Best Way To Make A Braided Oval Rug

Rugs have become essential in adding touches of elegance in most homes today. They come in a variety of different shapes, oval, square, rectangle, or you could even have it customized depending on how you want it to fit in your home. Braided rugs in particular are a choice of many.  It would blend in perfectly well in all motifs or style. With the many shapes available for braided rugs, oval seems to be the most popular choice. The reason might be because it could be placed almost anywhere in your house and it would complement very well with the decors in your home. 

Braided oval rugs are commonly placed in the dining area and/or the living room, but are also functional even for outdoor use. You could choose any one of the many designs and styles to fit in your home. You could either have the traditional southwestern design, oriental or you could have the modernized braided rugs. 

Many housewives in the country today braid rugs as a hobby or for business. You can easily do this too.  Making a braided rug is a great way to create a one of a kind area floor covering that will be custom to your space and color scheme. You don't have to settle for the usual. 

First, choose a design for your project.  You can find countless designs from magazines or by searching online shops that sell braided oval rugs.

Second, decide on your colors. Don’t be afraid to throw in a little contrasting color to add charm. You don’t want to go through all the work to make a braid rug only to have it turn out boring.

Next, you will need fabric, lots and lots of fabric. You don’t need to buy these.  This is a really good project for using up all of those scraps you have left over.

Since the function of a rug is to be used to wipe feet off and to walk on. If you choose a delicate fabric, your rug will also be delicate. Not a great attribute in a rug.  So use durable fabrics like denim, wool and cotton broadcloth.

In determining the length of your beginning base you need to do a little math. But don't panic, it’s really easy. You just need to subtract 2 feet from the length as your core.  Say you want a rug that is 3' x 2' for use in front of the kitchen sink. Subtract 2 from three and start with a one foot section. On the same note if you were making an 8' runner that is 2' wide, I would subtract 2 from 8 and begin with a 6' length as your core.

Now, this is where the fun starts.  Using the needle and thread, you will do some tapestry work.  Sew together three folded lengths of fabric. Three pieces for the braid is the minimum. You can actually use more but for a first time, I would recommend using three. 

Braid the fabric as you would braid anything, end over end. Continue doing this until you get near the end of your fabric length. Leave the end open to be able to attach the next fabric strips.

Start with a one foot length braided area lay out. This is your core. You will be working around this piece.

Wrap the fabric so it lays flat side by side to your core. Sew these together. The closer the stitches the stronger it will be. I would recommend about 1/8th inch spaces between stitches. Continue wrapping and sewing. Make sure the braids are laying flat next to each other.

When adding the next fabric strips, open the fabric you are working on and overlap the new fabric into it. Then fold it back up and continue sewing. Continue around until the rug is the desired size.

End by cutting off any excess fabric. Sew the ends into the side of the rug, tapering as you go so you don't have an abrupt ending to your rug.

One of the great things about making your own braided oval rug is that you decide when it is done. You may have started out with the idea of making a room size rug only to realize it would work perfectly well as a kitchen rug instead. That's ok.  Remember, you are the boss.