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Monday, October 24, 2011

Repurposed T-Shirt Shag Mat Tutorial

Shag Mat
This project was a [time consuming] way to create a comfortable, cute mat for my toddler’s room using materials I had on hand.T-Shirt Shag Mat
Do you want to make one???
I started by cutting up t-shirts (you’ll need about 10) in the color scheme of his room. His room also has green in it, but I did not have any shirts in the “right” color of green, so I just used navy, gray, light blue, and white.
I made my strips 1 1/2” x 4”. Using a rotary cutter saves a lot of time.IMG_2782 IMG_2783
For the backing, I used a white standard-size pillow case. We seem to have an abundance of pillow cases in our linen closet, so we won’t miss this one! It was a little scratchy for my taste anyway.
Side note: my grandmother always called pillow cases “pillow slips”. I referred to it that way in college once and a few friends made fun of me for years! IMG_2784
Anyway, draw lines on the pillow case that are 1” apart. This will be the guide you use for sewing on the strips. Do not assume you can sew a straight line without a guide! IMG_2786
Start sewing on the strips!
To sew on the strips, pinch them in the middle. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each row. My rows run vertically so I could sew fewer strips per row. IMG_2785
Fold the strips over so that you don’t catch them in the next row of stitching. IMG_2787
Keep sewing rows of strips until you’ve completed the mat!
This will probably take a long time. You may have to cut more strips. I sure did.
Repurposed T-Shirt Shag Mat Tutorial
Up close: IMG_2864
I like how it turned out! I think it would make a great bathroom mat.
My husband made fun of me a bit for taking on this project. I think he wasn’t sure our toddler will use it, considering the little guy rarely sits down!

14 comments:

  1. What a great idea, even if time consuming. All materials are recycled, so nothing to be bought. I'm pinning this and adding it to my ever growing 'To Do' list.

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  2. Amazing... I love it!

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  3. This is great! It looks so comfy. Your little gut will grow and slow down a bit in a while. What a great place for him to sit to work on a puzzle or look at a book! I like the idea of using it for a bath mat as well because I'd bet it's very absorbent.

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  4. Thanks for all the great comments! Glad you like it:) It's a fun project!

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  5. Very cute!! Thanks for linking up to Totally Tutorial Tuesday.

    Jessica

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  6. I have been wanting to make one of these for a while. Yours turned out great!! Thanks for linking up to Totally Tutorials Tuesday!!

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  7. What a cozy and comfy mat. I love the repurposed t-shirts you used. Great idea! I would love for you to add this to my Inspiration Board {link party}. I know my readers would really be inspired. Hope to see you there.
    http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/2011/11/inspiration-board-link-party-22.html
    carolyn - homework

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  8. So cute! Bet it's super comfy too. Makes me want to dust off my sewing machine and give this project a try.

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  9. Thanks for linking up to Totally Tutorial Tuesdays. You were featured today!!http://measuredbytheheart.com/2011/11/fun-feature-fridays-114.html
    Thanks!!

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  10. What an awesome idea! I love these kinds of rugs! And now that I know how to make one, I am totally going to do one! Great tutorial! I am so happy to have you share this @ Show & Share, thank you!

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  11. beautiful! I think it looks fabulous, even if your toddler never uses it! :)

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  12. I have an actual rug EXACTLY like that.It ahs the exact same colors but its an actual made rug!And cute!

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  13. roughly how long did it take for you to make this?

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