My blog friend Gabrielle, of i.craft@BeeWise, was inspired to make some fabric rugs based on an article she had read.  She thought that the coffee bags that I had used to make my Coffee Bag Apron Tutorial would make a unique rug.  A collaboration was born and we each headed off to our respective sewing rooms and we were thrilled with the outcome!

I had developed my apron tutorial in association with Donkee House.  Her Etsy shop has a fantastic selection of coffee bags with interesting motifs.

So I dug out some bags and set to work.

Supplies:

– 1 coffee bag/sack (will produce two rugs)
– thread
– Fiber Lok Non Skid Rug Backing

Steps:

1. Cut coffee bag in half to create the largest rectangle possible.

2.  If the bag has a motif that appears to be centered find and mark the center.  (Some motifs are not centered.)

3.  Mark equal distances from the center point to the sides.  (Along the longer side.)

4.  Draw a line along the grain of the burlap weave.

5.  The short sides will be fringed.  Mark the short sides three inches from the edge.

You now have an intersection at each of the corners.

6.  Cut away the corner rectangle at the intersection.

This is what your bag should look like at this point.

7.  Serge along the long sides of the bag.  I used a small stitch length to ensure that the loose weave of the bag was secure.  If you do not have a serger you can use a zig zag stitch or bind the rug with bias tape.

8.Fold the serged edge to the underside of the bag along the marked line and press.

9.  Prepare your sewing machine to sew around the bag.  I set my Singer to a wide zig zag stitch
and a small stitch length.  I wanted to make the weave of the rug as secure as possible.

10.  Sew the pressed edge using the zig zag stitch so that the left swing of the needle goes just beyond the serged edge.

When you reach the shorter end of the bag, where the fringe will be, stop sewing and leave the needle down in the fabric.  Turn and continue to sew.  At this point, your marking pen is on the opposite side, but you can simply follow the grain of the fabric weave across to the other side.  Continue sewing around the complete rectangle of the bag.

11.  Remove the marking pen with a damp cloth.

12.  On the short ends of the bag, remove the cross fibers to create the fringe.

If your rug is going to be used in an area where it may slide, you can either use a simple Non-Slip Rug Pad or apply this Non Skid Rug Backing.  I have tried both and prefer the Rug Backing.  I purchased mine from Wal Mart and received it very quickly with their Site to Store program but you can check other online sources for this product.  I applied one coat with a paintbrush and allowed it to dry.  It works very well and is washable.

My rug is in front of my sink.  I like to have a rug there to catch spills and drips that occur between the sink and the dishwasher.  I’ve already dropped spaghetti sauce on mine and it wiped up beautifully with a damp rag.

Gabrielle has a video tutorial posted on her blog, so be sure to check it out.

Visit Donkee House to see the amazing selection of coffee bags and have fun making your own rug! For those of you who are less adventurous, both Gabrielle and I will be selling these rugs in our Etsy shops  Visit Maiden Jane or i.craft@BeeWiseBags to see the selection we have.  Or, pick out a rug that you like and I’ll make one to order.