The Home EC Teachers Daughter: Mending March

March is mend month (according to numerous craftsites I visit). So I was fiddling around in the apt trying to find stuff to mend when I cam across some material that reminded me of bath mats (someone had given me a pile of fabric). And well although I didn't mend anything I did make myself a nifty rug for my apartment! This tutorial can be used to mend rugs towels and other items that the edges may be fraying on (my beach towels will be next whenever I get some time for Me projects). Its also a good way to add some flair to a rug or a towel.

Rug Tutorial

Supplies
Rug material (this can be heavy woven furniture fabric/decor fabric)
Binding material (any kind of cotton fabric will do)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Iron and Ironing board.
Ruler
Thread (you will need two spools one that matches the binding the other that matches the rug)
Rotary Cutter (optional)

Note on materials. The amount of binding material will depend on how large of a rug you are planning to make. Mine took less than a 1/2 a yard of binding fabric to finish.

1. Cut your rug into the desired shape Squares and Rectangles are the easiest

2. Measure the edges of your rug (this will determine the amount of binding that will be needed)

3. Set rug aside set up iron and iron binding material. Next you want to cut strips which are 5 inches wide and as long as you can get them. you will need to cut enough to go around the edge of your rug plus 16 inches.

4. Next you want to prepare the binding. I cant take the credit of this Heather Bailey has a great binding tutorial that I used and think is really good so use her's if you like! Now you have you strips prepped you want to sew them together by making an L shape with the right sides together (too bad I didn't use fabric that had a very distinct wrong and right side hu?) This would be Step A and B of Heather's Tutorial. See the picture below as well. Next you are going to sew a diagonal from one edge to the other. In the picture I have drawn the diagonal to sew along.

5. you should now have a very very long strip of fabric. you will want to cut off the excess fabric from where you made your diagonal stitch and iron it flat
Right Side

Wrong Side Ironed

6. Now you need to fold the binding in half wrong sides together and iron it flat. Now you should have your binding done and we need to sew it on to your rug.

(finished edge is the fold line)

7. Now here is where Heather comes to help follow her directions to step L. I left about a 5 inch tail which is used in her tutorial to connect the binding all the way around the rug. USE A 1/2 inch seam allowance from the edge and the thread which matches the binding!

8. Once you done you want to re-thread your machine in the thread which matches the rug color.

9. Now you should be ready to flip the edge of your binding over to the back side of the rug. I start at the center of one side of the rug and fold the binding back it over to the back side. I fold under as I stitch the edges.

10. With the rug facing up you want to put the needle right at the edge of the binding but you don't want to sew the top binding down. The binding should be long enough on the back side so you are stitching it down and in place. Start sewing along the edge.

11. Corners. Now with the corner you will need to do a little back stitching. So stitch all the way to the corner on the edge you have folded under then back stitch about an inch. Next fold the edge you will be turning onto over and stitch forward to the corner again. Pivot and start to stitch down the new edge. Repeat for all 4 corners!