HOW TO MAKE A FOOT MAT FROM OLD CLOTHES

I learnt this years ago and thought someone may like it.

Recycled items are now everywhere. From water to toys and even household items, everyone has use for recycled items.  You would be glad to know there is a way of turning old clothes you don’t wear anymore into something useful for your home.

Oftentimes, you have old clothes you feel guilty about giving to charity because you have outworn them. Some of the time, you just want to keep seeing the fabric because you love it or it holds special memories for you. And wouldn’t it be nice to decongest your closet? There is a way to eat your cake and still have it!  You could turn your old clothes into a nice foot mat; just follow the simple steps below:

• Sort out old clothes from your wardrobe: Be careful to arrange them according to the durability of the fabric. The stronger fabrics will be needed for your foot mat.
• Soak them in detergent for thirty minutes: This is to re-ascertain their durability. Since the clothes are old, you don’t want them tearing in the process of making the foot mat.
• Wash, rinse and dry out: If you notice any of the clothes are tearing during this process, remove them and throw away.
•  Cut clean, old clothes into long, even shreds. Sew short shreds together to make them long so you can have a big mat at the end.
• Divide into three equal parts and weave together: Make sure the weave is strong and closely knit. To weave, hold the three parts in your hand and entwine them pulling tightly to ensure there is no space until the shred look like one long, tight lock of braid.
• Decide on the shape of the foot mat you want (square, circle etc.), and arrange woven clothes to form the shape. The longer the woven rope you have created, the bigger your foot mat.
• Use a long needle to sew into place. The needle should be a large one that would pass through the rows of the mat.
• Keep your foot mat at the edge of your bed. And enjoy seeing your old clothes in a new form.

Your foot mat may not be factory perfect, but you have achieved two things; keeping your old clothes without having them turn to nuisances in your house, and making your environment friendlier through the recycling.

By Sinmisola Ogúnyinka