Braid-in (otherwise known as braided-in) rag rugging is a wonderful rug making technique for beginners. It requires next to no tools, no real assembly at the end (it's secured as you go along) and is mindfully repetitive. This style of rag rug making lends itself best to oval and circular rugs but can also be used to make other shapes with practice.
Here, we have pulled together everything you need into two beginner braid-in kits. Choose our "Basic Braid-In Rag Rug Kit", which includes the necessary tools and instructions to get going - perfect for those who already have fabric at home that they want to use up. Or, select our "Fabric-Inclusive Beginners' Braid-in Kit" if you want all the quality tools and instructions as well as the fabric to make your first braided-in rug.
Here's what is included:
Basic Braid-In Rag Rug Kit:
- A5 Visual Techniques Booklet - showing you step by step instructions and large, clear photos for how to make your first oval or circular braid-in rug as well as advice, troubleshooting and more. You can come back to this booklet time and time again to make as many rugs are you would like!
- 8 x Wooden Toothbrush Needles - these needles are used to thread the chunky strands of fabric through the braid loops as you work. Our Ragged Life toothbrush rug needles are made of hardwood and feature a large eye, perfect for threading up with long fabric strips to make braiding-in a doddle.
- 8 x Safety Pins - these are used as rudimentary stitch markers as you braid so you can keep track of where you are in the pattern.
Fabric-Inclusive Beginners' Braid-In Kit:
Our Fabric-Inclusive Braid-in Kit option includes all the items in our Basic Braid-in Rag Rug Kit plus:
- 6 x 250g balls of woollen blanket selvedge strips (in colours of your choice) - Blanket yarn, as we call it, comes pre-cut into the ideal width of strip for the braid-in technique, making it the ideal choice for those learning for the first time.
Buying the 6 balls of blanket yarn as part of this kit is an amazing deal as they each work out to be under £5 / 250g ball, which is cheaper than you'll find them anywhere else.
To take up this offer. Simply add a "Fabric-Inclusive Beginners' Braid-in Kit" to your basket, browse our range of blanket yarns on the Ragged Life Online Shop, add six 250g balls to the basket and once you check out, the price of the yarns will be subtracted off the total price.
Tips on choosing blanket yarns for the braid-in technique:
- Blanket yarns with less fringe and texture show the patterning and stitches better.
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Include some patterned yarns for interest and note that plain colours will stand out strongly.
- The larger the rug becomes, the more yarn you will need to complete one circumference. Choose multiple balls of one shade to make patterning easier for later in the rug - for example three balls of a neutral colour create a nice background for more exciting yarns to shine.
Find out more about the braid-in technique of rag rug making on our website here.
Unsure of anything? Get in touch - we're happy to help!
