I have been wanting to make one of these for our home for quite sometime and I am finally making it happen this week. I like the idea of the braided rug because it is made from recycled material that I would otherwise throw away. Plus the rug has a unique, primitive charm about it. It is extra special because it is 100% homemade too!

The instructions I found were pretty confusing, eventually I was able to make it all come together. With my simple instructions you will be able to make your own braided rug now too!

Here are the easy instructions followed by a helpful video tutorial:

1. Get fabric & cut strips

Gather scrap fabric & old clothes, you can color coordinate them based upon the desired color scheme of your rug. I like using dark fabric colors. Using white or lighter colored fabric will only show dirt and look dirty faster. Next cut the fabric into strips that are about 1 inch wide, the longer your strips the less sewing you will need to do later. Just get as many strips as you can from the scrap fabric you have rounded up. Also, the accuracy of the strip width is not really a huge deal it is just a guideline. I am not good a cutting straight lines so my strips weren’t perfect. The condition of your strips will greatly impact the look and feel of your rug. If you don’t mind a rustic rag look then hack those strips up but if you want a neater look take care when cutting your strips so they are not jagged.

2. Join strips together

Now sew a few of your fabric strips together to form 3 longer strips. Each strip should be about 12 – 18 inches long for optimal braiding ease. Strips that are too long will tangle while you braid and that is pretty annoying, you’ll see this mistake in the demonstration video.

3. Begin braiding

Now tie a knot at the top edge of the strips to secure the three fabric strips together. You can rubber band the strips to a door handle, coat rack or whatever is convenient for you. You can begin braiding the three strips together like you would braid hair. When you get to the edges of the fabric strips (leave about 1-2 inches from the edge) pin the braid so it doesn’t come undone and sew additional strips on to the braided strips so you can braid more.

4. Rinse and repeat

Continue braiding and sewing strips on till the cows come home! Seriously though, you should continue till your braid is long enough to make the size rug you desire. This is lots of braiding and sewing! Every now and then do a test wind to see how much rug your braid huge braid will make. Use a clothes pin to secure your braided fabric while you do your test wind (like the video shows). Add more fabric strips and continue braiding if necessary.

5. Sew coiled braids to finish

When your braid is the desired length tie it off and get some thread and a needle. You will now begin sewing your braid in the shape you want it. Sew each braid coil till you have a rug in your desired shape! Trim excess string and fabric when you are done sewing and you’ll have your very own homemade braided rug. Mine is a permanent fixture in front of my washroom sink. Give it a try, its super easy and rewarding!

Instructional Video:

If you enjoyed this and would like more craft project inspiration you should check out some of my past projects here.

The post Making my own braided rug- Prairie Chic Craft Idea appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Tonight I came across a fun blog site that I was browsing. One of the articles posted was a tutorial on creating easy origami gift boxes. I thought this was a cute way for me to give some of my homemade goodies this holiday season. I was trying to learn the fold tonight and I used paper from the wasteful Victoria’s Secret catalogs. The boxes are actually really cute because of the catalog colors and print and the box is really easy to learn!

If you are trying to save money or if you just love to give homemade gifts consider recycling some of your piled up catalogs! Make some origami gift boxes and fill them with homemade goodies like truffles, bite sized cookies or fudge!

The post Homemade Gift Idea- Origami Treat Box appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

I want to encourage everyone to take some time to learn about the recycling today. If you have kids teach them about recycling too!

Did you know that “the average American discards 7.5 pounds of garbage every day”? So much of our garbage can be reused and it’s really a huge waste to just dispose of it when it can be recycled instead.

If you recycle at home you are taking a major step! There are many other ways you can help though. Do you pay attention to the packaging of products when you shop? Many types of plastic are not recyclable in our area so when we have the choice between many brands we try to only buy stuff that is in recyclable packaging. This sends a message to companies and it’s another way we reduce the amount of trash we produce!

Finding alternative uses for stuff you would normally throw away is another great way to recycle and eliminate trash production. We use our old kitty litter bins as planters in the garden and for storage of stuff. Milk jugs have many uses and you can even save those old plastic plant containers and reuse them in the garden! I plant my flowering bulbs in these and they are easier to dig up and the bulbs don’t get damaged!

Another way to celebrate today is to try some fun recycling crafts with your kids, these crafts use household products and are a great way to teach them about recycling and taking care of the environment!

How are you celebrating today and in what unique ways do you recycle? For more recycling information you can visit the National Recycling Coalition’s website.

The post November 15th- America Recycles Day! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

All you need is a jar of your choice. Think about the gift recipient and decide what theme you want to use to decorate the jar. Once the jar is decorated you can fill it with strips of paper that have meaningful things written on them. For a gratitude jar you would write all the things you can remember that you are thankful for. Things that happened long ago or that were forgotten are the most memorable and touching. This is a wonderfully personalized gift just like a message in a bottle gift, that will be cherished by the recipient for many years to come!

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