DIY Bath Mat

I have been working on a really cool diy/repurposing project.  I had a really ragged bathmat, the kind just made out of terry cloth.  It had thin parts in it, even holes.  I decided to try a technique I discovered a couple of years ago by taking other terry towels and sewing strips on top of the old bath mat.  I love the way it turned out!  From start to finish, it was about 6 hours. 

 

Here are the step by steps...

I bought two inexpensive towels from the clearance shelves at a big box retailer.  I paid $2 for each towel.  The project takes two larger towels. 

 

I cut each towel into strips about 1.5 inches wide but you can go wider or more narrow depending on your style and preference.   The beauty of this step is that you don't have to be accurate or completely straight! 

 

You begin anywhere on the mat, even in the middle is fine.  Just start free forming the strips, gathering and puckering slightly as you hand sew each strip to the existing mat.  I did a couple of flowers and went in circles but you could just go back and forth with straight lines instead of the wavy, free form.  Just use a needle and thread with a running stitch.

 

Voila!!  I love the finished product.  It is thick and the texture adds so much interest to an otherwise boring bath mat! 

 

This is such a fun technique and can be used to embellish all sorts of things!  Your imagination is the only limit.   Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!