How to cut a rag rug?

Michelle Dodson
by Michelle Dodson

I have a rag rug that I absolutely love, but it's too big for the room I want to put it in. How can I cut it down without having it unravel? It's about 8 x 10 and I want to cut it almost in half.

  4 answers
  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Jun 16, 2019

    Hello Michelle,

    You could cut it in half and unthread a few rows and turn hem and sew it in to make it neat! But that rather depends on what sort of Rag Rug it is..........

  • Unexpected Elegance Unexpected Elegance on Jun 16, 2019

    I think you might be able to cut it a little larger than you want and then remove a few extra rows. Hopefully there will be enough fabric create a stitched end.

  • Linda Sikut Linda Sikut on Jun 16, 2019

    Hi Michelle,

    It depends on how it is made. If it's a commercial rug then most likely it will unravel. If it's a handmade one and you can figure out how it was made, you might be able to pull out stitches that are holding it together then add a new end. Doing the cross grain, will most likely be more difficult because you'll be cutting away the stitching that's holding it together. Could you get away with folding it in half and hiding the fold under furniture? That would keep the integrity of the stitching and you'll still have it if you move and have a bigger room.


    Some rag rugs are crocheted so you could slowly rip it back then finish it off IF you know how to crochet. Some rag rugs are braided so those are likely sewn together. Taking out with the grain wouldn't be bad, but again, going cross grain could make a mess. Some rag rugs are made with tufts of rags through mesh. If that's the case, you could cut it a little larger than you want then take out a row or 2 of the tufts by hand from the mesh, turn the cleared mesh under then finish it off, maybe with iron on tape. I hope this will help you figure out if you can still use it in that smaller space. Wishing you the best.

  • FrugalFamilyTimes.com FrugalFamilyTimes.com on Jun 16, 2019

    Can you share a photo? It really depends on how it’s made.