You can use a rotary cutter and a cutting board to cut the strips but it is a lot of bother and adds, I believe, unnecessary expense. I wore many of rotary cutter blade out before deciding to just cut and pull. I think I saw the suggestion in a book - or did I remember my mom's advice.. not sure.., lots cheaper and I don't really lose that much fabric to threads.

Wash all fabrics before making strips - at least once. This isn't quite as important if they are true rags.

Did I mention that you have cut off the selvage before you  begin making the strips?

You can find books on making rag rugs. I suggest reading them.. look at your local library. I found the original suggestion in a book from the late 1960's - one of those old Better Housekeeping crochet books, I think.
 Many use wider strips or cut the strips on the Bias, etc..I would suggest that bias cut fabric would stretch too much. One thing a crocheted rug doesn't need is more reason to stretch.

Google "Rag Rugs" and you will come up with lots of resources. You can buy already cut fabrics on line at WEBS.com - I doubt profoundly that they are the only source - for me, the rag rugs are a way to save money ... if you have more money than time there are alternatives.

http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa092599.htm
 http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa100299.htm
http://vintagechica.typepad.com/the_life_and_times_of_thi/2006/10/rag_rug_tutoria.html
http://www.netw.com/~rafter4/
( very good site - I need to look it over, again, even has some videos! They have added new material. )

You can use cotton strips to crochet lots of things - even baskets ! Think about a cat or dog bed crocheted, or place mats ... or little hot mats for the table or well,... lots of uses.


An alternative to Rag Rugs are rugs in cheap cotton yarns in either size four (worsted) or larger - I have seen crocheted rugs in rope.. like sisal (can you imagine what that would do to your hands?) , though the cats would love the rug, wouldn't they? Sometimes you see this kind of rug in import stores. I would worry about keeping them clean... remember the cats?

You can actually USE rags - I suggest cotton but people make rugs out of all kinds of fabrics. I think cotton tee shirts & pantie hose are popular. I am seriously considering going to Good Will for some sheets .. you can vary color, experiment with fabrics, dye fabrics, etc.

I really don't know about yardage... just never worried about it because I use sheets mostly. I would suspect that there are several good sized sheets or about 15 yards of fabric in a medium sized rug (5-6 feet across), I usually just keep tearing and sewing until I have several big balls and then start crocheting. Tommorrow, for instance I am going through my fabric collection to see if I have any green fabric pieces I would like to get rid of... I also have the some green left, to sew.

 I don't bother with using clothes.. we are just two people and usually wear our clothes till they fall part - if you want to try, go ahead, again, think about Good Will or Salvation Army - I am considering getting old sheets and dying them .. I would like to see what I would get !

Blue Jeans may be a good source of fabric but I have never crocheted such a stiff fabric.
Look for sales at fabric stores - you can often find calicoes/cottons on sale for just a few dollars a yard. If you don't care about color, you can just about buy anything.

I also suggest Wal-Mart - they often have large fabric departments - look for sales at the end of seasons. I tried one Rayon - it looked great but it stretched too much.

The big lesson I have learned is to use two strands or 1 (2 inch) strand... 1 inch strand alone wears out too quickly and the rug doesn't weigh enough to stay stable. Think about constantly finding the rug bunched up because of playing cats or Gremlins or both ! I was just pretty much sick and tired of tripping up on a stretching rug.

Well, I am busy. I should be busy... the dishes from yesterday need washing and I am still working on the new rag rugs, but, well, rainy Mondays make me lazy.

 Here are some pictures of the process I go through making rugs.
I first tear the fabric in one inch strips by hand. I just measure it on a quilting mat, make a small starting cut and then pull. The sound drives my husband crazy !

 This keeps it straight and is easier & faster than cutting endless yards - literal miles - of fabric by hand.
Next I put the strips in a plastic bag, pull out my big basket of balls of fabric from the last time I made rugs, set up my sewing machine and start sewing...

Special very important note :
As you can it is an awful mess, at first. I carefully dispose of any threads - cats, for some reason, love to eat threads - I lost Mrs. Tibbles that way back in the 1980's - so if you own cats keep them away from threads - the finer the thread the more danger the cat will try to eat it.
I clean a few strips of their threads and I start joining. I  immediately put all  threads in a collection bag by the sewing machine...
This is a simple miter join. Put the two pieces at right angles and sew on the bias or angle. Cut the excess and move on. When you do so it because a straight rather neat join.






I roll the balls up every few strips because it is a terrible bother to wait.. it gets all tangled if I don't.

