I started with 6 sheets of different sizes that I bought at my local thrift store for $2.50 each. The sheets were green, yellow, orange, pink, floral, and red -- the red one turned out to be a tablecloth, I think, since it was not sheet size but was the same fabric. The sheets were all different sizes -- obviously you'll get more out of a double or queen-size sheet than a twin.
A few things I learned as I went along:
- After tearing the first sheet I decided I didn't like tearing. It was messy (tiny bits of fabric flying everywhere), created a lot of loose threads, and was noisy. Cutting the sheets into strips with sharp scissors works just fine and is a great mindless activity to do while you are doing something else like watching a child at a practice or listening to a podcast or watching a game/movie.
- My strips were about 1 1/2" in width and that seems to work well. I did not stress about keeping them even.
- After a while the rug will be too big to hold in your hands and work on comfortably so I took to sitting on it and working on it that way. This also helps you to see whether you are keeping it flat and need to increase or decrease your stitches. If the rug is curling up you need to increase -- try adding a stitch every 10 stitches and do that for a few rows. If the rug has curled up badly you may need to take out a row or two and start again. If the rug is kinda "bunchy" and you can't flatten it out easily then maybe you need to decrease a bit.
- When you put the rug on the floor you can flatten it out by spreading it with your hands from the center. It should lie flat. I expect I will have to put a rug gripper under it or maybe rug tape to keep it from slipping around. At the least you could hold it down with a furniture leg.
I love how colorful and fun this looks! And I think it will be very cozy on my daughter's sitting room floor.
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