How to Make a Braided Beach Towel Rug

by Patti @Hearth and Vine

3 Materials

$15

2 Hours

Easy

I found this cute beach towel at a discount store and thought it would make a nice cushy rug for the bathroom. Using an old tried buy true method of rag rugs, I decided to go ahead and see just how big a rug would be with just one beach towel. The end result was in approx. 20 inches round.

Pretty cute, huh? It's mostly hand-sewn and is definitely a project that a teen could make.

This is the beach towel. It measured approximately 30 inches wide by 60 inches long.

To make the rug you need to cut the towel up into strips. I made mine two inches wide. Sew three together at one end. I used a sewing machine here but you could hand sew this part.

Next fold the raw edges under and begin to make a braid. Then sew the end of the braid together.

When you are done with all of your braids begin to make the coil for the rug. Here you need to hand sew the coil from the back side to keep it in place.

Finally, I decided to use some rubber drawer liner as a backing so the rug doesn't slide around on the tile floor. I used fabric glue to attach the liner to the rug.

A fun summer craft. If you enjoyed this project you may be interested in some of my other fun DIY projects on Hearth and Vine.

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 4 questions

Debbie Westgate- Guyot-Sliwa on Jun 18, 2017

I'm guessing you could throw this in the washer, but what about the glued on liner?

1
Lin on Jun 18, 2017

Did you have 5 sets of 2" wide strips (6 x 5 =30, the width of the towel) and then sew them all together at the ends to make the braid longer?

1
Nan11453326 on Jul 02, 2017

Do you think the braids can be sewn together on the machine with a wide zigzag stitch? I've done fabric covered rope baskets this way and wonder if i machine zigzag will hold the braids together.

1

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2 of 19 comments

Heather on Jul 17, 2017

Love this

1 Reply
Sue on Mar 24, 2022

I was taught to braid rugs as you do like you’re crocheting with a hook I like this better. Looks easier.

2 Reply