Braided Blanket Rug

So, I grew up with braided rugs.  My grandmother made them from all of her sewing scraps.  There was always one on the floor of the kitchen or one of the bedrooms.  Nice and soft, a mish-mosh of faded colors that some how blended into very pleasing soft pastels.   They got completely abused by our family, our muddy shoes, the various pets, but somehow managed to last a good 50 years and never show dirt.  When I was called upon to warm up a family's new home on this Saturday's episode of Home Made Simple, of course a braided rug was the first thing to come to mind.   Do I sew, yes.  Do I have a truck full of fabric scraps to make a rug out of, no.  So, instead, I turned to old blankets.  I lucked upon a stash of fleece blankets for $3.00 a piece on Craigslist.  I snatched those puppies up!  They were all shades of khaki, cream and chocolate - a lovely palate for a rug!  After cutting those blankets into 3" strips, me.....okay, and a few others, spent some time braiding them into a rug.  The result is every bit as soft and durable as grandma's, a little more contemporary, and since I didn't have to save up fabric scraps for 10 years, a whole lot quicker!  For full instructions go towww.HomeMadeSimple.com and be sure to watch the rug come together on this Saturday's episode of Home Made Simple on OWN, 9a/8c.Happy Braiding!