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How to Fix an Unraveling Rug

After completing my DIY runner, I decided to try some of the fishing line on another rug project.

It might not be easy to see, but the rug was unraveling in several spots. This wasn’t an expensive rug originally, maybe $10. It was purchased at Home Goods and sat under a chair in the sunroom of our previous home. The chair legs had caught on the rug and started to cause some unraveling. Then we placed it in the entryway in our new home, and the door started catching those unraveled spots, making it worse.

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But inexpensive rug or not, I really like this rug… and wanted to try to figure out how to fix it.

The supplies were pretty simple, just like the runner.

  • Fishing line, similar to this {affiliate link}
  • Scissors
  • Sewing Needle
  • and the Rug!

I’d begin to fix each spot by smoothing and tucking the unraveled rug fibers into place. Then, with the sewing needle and fishing line, I’d sew that paint back together, repeatedly wrapping the fishing line around the loose fibers.

I tried to capture some detail shots for you, but that fishing line can be pretty hard to spot once it’s sewn. Here is one of the unraveled spots that have been fixed.

Now that the rug is unraveling, it doesn’t typically catch on the door. However, even if it does catch, and another spot begins to unravel eventually this is a really simple fix…. and I’ve got over 850 yards left of fishing line. So, I should be good for, oh, the next 15 years. 😉

I really like this round rug in our entry way. It adds some softness since it isn’t square or rectangular and has some playful, feminine detail in it’s design. A couple weeks ago I came across this post in my blog feed, from Kristin of the Hunted Interior. That rug from Serena and Lily is almost identical, though mine is smaller at about 3′ across instead of 5′ in diameter.

What is one of your favorite rugs? Have you ever had to repair one that you owned?