(It's not space science, exactly, is it, so far?)
I used to make rugs out of only one strand of 1 inch fabric, but they stretched out of shape, broke easily, and had a  tendency to trip people, myself, included, up --- I've experimented with two strands - some people use 2 inch wide strips  - and crochet them. I like the two strands because  I can play with color combinations and get interesting effects. It is a preference of mine to do so. Isn't Cammy cute? How do cats know where to sit and look cute? They gravitate towards being admired just like any screen actress you care to name. The only thing she didn't do is look demurely into the camera lens and blink her eyes!
Hook size: I used to use a K but it hurts my shoulder to do all that pulling and fighting both the hook and the fabric strips so I am now using a larger hook. I try to keep the hook as small as possible because I am looking for a dense fabric that does not stretch or get out of shape. I think a "N" or a "P" will work fine. Experiment and see which produces the best fabric.
I use a simple pattern and increase slowly. If I see I am increasing too much I stop for a row or to until I see it is starting to become a bowled shape. I know anyone who crochets will understand the sentence I just wrote. I found several simple patterns in books over the years but now use my own. The rug above is starting to show signs of having too many increases and I am on a none-increase row.
I am going to experiment some with dying old fabrics that are in either boring colors -  imagine beige or faded colors - or,  just plain, awful colors... (exactly what was I thinking when I bought that lime colored fabric? )

Why don't I just go buy rugs at Wal-Mart ? I like the work ... I like recycling old sheets into rag rugs. Oh, I should mention I do buy simple cottons, the same fabrics that others use for quilting, for my rugs - I usually look for it on sale. (Frugal, it isn't a philosophy, its my life.)

I own cats, cats have hair balls... they seem to choose rugs to vomit on - I've spoken about this to them but they don't seem to understand that if they are going to do vomit please don't do it on the bed or on the rugs - it makes extra work for big mama cat !

I can wash and rewash my cheap hand-made rugs until they begin to fall apart, and, then, not cry when I throw them out. They have served me well. Lastly, they are profoundly cheap.  And they don't show the effects of cat claws on their fabric.. cats claw, cats claw rugs, rugs age quickly, etc.
I might sigh over wool rugs and dream of having magnificently complex oriental rugs on my floors but I am way too practical to do something  so impractical  and I know in my heart they would never surrive for more than a week in this house!
Hey, I finally spell checked and edited... am I good or what?

A great deal of this list has less to do with adding Co2 to the atmosphere and more being just a good, conscientious person in the 21^st. century and many reflect other desirable results, less pollution of table water, less waste in landfills etc. Living a simpler, kinder life.

1. Recycle everything you are able : cans, glass, paper, newspaper, garden waste, tree limbs, (no flocking) Christmas trees. Contact your waste and garbage disposal company. In my locality they supply large plastic containers for this purpose.

2. We make the cutting up of tree limbs fun, doing it together. Also, we cut up any boxes, together. Make it fun.

3. Make sure you know the rules and post them in your kitchen. Things to look for : which plastics are recyclable, they vary. Some examples of rules : anything with food still on it. (example: Pizza cardboard boxes) Broken bottles. Check the website of your recyclers every so often for news, recently the changed the rules on shredded paper in my locality.

4.On the bottom of most modern plastics you will see a symbol that looks like a triangle with a number or a set of letters or both - check which ones are recycled and check everything you use to see which ones can be and which can't.

5. I wash all cans and bottles when I wash dishes and throw them in plastic bags which I later place in the containers outside.

6. If your locality do not recycle garden waste and tree limbs, check around. There may be private companies that recycle garden waste which they grind into mulches and fertilizers. {Recently kitchen wastes were added to this list.}

7. You can start your own recycling of green waste, vegetables, grass clippings etc. by setting up a compost heap. There are plenty of books about this subject. I used to keep one going but I haven't gardened for awhile.

8. Large items such as TVs & monitors (traditional kinds have lead shields), refrigerators (has damaging chemical), Computer hardware, car oil, hazardous chemicals and paints should be recycled. Again, check with your local disposal company, first and then look for local private companies. Be willing to pay a few dollars if you use a private company. Even my local disposal company charges something for larger items when they have one of their special recycling events.

9. Computer hardware presents a special problem. We have had problems in the past finding a reasonable way to recycle them. Check with friends, your Church, local schools, even the library. Make sure, if you do give the computer away, to reformat the disk with a program that fills the memory with ones and twos so no private information is available to others. Check on the net for such programs, I believe they are usually free.

