Tuesday 15 July 2014

hula hoop rug


One of the activities on our school holiday list this hula hoop rug. It is lovely and soft - and easy to make - though I think it is more of a mat than a rug. More pot-holder-for-a-bottom size than floor rug size.
 
We put the hula hoop rug on our list after seeing this on someone's Pinterest board. Who wouldn't be inspired by an activity that repurposes worn out t-shirts that are only good for the bin and uses a hula hoop to do it?
Photo from Spoonful.
We didn't actually have many t-shirts that weren't good for anything else but cutting up. I managed to round up two, which we used for the 'spokes' on the hula hoop. For our weaving we cut strips of jersey fabric purchased at the op shop for a nominal amount and then sewed the ends together to form loops.
I would recommend using the largest hula hoop you have (or can borrow. Call in any circus act contacts you have.) and making sure that it is not one that is made of reinforced cardboard. Only use the solid hula hoops, as anything else will bend with the tension of the 'spokes'. Also make sure that each 'spoke' goes through the centre of the hula hoop. You can see in the photo above that the middle of the 'spokes' should actually be a bit higher. If the centre of the 'spokes' is not in the middle it will reduce the maximum size of your rug.

The tutorial we followed had great step by step instructions. The tutorial uses a 33" (84cm) hoop; we used a 23" (59cm) hoop to yield a rug that is 16"(41cm) in diameter.
The rugs very quickly took shape.
Progress slowed a little as the weaving circle grew bigger.

 Keeping the 'over, under' pattern was not as easy as it sounds. Particularly when two, ten year old girls are chatting and giggling!
 I was concerned that we might not have enough strips of jersey fabric for weaving. The tutorial suggests a dozen t-shirts, but as we made our own loops out of yardage we just had to estimate.
 I didn't need to worry. We had so many that we will be able to make at least one more rug.
 The finished rugs.
 This is an excellent school holiday activity. It isn't one that can be undertaken on the spur of the moment, but if you plan ahead and collect your t-shirts (and source a hoop) you will have one day of the holidays sorted!

4 comments:

  1. That is so cool Jeneta!! What a fun giggly time your kids seemed to have had. Must file this clever idea away for my kiddos. Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  2. Wow Jeneta the girls did an awesome job it looks fantastic,thankyou for sharing.xx

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  3. How cool is that!! I love the way the girls were giggling as they made it!

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  4. What an amazing idea!
    Great Tute .. . Jeneta. Softer than the floor, keeps the floor clean, and can be rolled away unlike a bean bag! So glad the girls had fun . . Win Win!

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