size to fit your needs.
Next >> Denim Scraps Rug
2. Denim Scraps Rug
Waistbands, inseams, and hem cuffs are all common leftovers when you reuse jeans in other projects. Put all those pieces to use with this denim scraps rug found on Instructables. It’s great to find a project that utilizes every last scrap from an item.
Next >> Coffee Bag Rug
3. Coffee Bag Rug
This fantastic project, found on Maiden Jane, turns a simple coffee bag into a unique and durable rug. Your local coffee shop or coffee roaster usually has some burlap coffee bags laying around they aren’t going to use anymore, so don’t be afraid to inquire.
Next >> Rope Rug
4. Rope Rug
Over on Summit Post, there is a thorough tutorial on creating a rope rug using recycled climbing rope. Any old rope will do as long as it’s long enough for the size you would like. This tutorial also shows you how to create a loom of sorts from a piece of scrap wood and nails.
Next >> Wine Cork Mat
5. Wine Cork Mat
This project, found on Crafty Nest, makes use of wine corks to create a simple bath mat. Even though it was created for use in the bathroom, it will easily translate into a doorway or foyer rug. Since this requires a good amount of corks, you may want to ask friends to save some for you or inquire at a local wine shop to see if they can save you some after they have tastings.
Have you created any rugs using any of these materials? What other recycled materials would make great rugs? I would love to hear some of your ideas and see some of your projects. Feel free to leave any comments or links.
[Spring image by dianecordell via Flickr Creative Commons, Plastic bag rug image via Instructables, Denim scraps rug image via Instructables, Coffee bag rug image via Maiden Jane, Rope rug image via Summit Post, Wine cork mat image via Crafty Nest]
Thank you for including my coffee sack rug! I’m off to check out the wine cork rug because I produce a lot of corks! I love all the ideas. I have a rope rug – but I purchased it. Next time I will make it! I make T Shirt Blankets and have lots of t shirt scraps and polar fleece. I’ve knitted a rug with the t shirt scraps. Now I’m going to try to knit with polar fleece strips. I think it will be soft for a bathroom rug. I’ll let you know how it goes as I plan to make a tutorial!