10. I do a lot of crafts. I use old bottles for my herb rack and for my homemade bath salts and teas and various other crafts. I recycle yarn from old wool sweaters. Use old blue jeans to make bags and other things. Investigate quilting. I look for ways to have second, third and even fourth uses for things. Don't demand the most recent fashions. Wear clothes until they begin to fall apart and then look for ways to recycle them. Make your own rugs.

<<< Always follow the instructions of your recyclers or things may just bounce back>>>>

Other Notes :

prepared dinners, fast food containers and frozen dinners are not good for the environment and should be used only in emergencies--- Their plastics cannot be recycled because they have too much food waste so they end up in landfills.

Repeat: Make recycling one of your habits and hobbies. Educate yourself about your local opportunities. Call city hall and your disposal company if you have any questions. Even the library may be able to help you. Be willing to take the time. I suspect I spend an average of 3 hours a week, sometimes more.

As far as I know Good Will and Salvation Army are countrywide organizations but there are also a lot of small charities,also. Contribute any machine that still runs, clothes you don't want and just about anything else that takes up space and has outlasted its usefulness. Videos, DVDs, CDs are also good things to contribute. Craft supplies... well, you get the point. It hardly needs to be observed that your 'junk' may be someone else's treasure. Check with the charity before hand about their limits and rules. I seem to remember that neither takes computer hardware but accepts software.

The traditional American "Garage sale" is an alternative and makes you money. I've never had one but I would think they are great fun. Also: libraries are an excellent way to recycle books, videos, DVDs and magazines. We contribute to ours often. Most libraries will sell what they add their collections so please check!

Offer things to friends when you don't  want them any longer. I sent friends my old videos as we switched to DVDs.  Don't be shy but be honest and Don't wrap them up as gifts. (Bilbo Baggins would certainly approve of your mathoms!) Also, offer extra things you don't want when young people etc. are getting their first house.

Motor oil: never, never pour it down a drain. Check your local auto shops of various kinds and repair shops to see if any of them will accept your used motor oil, also check see if your locality offers hazardous waste recycling and some auto stores (the kind that sell oil, filters and the such) allow you to recycle oil at there.) so call around and find the ones that do.

I wanted to make a very clear list of everything I know about this subject. I have been doing all this for a long time and it comes naturally. Its just the way I run the house.

It is my opinion that if you are a good housewife you will do everything to make sure your house runs smoothly and that you save money. This is my intention with this list. I do these things not only for Mother Earth but to save money and to make things better for us. :

                   Two really weird things I am considering doing this year - make cloth bags for Christmas gifts. I love the look of Christmas gifts and the glitter, ribbons etc, but the paper  isn't good for the enviroment and the paper they say that is, doesn't do a thing for me... what about making bags? I could even put beads on them and use them for multiple years... been thinking about this for a long time and I think I will this year.

Learning to paint and draw so I could decorate and embellish with more skill, all manner of things has been on my mind, also for a long time.

                  

This is enough for now. As I said before, it's not the most entertaining thing to write about. Don't live a life full of guilt and depression... People like Al Gore are trying to scare you death, don't let them. I left guilt behind in my youth. Do what is right because it is the right thing to do. Live a brave life. Do your best with this information - I tried to make it short sentences so you can take it a piece at a time and adopt what is practical. Not everyone will be able to everything, obviously!!! Don't let fear rule you - Al Gore is blowing this natural event into a big problem, compared to the END of the last ice age, a few degrees one way or other isn't that big of a problem.

Well, well - I've been using cloth bags for decades because of the hysteria about them - now? no threat, move on, folks. I will probably still use them, because they are kinder to my hands when walking but heck, folks, get the science right, please!

Most of the following isn't what I would call recycling. Instead, its doing familiar things in a slightly different way. I would, again, insist that you do not listen to the rich fear mongers who want everyone else to live in the Middle Ages, without the benefit of modern luxuries,while, they, themselves live like queens and kings. Instead, integrate these suggestions into your everyday life as the "new normal way of life" and don't live in fear. Whatever happens in the future, live with courage and do your best. Don't make environmentalism a religion, make it a deep down way of life that encourages simplicity, frugality and wisdom. I do not belong to any environmental organization and I have been running my house like this for decades. I dislike the modern tendency to hate mankind and thinking of ourselves as a blight on the land. AT the very least, mankind is the universe's mind made manifest, we are the universe reflecting back and thinking about what it means to BE , to exist ----
-I believe that we are the children of God and have potential for great goodness, wisdom and mercy and the earth was not better before mankind evolved - it was a planet without a mind and heart, a planet that was, itself,solely, an animal. We have given the earth its soul.



