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How to Crochet with Fabric
comments (12) July 9th, 2008
In addition to crocheting, I love to sew. I also love to buy fabric. I try to keep it in check (I pride myself on doing a decent job on that front) but I still end up with fabrics that I just don't see myself using--from gifts, swaps, or leftover projects. Now, I convert these scraps (and old clothing) into bath or kitchen rugs via crochet, and you can too! All you'll need to do is cut the fabric into strips and roll it into a ball so you can crochet with it as you would any other yarn. It's easiest to work with large pieces like sheets, duvet covers and yardage, but you can also cut up old shirts and tees to use as yarn.
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To get started, cut across your fabric piece from selvedge (or edge) to selvedge, leaving 1 or 2 inches uncut at either edge. |
To prevent having a lot of knots in your "yarn", cut the fabric in a zig zag. Start at the left side and cut about 3/4" to 1" up from the bottom across the length of the fabric, stopping short of the edge. Next, make a cut 1" up from your previous cut starting at the right side and continuing to the left edge. Continue to cut your fabric in this manner. You can start winding it as you go so that the strips wont' get tangled. If you're cutting up a tee or other cylindrical objects, just make a cut perpendicular to the hem and cut in a spiral from the bottom up.
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Get more crochet projects: • How to Crochet a Flower • Crochet Autumn Leaves to Decorate Your Table • How to Patch a Hole with Crochet • How to Crochet the Bobble Stitch |
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You may find it easier to tear your fabric into strips. |
If you have a large piece of fabric, you can also try tearing it into strips. This is the method I generally use (it's faster, less work for the hands, and cheaper than therapy!). Just start with a small snip with your scissors on the grain line of the fabric and tear it across till you almost reach the other side. Then make another snip about 1" away, paralell to your first tear and tear it in the other direction (creating the same zig zag as the cutting photo illustrates in the first step). The fabric should tear easily--if it doesn't, you might be off grain. Tearing won't work for knit fabrics (like t-shirts), and some fabrics will shred more than others, making them more ideal for cutting. You will have to pull out all of the tangled threads that happen when you tear the fabric-- if that bothers you, stick with cutting your fabric.
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Here's the difference between a ball of torn fabric (left) and cut fabric (right). The torn fabric will shred a little bit and have fringed edges. |
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Comments (12)
Thank you for great information,looking forward to trying these.
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