I would like to give braided rugs as gifts to some elderly people that just can't afford much of anything. I've seen them at garage sales but have never made one. I am hoping some1 here knows or has made some. Thanks yes I do give best answers a comment for all your help.
Dad always had Mom save bacon grease so we could use it when drilling holes in heavy iron and steel on the drill press out in the shop. It kept the bit cool while not lubricating the drill and preventing it from biting in to the steel. Braided rag rugs were common and one of my prized possessions is a very large rag rug made by one of my Grannies. My shirts were made from feed sacks and flour sacks. I got to choose which sack of flour or feed we bought at the General Mercantile if the sack was going to end up as a shirt for me. All used wood boards were always saved to be used on another project. Nails were pulled out and straightened on an anvil so they could be used again. Barbed wire was always saved to be used to repair a fence in the future. When we butchered a hog we found a use for everything but the oink. Old fence post, usually mesquite wood, were cut up for firewood. When chicken houses and cow barns and horse barns were cleaned out the hay and manure was spread on the fields to fertilize the crops. Canning jars were saved and reused next season. There were really not many things that were not saved until we found a good use for them. Nothing was ever replaced because something newer or better or faster came out. We waited until something wore out or was used up before we bought a new anything.
Are you determined that they must be *braided*? Similar can be crocheted from cloth strips. With braided rugs, the tedium of final stitching can be a roadblock to completion. In either case, the rugs may be rectangular rather than round or oval. The short edges/ends will have a fringe. With braided, the lengths are sewn together with carpet thread, often looping invisibly *between* strands rather than forcing the needle *through* strands. With crocheted, only the fringed ends will need to be stabilized.