1. Use paper bags or cloth bags when shopping. This will get you a lot of odd looks for awhile but people will get used to you. It is very hard to convince people they don't need to give you a plastic bag, but do your best. Recycle the plastic bags at the local grocery store or with your recyclers, if they accept them. Some stores even offer cloth bags with their logo.
(Don't worry about the odd looks - life isn't a popularity contest!)

2. Use the new florescent bulbs. They have their problems but the technology is improving and the shapes now fit into most outlets. I don't seem to notice some of the early annoyances like the buzz I heard with the first ones. OTT lights are a subset of this suggestion... very good for people who need to do detailed work or work with variations of colors. Ask for the OTT lights at your local needlework store or shop on line. Joanne Fabrics carries them.

3.Do research on LED light bulbs. They are extremely costly but are slowly becoming cheaper and more popular. I actually saw some at the local grocery store last Christmas. Flash lights with LEDS are now available. This one isn't just good, its cheaper. .. they last longer and are cheaper to use. (I am not totally enamored of the Christmas application and I am tending towards using a mixture of the two kinds.) OH> its better, strangely to leave them ON. ( I don't!)

4. Use your power-down switch on your computer at night. Turn off your monitor before you go to bed. Turn off lights you are not using.
Do energy intensive jobs, like the dishwasher and drying clothes, during the late night and early morning when use is at a minium.

3. don't use a lot of fertilizer or any other chemical on your lawn, don't over water the lawn. I let mine die back during our few weeks of dry summer weather - its less work for me. Check with local experts about how to water efficiently.

4. Use a paper shredder for your bills and anything with personal information. The shredded paper is a natural for recycling. (This suggestion has a lot to do with security)

5. Eat less meat. (this one's good on several levels, particularly, if you are over 50!) The list of why this is environmentally sound is long but I wouldn't carry it too far. We eat less meat because my husband has gout. Gout is caused by the breakdown of proteins into purines in the blood. Long story, there. My suggestion is make a few days a week "meat free" and add a few meatless favorites to your list of dishes. Our favorite is Pasta with my homemade tomato sauce, bean enchiladas and my vegetable stew. (I may post some of these someday.)

6. Don't insist on new things - ignore fashions - both house fashions or clothing fashions. Instead, make or buy things that are classics and will last a lifetime. Don't fall for the 'Martha Steward' mindset. We are not as rich as she is and we can't afford to change our living room to suit her expectations.
I only break the Classics rule when there is no other choice and I can't afford better. Plastic containers seem to last a longer time than I originally thought, I have some from the 80's.

7. Be practical about things and don't buy fads that will end up at Good Will once you or the person you give them to tire of them. Fads are silly, expensive and environmentally unsound. .. pet rocks, Chia pets & Talking Elmo dolls are both silly and useless. Buy or make gifts of real worth.

8. This one I don't really do ... sorry --- but its on the list. Don't buy fancy Christmas gift wrapping paper. Instead, sew bags in colorful colors, decorate them and use them year after year. For friends, make bags for their gifts that are part gift, themselves. (something they might use as a purse, or to store things.) Don't buy paper that is metallic, it can't be truly recycled. (I admit it - I have never been able to resist handsome fancy papers !)

9. I save any packing materials - like the peanuts and plastic bags full of air and reuse them when I mail away Christmas gifts.

10. Think about reusing, making due, second and third uses for things. Think like they did back in the 18o0's out here in the West when things were expensive and everything had to come either by boat or over land and long distances made nice things rare and expensive.
Questions like: Can I reuse this?
Do I really need all my towels to match?
If I wash out this bottle could I use it for storing herbs?
If I cut this up could I make 6 kitchen rags with it?

Note : you can buy cork or rubber stoppers at the local hardware store.

11. Buy large amounts of every day practical things ... soap, frying oil, olive oil - all those thousand and one things that are used every day and then fill smaller containers for use. I do this will all hand soaps, oils for cooking, dish washing liquid - the idea is that you are putting one large plastic container in the land fill or recycling instead of 20 small ones - it is, also, far cheaper to buy large. (Costco, even Wal Mart (only the rich can be proud enough not to shop where the prices are the best!) are good places to look.

12. Use paper toweling sparingly. Use cloth for most things. I use Paper toweling for Hair Balls and for dealing with oil spills in the kitchen and not much else. I tend to 'fudge' on this rule, sometimes.

Well, life goes on. I read a sad & funny article on the net... some crazy NY family isn't using toilet paper because it is' bad for the environment'. OK Guys, you have just gone off the deep end. I will not go back the unsanitary Middle Ages and I am not washing my butt every time I go to the bathroom! Don't go crazy, dear people, just get smart and enjoy life ... Please?! God save us, what a crazy time this is!

