How To // Extend Your Rug

In yesterday's post, I mentioned a simple DIY I recently completed for our work in progress dining area. Here at Holtwood House, we have somewhat of an odd space- not quite a room and more than a nook- off of the living room that we are planning on using as a secondary dining area. While I've always envisioned a fluffy white Moroccan rug in that area, our dwindling decorating budget forced me to consider more affordable substitutes- in this case the Flokati from IKEA. However, our space called for a rug somewhere in the neighborhood of 6x9, which if you're keeping track, would still cost me a pretty penny. A little creative thinking helped me turn three IKEA rugs into the size I needed for about half the price.

1. // Measure

I flipped the rugs over and measured off my cuts, lightly marking the back with a straight-edge and silver sharpie. A yardstick worked great for this.

2. // Cut 

Here's where I had a minor heart attack. I was sure that half-way through my first incision, the rug would completely fall to shreds. It didn't. 

3. // Sew

Once I had all my pieces cut, I began to piece them back together, creating the custom size I was looking for. Binding the rugs together was actually the easiest part. I used thick, cream colored embroidery thread and an embroidery needle and franken-stitched the two sides together.  You'll be amazed at how forgiving the shag on the other side can be. 

Our rug will eventually rest under a table, so it is not going to get a lot of foot traffic. You could also re-enforce the back with some carpet binding tape as well- tack it in a few areas and then go to town with the tape. But the method I used suited my needs perfectly and the hand-stitching went pretty fast actually. Total time for this project: 1.25 hours.

A little combing and fluffing will complete the final stage of this project, while our rug waits patiently for us to finally finish that table.  

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