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Monday, February 24, 2014

Kitchen Chair Mats

My goal is to someday make my own braided wool rugs (or several) from recycled wool sweaters.  However, since I don't have a thrift store that sells wool sweaters for cheap, I will have to wait on that goal. Instead, I have made cotton braided chair covers for my kitchen chairs. I made one the first year I was married and then the scraps just sat in my closet. I pulled them out shortly after Martin was horned and made two more.  And finally, in January, I finished the fourth one. Yay.  I now have a semi-matching set. They make the seats more comfortable and I like the way they brighten up my kitchen.  


Do you know of anywhere that sells cheap wool sweaters (as in here is a bag of old wool sweaters that have holes in them and we were going to throw them away but you can have this whole garbage bag for a dollar)? 
Have you ever made braided rugs before? I thought it was relaxing, but it took much longer than i expected.  A lot more braided cloth goes into one mat than I thought.  

3 comments:

  1. very pretty

    ACTUALLY--My Grandma Smedberg made MANY wool braided rugs--some to sell as large as 9 ft by 12 ft for rooms. She did not use sweaters--she used wool fabric--old wool coats, skirts, etc cut into 2inch strips if I remember correctly and then pieced together on the bias like you would binding--she would make 2 inch rolls kind of like jelly rolls and when she had a good bit stocked she would begin the rug. she told me she always liked to put a little red in them-- She would fol the strips"inside" like double fold bias tape is folded as she braided. when I was about 10 I remember her showing me how but not sure I remember exactly how she started..

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    Replies
    1. I will take any old wool clothing. I wonder what thrift stores do with things that have holes in them. Those are some handy tips. I would love to make several rugs and give them away or sell them. That would be so fun.

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    2. If I ever get enough wool clothing stocked up, I will ask for your help.

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