Originally I posted about the possibility of dying or screenprinting a rug. And those were options that were definitely in the running. Eventually though I decided that although I had confidence I could successfully lighten a rug and dye it somehow I wasn't sure I could do it in a way that would keep the dye from wearing off on people's feet/socks/shoes. I still contemplated the screenprinting idea but in the back of my mind I kept thinking about how little I liked the idea of using a flat woven rug.
Then I saw this entry on Apartment Therapy about using smaller (and thereby less expensive) rugs to create a larger one by sewing them together. I didn't much care for it at the time and I thought it looked sort of cheap. I knew I could do it but I didn't have much interest. Not too far after that though this was posted and I realized this idea could be done in a cool way. Like so:
So I now my focus became finding a small rug I could get multiple of and sew together.
My first thought was in regards to size. Usually the smallest size rug is around 2'x3'. I decided if I used nine rugs I could create a 6'x9' rug which would be a pretty good size. Then I started thinking about pattern. I knew solid rugs were out because if I wanted a solid rug I would have just bought one at IKEA and I also didn't really like the look of the visible stitching. For me the idea was to create something that looked like one large rug rather than a bunch put together although I can understand how some people might actively try to achieve a patchwork look.
I've bought some small rugs from Urban Outfitters in the past and they've exceeded my expectations. They have a lot of really fun patterns and colors and the prices are extremely reasonable. Also, they have a really great policy of taking anything bought online back in store so I figured if I ordered nine rugs that turned out to be awful I could easily return them without having to ship them back. And I would have to buy online because no store was going to have nine of the same rug for me. So that's where I began my search.
Since the whole point of this adventure was to not spend a ton of money and still get something awesome out of it I started off by sorting the rugs available by price, knowing I would need to be sticking near the top of that list. These are some of the rugs I liked best:
The first rug I realized wouldn't work because of the tufted edges. No matter how I did it there would be these weird random puffs. There will be more from that rug later though.
The next rug is adorable and I love the colors but I don't think this project is really meant to be done with this kind of print. There's just no way to make it work and not look stupid.
The last rug though was perfect. There are tufts on the edges but there are also tufts in the rug itself so I'm fairly certain when stitched together this won't look crazy. The pattern is a little Arizona motel for me but since the rest of my furniture is a lot more modern and I love the colors in the rug I think it will be okay.
That first rug that obviously wouldn't have worked for an area rug is really pretty. If you look at the close up there are some great colors in there. I wanted to do something with it but I don't really need anymore 2'x3' rugs. Then I remembered that I am acquiring an awesome hallway that's actually big enough to be an entry way of sorts and I'm pretty sure that hallway could use a runner.
It may take me awhile but expect pictures of these projects both in progress and when finished. Also photos of the new place will be here Wednesday!
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