If you’ve ever had to scour the Internet for hours looking for the perfect rug, then you know what an uphill battle it can be. To find a rug that’s the right color, style, price and size, well…it’s a lot to ask for. When picking out a rug for our bedroom, I found some faux sheepskin rugs that I loved (and were majorly on sale), but there wasn’t a size that was big enough to cover the area I needed. I was about to close the tab and walk away defeated when I remembered that you can easily morph two rugs into one larger one!
Supplies:
–single-sided carpet seaming tape
-ruler
-marker
-fabric scissors
I placed the two rugs in the spot where I wanted the larger rug, overlapped them until I found the right overall measurement, and marked where they joined on the backing.
Then I took a long ruler and a marker and drew a straight line down both ends so I could cut the line with fabric scissors.
Once the lines were cut, I tucked the fluffy edges under, pushed the two halves together, and used the seaming tape to join the edges together. Some tape you need to iron to adhere to the backing, but this just needs a little downward pressure once applied (it’s really sticky). Flip your new rug right side up, and if it’s a shag rug, run your hands over the seam to fluff the fibers together.
Ahhh, so much better! This whole thing took about 15 minutes, so it was a pretty quick fix to my problem. I would say when it comes to hiding the joined seam, a shag or repeating pattern rug works best with this technique. You may not even have to cut the sides you want to join together if they already look seamless when side by side, but if you do need to cut the rug, make sure it’s the kind where the fibers are individually attached to a backing rather than woven together. If it’s a simple woven rug without a backing, it will quickly unravel once cut. Keep this tip in mind next time you need a rug larger or wider than what you can find! xo. Laura
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
39 Comments
I loved the idea! Sometimes we fail to buy a rug because of the size. I never thought that I could buy two and make my own big rug.
🙂
http://www.loveandeverythingblog.com
What a great idea! That room is gorgeous too by the way. So nicely decorated and designed! X
http://www.dizzymisselizabeth.co.uk
What brand of bedding is that? love!
May I ask where you got your bed frame? I’ve been scouring the internet for one just like it…
The kitten is my favourite 🙂
What an amazing idea! I definitely need something like this in our bedroom (we are renting and the carpet is gross to say the least).
Thank you for sharing!! <3
Tahana
http://tahanalee.blogspot.com.au
Alright I think the two of you are just geniuses! Love this idea! =)
Thanks for this post, I’m thinking about it since long. I’m desperately seeking a contemporary large square rug but can’t find the perfect one.
I’m still trying to figure how I could assemble those two ones : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10229035/ for which I crave.
http://www.befrenchie.fr/
This is such a wonderful idea! I need a new one for my bedroom, and this could would work perfectly! I had almost given up hope on finding a large enough one in my budget for now. Thank you!
https://allthingsrenee.com/
This is bloody brilliant!
http://alexinwanderlust.blogspot.com.au/
Very clever. Much easier than the binding we do for odd size rugs, esp. hallway runner. Wish we could do it this way. lol. nice job & looks great.
This is too perfect! Why haven’t I done this yet?
|D I A N A|
Such an awesome idea!
This is such an awesome idea! I would be terrified at the idea of cutting a rug though… I should get some better scissors 😉
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Genius! Thank you for sharing, there have been so many rugs I loved that were not the size I needed.
Also the cat sleeping in the first image is adorable!
http://dreamofadventures.blogspot.com/
Brilliant Idea!!..wish that tape is here in Malaysia
Sharing on my Weekend Spotlight series! It’s so pretty! Love it and the tutorial was so straightforward! xo laura
ID on the bedding? It is gorgeous! 🙂
Okay but HOW DO YOU KEEP IT LOOKING NICE. I have a tiny version of this exact rug and even though I’m a neat freak and all messes are carefully contained AND it’s in a place with low tragic, it did not take long before it started looking seriously gnarly and I can’t get it back to fluffy and awesome. How are you taking care of it?
Amazing idea! I saw something similar just the other day and I think this looks wonderful. Well done, thanks for sharing!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
I like this idea. I was never a fan of carpet and rugs, but I think I’ve only ever imagined the old-fashion ones (and not the good kind of old-fashion – let’s call it: outdated) I used to see at my aunt’s house. My husband and I are looking for a new place and I’m kind of hoping we’ll have a lot of floor space for a carpet of some sort.
Ha, I have two big shag rugs together to form a bigger rug, but I never thought of actually attaching them. How permanent is this? Because my rugs slip apart all the time and it drives me nuts, but I like the flexibility of being able to use them separately in the future if I want to!
Laura,
I would love to hear how you care for/clean your faux sheepskin- I have a couple of them in our bedroom, and also have kitties. Between the foot traffic and they pets, they seem to get dingy/ run down, and your can’t really vacuum them right? What do you do about keeping them clean and white and fluffy?!
Thanks!
Chrissy
Love this idea! Thank you for sharing
I love this idea! We are currently on the hunt for the perfect area rug for our living room, and I have passed up a number of really beautiful rugs because they were too small. This is so useful and creative! Thank you for posting!
Fabulous – I totally forgot you can do this…thanks for the reminder. Your rug looks great!
http://doodlet.me/
Thanks! You can find it here:
https://society6.com/product/on-the-wall3_duvet-cover#46=342
Laura 🙂
It’s the Tate bed from crate and barrel 🙂
Laura
Mine too! He’s on my lap right now 🙂
Laura
Thanks! You can find it here:
https://society6.com/product/on-the-wall3_duvet-cover#46=342
Laura 🙂
I don’t know yet! It’s still new 🙂
Laura
The tape is really sticky so it shouldn’t come apart by itself but you can rip the tape off whenever you like!
Laura
I don’t know yet! These are still so new so not dirty yet. Let me know if you have any ideas!
Laura
This looks great http://www.hannamarielei.com
I had no idea such a product existed. Thanks for the intro. I have three rugs that I’ve been wanting to sew up into one long runner, but I’ve been putting off the project. This tape looks like a much easier (and less time-consuming) solution. I hope it’s strong enough for my purpose.
This is brilliant!! You can save so much money this way. Big area rugs are so expensive!
This is brilliant!! You can save so much money this way. Big area rugs are so expensive!
Olá!
Sou do Brasil e adoro o blog de vocês!!!!
Beijos!
I’m doing this next time I fall in love with a great rug. I’ve passed on a couple because of the size.
http://www.carlabethany.com