Make-Do Monday: T-Shirt Rag Rugs

At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via Linky Tools (aka MckLinky). Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the Linky list.

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My Make-Do for this week:

(More from our July 1 to 6, 2010 TERT Weekend)

So I was reminded during our June TERT weekend this weekend that our floors in the trailer get quite cold when it is cold outside.  My feet were freezing in June.  I needed to protect our feet from the cold.

So I decided I needed to come up with some rugs, but rag rugs would cost me too much.  Even though they are quite cheap, anything that costs money it too much for me/us right now.

So it was time to innovate, recycle and create.

I had a bag of cloths that were heading to the second hand store- DI in our area.  I looked in the bag and found 7 t-shirts that were not in tip top condition.  I put them aside and looked for a large crochet hook.  Then I proceeded to tear the shirts and make strips.  I later found out that tearing was nice, but I often had strips that were of different widths.  Which is fine or not fine depending on the end results you are looking for.

I later decided to cut the strips and make more uniform pieces that kept the rug more consistent.  On this first rug, I used up every inch of the shirts that were usable, that left only the collars, buttons and button hole areas.  The first rug is the one at the top with the red in it and with the plastic bag on it.  This rug goes in the kitchen in front of the stove and up to the kitchen sink.  I made this rug in about 4 hours while listening to TV back in June.

The next three rugs were made in July at camp while relaxing in my reclining chair next to the fire pit.  My favorite spot in the camp ground.

This rug was the first I made at camp.  I put it in front of the refrigerator.  Now the kitchen walking areas are complete with rag rugs.  I am thinking about making one for under the dinette, but won't be doing that for a while.

This rug is just inside the door into the trailer.  We have had a piece of carpet there, oh look- you can see the carpet piece under the rug!  At camp I moved the carpet scrap to the outside at the bottom of the trailer steps. 

The last rug is the bathroom rug.  I made it a little different.  First I went back and forth in rows and then I went around the outside until it was the size I needed.  I like this one best.  This photo is showing it weird, I didn't think that the bottom left corner was that distorted.  I think it needs to be pulled and stretched and it will be fine. 

When I took the photo, I was in a hurry and it was hot and stuffy in the trailer.  We were having a 95 degree day and inside the trailer was much hotter.  I wanted out!  

So I just snapped the photo and didn't bother to put the blanket and water bottle back in the tub.  We keep extra blankets in the tub.  

We also keep extra water in the tub in bottles.  Some of this water is used to rinse the potty if the water pump is not turned on.  The switch for the pump is in the kitchen and sometimes we forget to turn it on before we use the potty and if we are alone, we don't have anyone to switch it on for us.  

T-shirt rag rugs are great.  They are recycled.  Easy to construct.  Free- no cost.  Washable! just throw them in the washer.  A great Make-Do for sure!