Sometimes one wants to have a rest in between putting particular ideas and sketches into practice and create something simple and unobtrusive that does not require special pattern and lets your hands lay various threads and strands of wool out. A new bath rug was the very thing I needed.

I’d like to share with you what has come out.

I chose undyed fleece (Troitsk half-rough one) for the rug base. It is no secret for those who worked with the fleece that it’s good for felting as it deeply penetrates into any pattern. Sometimes it aims to «swallow it up» :)

That’s why I boldly twisted many thick cords of carded wool of different colours to make a ribbed effect and keep it. Also I put roving yarn between the twists (multicoloured strands). This roving yarn is a great thing.

The pattern took 2 or 3 days of leisurely laying out. If you wish, it may be made in one day, but I’m not a fan of overtraining. I threw about some banana threads. I really like the effect they produce in a ready item. I put some pieces of fleece (to felt it all surely), but that was just an extra reassurance.

All the rest is standard: cover the blank with a net, soap and rub threads, cords and all the rest into the base with your hands. Then fix the pattern with a vibro-grinding machine. Rub the surface into the base with your hands again, and yet without the net.

I turned it over and worked with the machine from the backside, pressed and rubbed it with my hands for a long, long time. When the pattern is fixed, you can proceed to the next step.

Rolling. Take a spade handle and twist the rug around it. Roll it many, many times. In all directions, from each side.

Then crumple, rub again, press, roll again. Different massagers and felting tools are put into use — to firm the felt. Go on until the blank shrinks up to the size you want.

Unfortunately, I didn’t shoot each step. Forgot it. And hands were always in soap :) But I think, those who have at least a little experience in felting, would understand what I mean.

It seems to me that my rug has shrunk by more than 30%. Again, I made no measurements as I had been absorbed by the process.

So that’s what I had after drying:

Actually, we could stop on it. But I wanted to try machine quilting. This was not even the first year I had been dreaming of it. And here’s a good pretex. Also, flat things are much easier to be quilted.

A couple of peaceful evenings and there’s the result:

The item lacked selvedge. I edged the rug with cotton.

Such a cute rug turned out! With a very nice massage effect :)

By the way, an amusing pattern came out on the backside:

And a photo in the bathroom. The quality isn’t great, though, one could see what has inspired me :)

That’s the experiment. Both rest for mind and a useful thing. I tried a new method, too. If I remember to take photos of my discoveries (which have been applied a thousand times before), I promise to share them.

That’s what it all started with. Me and my girls had planned to felt stool covers. We took many different threads-and-cords and put them all to use, combining with roving yarn and viscose. We took old stock USSR-made wool and turned this treasury into bright rugs for our atelier pleasing the eye.

Here are these lovely covers:

Below, there’s my first bedside rug. A couple of step-by-step photos and the ready one.

Undyed rough wool — for the base. Viscose, banana and roving yarn — for decor.

This is the ready rug:

That’s it, scrape the bottom of your felt barrel, add a dash of inspiration and fancy and make beautiful unique things for home with your own hands. Thank you for reading it all. Hope, anything would turn to be helpful :)

I wish you a sea of inspiration and much spring mood!