How to make a colourful Hula Hoop Rug!

Transform your old T-shirts into an amazing woven rug! 

*Please make sure they are OLD t-shirts!*

When you read the instructions you may be a little confused, but combine them with the step by step pictures and you will understand easily!

1. For the ‘warp’, cut 1 inch wide (2.5 cm) loops from the bodies of one or two t-shirts (we found a boy’s large t-shirt worked best on our 33-inch hoop), removing the hem and stopping at the sleeves. Ideally these loops should all be the same colour though if they aren’t do not worry, as it will add to the rugs uniqueness! You’ll need a total of 11 loops.
2. For the ‘weft’, cut at least 50 loops from the remaining t-shirts.
3. Stretch one ‘warp’ loop over the hula hoop, as shown.
4. Add and secure a second loop, perpendicular to the first.
5. Repeat, filling in the spaces, until all 11 loops are in place.
6. Push together two ‘warp’ loops at the top of the hula hoop, as shown. This creates an odd number of ‘warp’ spokes in your wheel, which allows the over-under pattern of the ‘weft’ to alternate with each new row.
7. Secure the first ‘weft’ loop to the centre of one of the ‘warp’ spokes (we used the doubled spoke from step 5) by wrapping it around the ‘warp’ and then looping it back through itself.
8. Begin weaving the ‘weft’ over and under the ‘warp’ spokes, forming a tight spiral. For now, treat both parts of each ‘warp’ spoke as a single unit, weaving over or under the two together. As you work, push the ‘weft’ material toward the center of the hoop and keep it just snug. If you pull the ‘weft’ tight, the rug will develop lumps or bends. When you reach the end of the piece of ‘weft’, add a new loop by threading it through the end of the first and back through itself.
9. When your rug is about 8 inches (20 cm) across, begin treating each ‘warp’ spoke as two individual strips instead of a single unit, weaving over or under each strand instead of going over or under the doubled spoke. This increases the number of ‘warp’ spokes, improving the structure of the rug. When you get to the two ‘warp’ spokes that you pushed together at the top of the loom, separate them. Treat ‘one’ of the spokes as two individual strips, but continue to treat the other as a single spoke. This maintains the odd number of ‘warp’ spokes.
10. When the rug is the size you want, but no closer than 8 inches (20 cm) from the edge of the hula hoop, snip open your ‘weft’ loop. Tie the ends around a ‘warp’ spoke and tuck the ends into the rug.
11. Cut the ‘warp’ spokes off the hoop one at a time.
12. Tie the ends in pairs, then trim them to make a fringe or tuck them back into the rug.
13. Hey presto, you have a colourful Hula Hoop Rug!

The step by step photos below will help make the Hula Hoop Rug even easier to make!