Twined Rugs with Taaniko Stitch

Taaniko/twined practice mat with craft yarn.

To add a little more design to the stripes of a regular twined rug, I tried to incorporate taaniko. This seems to work best with soft light fabrics or those that scrunch up well. Thick fabrics or wide strips create bulges and bulky edges. I am learning. 

Taaniko/twined practice mats with craft yarn.

Bobbie Irwin's book (see introduction post) explains how to use taaniko in twined rugs. I figured out that it is best to do the taaniko portion first because it will push the warps out wider than the twined rows. If you do the widest parts first you can adjust your twined rows accordingly for a straighter edge.

Twined rug with taaniko heart made of
recycled cotton kimonos and clothes.

Large twined rug. Taaniko design and twined rows.
Recycled silk kimonos, polyester warp. (2240 x1680cm)

Recycled silk kimono fabric carpet.
Twined and taaniko pattern detail. (100 x 40cm)

Tree of life taaniko design on twined rug.
Recycled silk kimono fabric and synthetic silks. (110 x60cm)

Twined rug using taaniko weave for central design. 130cm x 70cm. Cotton sheet warp woven with old cotton curtains, tablecloth, yukata and silk kimono.

Taaniko stitch for checkerboard and square design, then twining for the rest. The salmon color is from a beautiful silk kimono with gold threads in the white parts; the gray is a men's yukata and blue is from a light woolen men's kimono.

Final size about 80 cm x 50 cm. Used heavy garden twine for the warp.

Twined Rugs From Recycled Clothing

I've seen numerous websites for twined rugs where people purchase discounted yardage. I really want to promote re-using cloth that is bound for incineration. It is easy to buy a few meters of the colors you want to make the perfect rug but much more challenging and rewarding to figure out what to do with grandpa's old suit and the children's curtains!

Most of the carpets are about 100 cm x 50 or 60 cm. Doormat size.

Recycled silk men's kimonos, poly and cotton mix twined rug.

A lady gave me kimono panels, the printed pattern but it wasn't enough to make anything so I added a purple yukata and some red to pick up the colors in the print. It is a bit skinny: 60 x100 cm.

Detail of same direction weave to create pattern.

Detail of pretty kimono prints. Silk and cotton; cotton warp.

Recycled summer kimono fabric and cotton doormat. The edges got straighter after I stretched it out a bit.

Recycled woolens, twined rug. I used every warp for thinner pieces and every other warp for heavier wool strips so there is some variation in the design.

Silk and poly twined rug detail. Recycled kimono linings and women's blouses.

Twined rug from recycled clothes.

Twined rug from recycled
wool suits and flannel shirts.

First twined rug.
 Recycled sofa cover and kilt.

Large cotton twined rug.
All silk altar mat from recycled kimonos.

Twined kitchen mat from scraps of cotton.
Recycled shirts, summer dresses, blouses.

Large twined rug from cotton remnants.
Long (300cm x 50cm) twined carpet from family yukatas. Not my favorite colors but it is like a memory album of this family's old clothes!

Detail from twined rug made from old sheets and scraps from various clothes, shirts, yukata, aprons.

Colorful cotton bed sheets from the recycling bin and an old striped office shirt are re-purposed as a washable colorful bath mat. (100 x 65 cm)

Rug Twining - Intro

My favorite rug twining book is Twist & Twine by Bobbie Irwin. 

I thought this book was great not only for beginners but for more advanced rug makers as well. I use a rotary blade to cut strips if ripping isn't an option (like textured fabric, some wools, delicate silks). 

I used an old picture frame for my first loom. For my second longer rug, I nailed a row of finishing nails into two pieces of scrap wood and tied each piece to a heavy piece of furniture, stretching the warp the length! Finally, my husband built me a standing loom.

Standing rug loom.

Nails in scrap wood!

Large loom with cloth strips as warp.

 The vertical warp can be strips of cloth or heavy string or cord. The cloth strips work well if you are using wide strips of cotton or wool for a sturdy carpet. I found that heavy kite string was sufficient for all-silk carpets where the weaving strip is narrower. 

I collect used kimonos, yukatas, curtains, bedspreads, lap blankets and cloth remnants from friends, family and the rubbish bins. I launder them, cut or tear into strips and come up with a design.

Discarded kimono

Cut or torn strips (I do this outdoors to avoid the fine dust!)

Piles of cloth strips ready to use.

Toothbrush Rugs

Toothbrush rugs are easy and fun. I used a child's toothbrush because it had a hole in the handle. I whittled off the bristle end and expanded the hole in the handle. 

No looms or frames needed. 
These are very durable seat pads and carpets.

Recycled cotton curtain toothbrush rug, 1 meter diameter

Recycled cotton curtain toothbrush rug, detail

Recycled cotton bedspread, sarong cotton wraps. Toothbrush rug. 1 m.diam.

Recycled plaid school skirts, blue jeans and wool scarves. 1 m. diam.

Recycled sarong. Chair pad. Toothbrush rug.

Recycled summer kimono (yukata). Chair pads. Toothbrush rug.

Recycled silk kimonos. Toothbrush rug chair pad.

Cotton yukata repurposed into toothbrush rug seat pads.

Toothbrush rug seat pads using recycled denim and cotton kimono.

 

Toothbrush seat pad using plush fleece baby blanket and cotton/poly tablecloth for border.

The fleece blanket had a pastel design which comes out as varied colors in the finished weave.

Hooked Chair Pads

These 30 cm seat pads are made mostly from recycled fleece from old blankets and scarfs.

Recycled fleece hooked seat pad

Above,  the fleece had big polka dots that created a spotted pattern when the narrow strips were hooked. 

Below the background is made with a red plaid fleece, creating a mottled design. 

Recycled fleece hooked seat pad

The edges are whip stitched with yarn. I ran a length of cotton cord around the edge, turned the monk's cloth edge over the cord and whip-stitched it into place, leaving a nice border.

This hooked sampler was made using random wool strips left over from other projects. To use it as a small mat, I machine stitched the edges of the backing cloth and frayed the remainder to make a fringe. 

Hooked Chair Pad Using Recycled Silk

Hooked wool and silk chair pad.

I used remnants of old silk kimonos to fill in wool outlines on a 40 cm diameter seat pad with monk's cloth backing. The wool makes even borders while the silk makes soft wavy loops.

Hooked detail, silk