A great deal of this list has less to do with adding Co2 to the atmosphere and more being just a good, conscientious person in the 21^st. century and many reflect other desirable results, less pollution of table water, less waste in landfills etc. Living a simpler, kinder life.

1. Recycle everything you are able : cans, glass, paper, newspaper, garden waste, tree limbs, Christmas trees. Contact Your waste and garbage disposal company. In my locality they supply large plastic containers for this purpose.

2. We make the cutting up of tree limbs fun, doing it together. Also, we cut up any boxes, together. Make it fun.

3. Make sure you know the rules and post them in your kitchen. Things to look for : which plastics are recyclable, they vary. Some examples of rules : anything with food still on it. (example: Pizza cardboard boxes) Broken bottles.

4.On the bottom of most modern plastics you will see a symbol that looks like a triangle with a number or a set of letters or both.

5. I wash all cans and bottles when I wash dishes and throw them in plastic bags which I later place in the containers outside.

6. If your locality do not recycle garden waste and tree limbs, check around. There may be private companies that recycle garden waste which they grind into mulches and fertilizers.

7. You can start your own recycling of green waste, vegetables, grass clippings etc. by setting up a compost heap. There are plenty of books about this subject. I used to keep one going but I haven't garden for awhile. I am considering returning to gardening.

8. Large items such as TVs & monitors (traditional kinds have lead shields), refrigerators (has damaging chemicals, Computer hardware, car oil, hazardous chemicals and paints should be recycled. Again check with your local disposal company, first and then look for local private companies. Be willing to pay a few dollars if you use a private company. Even my local disposal company charges something for larger items when they have one of their special recycling events.

9. Computer hardware presents a special problem. We have had problems in the past finding a reasonable way to recycle them. Check with friends, your Church, local schools, even the library. Make sure, if you do give the computer away, to reformat the disk with a program that fills the memory with ones and twos so no private information is available to others. Check on the net for such programs, I believe they are usually free.

10. I do a lot of crafts. I use old bottles for my herb rack and for my home made bath salts and various other crafts. I recycle yarn from old wool sweaters. Use old blue jeans to make bags and other things. Investigate quilting.

<<< Always follow the instructions of your recyclers or things may just bounce back>>>>

Other Notes :

prepared dinners, fast food containers and frozen dinners are not good for the environment and should be used only in emergencies – why? Their plastics cannot be recycled because they have too much food waste so they end up in landfills.

Repeat: Make recycling one of your habits and hobbies. Educate yourself about your local opportunities. Call city hall and your disposal company if you have any questions. Even the library may be able to help you. Be willing to take the time. I suspect I spend an average of 3 hours a week, sometimes more.

As far as I know Good Will and Salvation Army are countrywide organizations but there are also a lot of small charities,also. Contribute any machine that still runs, clothes you don't want and just about anything else that takes up space and has outlasted its usefulness. Videos, DVDs, CDs are also good things to contribute. Craft supplies... well, you get the point. It hardly needs to be observed that your 'junk' may be someone else's treasure. Check with the charity before hand about their limits and rules. I seem to remember that neither takes computer hardware but accepts software.

The traditional American "Garage sale" is an alternative and makes you money. I've never had one but I would think they are great fun. Also: libraries are an excellent way to recycle books, videos, DVDs and magazines. We contribute to ours often. Most libraries will sell what they don’t add their collections so please check!

Offer things to friends when you don’t want them any longer… I sent friends my old videos as we switched to DVDs. Don’t be shy but be honest and don’t wrap them up as gifts. (Bilbo Baggins would certainly approve of your mathoms!) Also offer extra things you don't want when young people are getting their first house.

Motor oil: never, never pour it down a drain. Check your local auto shops of various kinds and repair shops to see if any of them will accept your used motor oil, also check see if your locality offers hazardous waste recycling and some auto stores (the kind that sell oil, filters and the such) allow you to recycle oil at there.) so call around and find the ones that do.

I wanted to make a very clear list of everything I know about this subject. I have been doing all this for a long time and it comes naturally. Its just the way I run the house.

This is enough for now. As I said before, its not the most entertaining thing to write about. Don't live a life full of guilt and depression... People like Al Gore are trying to scare you death, don't let them. Live a brave life. Do your best with this information - I tried to make it short sentences so you can take it a piece at a time and adopt what is practical. Not everyone will be able to everything, obviously!!! Don't let fear rule you - Al Gore is blowing this natural event into a big problem, compared to the END of the last ice age, a few degrees one way or other isn't that big of a problem.