“That rug really tied the room together, did it not?”

If you don’t recognize that quote, those words were made famous in the movie the Big Lebowski. While the movie is a comedy and the quote is not meant to be taken seriously, it really does bring up a good point about rugs: they really complete the look of a room.

A rug makes any room just a little more cozy (since any room that is using a rug is on a hardwood floor). A rug makes the ground carpeted and soft, and makes the look of any room a little more personal.  This is especially true of a kids rug in a kids room.  While a hardwood floor may give a place a more elegant look, it also looks a little more rigid and formal, and that is not necessarily the look and feel you want for your living room.

Not only does the area rug make the living room more cozy, it can also add a lot of personality to a room that might otherwise be a little austere. The rug can be made to match the rest of the furniture, and some more expensive rugs can be one of the major centerpieces of the room. A classic example of a rug that is made to draw attention is the Persian rug. These rugs are extremely detailed and intricate, and sometimes made out of very fine materials like silk and sometimes are even embedded with jewelry. These rugs can cost several thousand dollars. Rare rugs that are considered ancient are auctioned off to collectors for several million dollars (in 2008 Christie’s sold one of these rugs for $4.45 million). Of course, if you have a million dollar rug, I doubt you would want it on your floor! Those are kept behind glass.

No matter what type of area rug you choose for your living room, remember that it really does tie the room together! So be sure to pick one that captures the mood and feel you want for your home.

Making area rag rugs isn’t just fun, its a tradition that has been around for several centuries. There are several ways to make a rug, but this article focuses how to make the rag rug. The cool thing about the rag rug is that it can be made from old clothing and fabric that is no longer used anymore. This includes old jeans, shirts, wool sweatshirts, towels, blankets, and so forth.

What you want to do is take your pile of cloths that you are going to use and start cutting them into long strips about 2 inches wide (the length doesn’t matter, but make them at least a foot long). Once you have a pile of strips, you are basically going to start joining the strips on each end and make lengthy connected strips of different colors. Make three of these total.

Now that you have three long strips, loop one end over the other two and make a knot. Then attach the tied end somewhere so you can start braiding the three strips until you get to the end where you knot it. Continue to braid until you have one long thick cord. Once you are this point, take the original end, and start sewing the end in on itself around in circles using a needle and yarn. Basically you will be winding a circle around the end that continues to weave around; at first it will start on your lap, but as it gets longer, you’ll eventually be working on it on the floor.

Once the cord runs out, if you are satisfied with the size of the area rag rug, just saw the end underneath the rug on the outer edge. If you want it to be bigger, simple make more of the braided cord and then attach it to the end. At the end of the process, the coloring pattern may surprise you, and family members will recognize little pieces or what clothes were used and where – that’s what makes making rag rugs so fun!