I like to think I am a girl of moderate intelligence. You know, the kind of girl who can follow a recipe and end up with food that’s moderately edible.
Turns out I’m the opposite kind of girl.
I don’t know what’s going on, guys, but it’s been one pinterest-recipe-fail after another lately. I’d totally throw in the proverbial towel and give up on cooking food altogether if I didn’t absolutely adore my baby girl’s chubby thighs. I have to keep feeding the chub, so I keep trying.
You guys, I don’t know what it is about the “nailed it” pinterest fail memes that make me fall all over myself in fits of tears and giggles. It’s just not even ladylike.
My point is, I know pinterest isn’t 100% trustworthy. And if I’d seen this project on pinterest, I would’ve given it the skeptical side-eye. There’s just no way you can make a rug and have it actually function well in real life, right?
Nay, my friends. You CAN. Erin and I totally surprised ourselves at how well it turned out and how well it functions in real life, with her whole family actually walking on it and using it.
Materials You’ll Need (for a 5×7 rug)
- Ikea Stopp Filt anti-slip rug underlay (large size)
- 3 yards of 64″-wide faux fur
- Velcro strips
- Hot glue (You know it.)
*affiliate links
Step 1: Resize
Lay out the rug underlay and the faux fur fabric and cut them to the same size. (In our case, 5×7 feet.)
Step 2: Velcro
Lay the fur face-down on the floor, lay the underlay on top and get them perfectly lined up. The underlay is anti-slip so it’ll stay in place pretty well while you work. Now fold back a corner of the underlay and hot glue the velcro strips in the corner.
Then put hot glue on the other half of the velcro, and lay the underlay back onto the fabric so the velcro gets glued to the fabric.
You can add some more velcro down the edges of the rug too for extra security. We placed them in these spots:
Step 3: Be amazed
Here’s what’s so awesome about the fact that you just used velcro: in the future, you can remove the fur from the underlay and wash the fur. In your washing machine!
If you’re feeling adventurous and know you want to keep this rug around for a while (or wash it a lot), you can sew the velcro in place instead of using hot glue. But Erin actually just set the rug underlay on the ground, put the fabric on top of it, and didn’t connect them at all for a long time – until I had a chance to come over and put it together with her – and it actually worked pretty amazingly without being velcroed (velcro’d?) at all. The underlay is anti-slip so it holds the fabric in place and adds extra cushion even if you don’t use the velcro.
To make a larger size…
The long pile on the fur fabric hides a multitude of sins. It’d make it really easy to hide a seam, so you could sew two 64″ strips of faux fur together and make an 8×10 rug (or larger!) relatively easily.
Also? It’s cheap.
Rug underlay: $9.99
Fabric (3 yards + shipping): ~$60 (The price of the fabric changes every time I check!)
So it’ll cost you about $70 for a 5×7 rug, which is about half the price of most flokati, sheepskin or faux fur rugs Erin and I found while we were shopping, and the store-bought rugs won’t fit in your washing machine.
I’m still kinda freaked-out-in-awe of how well this guy functions. It doesn’t look or feel DIY, which unlike some other DIY attempts.
Have you ever had a pinterest project fail on you? Ever made your own rug?
P.S.: Check out the whole reveal of this room right here, and click here for all my real-life DIY fails.
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
Hi,
loving your blog!!! So much inspiration and great advice.
Only downside is that your links don’t open in a new window. Every time I open a link it takes me away from your blog. It would be so much better if links open in a new window so I don’t lose what I was looking for on your blog while browsing.
I have no idea if this is something you can “fix” or if it’s meant to be that way but on other blogs
I can browse through their links and still stay on the “source window” without having to find my way back through 1000 clicks (I’m exaggerating of course but I hope you get what I mean 🙂
Anyway, I great blog
x
If you right click the link there’s an option to open the link in another tab or window…that way you don’t have to leave the blog!
Also, regarding your last Pinterest fail, if you chill the dough prior to baking it helps retain the shape of cut out cookies. Just pop it I the freezer for 10 mins!
But why chill the dough when she can bring so much joy to others with that hilarious fat horse cookie! Oh Lord, I laughed so hard I almost pee’d my pants! Too funny!
If you press the ‘CTRL’ button with the ‘C’ button simultaneously while clicking a link, it will open in a new tab automatically!
So… you take a rug. You attach it to an underlay. And that equals to…making a rug? And it’s called DIY?..
Whoa. So did not expect this after all the other amazing DIYs here, like all the chandeliers, etc. Really puzzled.
Actually if you really read this, it’s faux fur FABRIC that they attached to a rug pad/underlayment, creating a rug that’s still machine washable (the fabric itself is thin enough without the rug pad) since it can be removed from the rug backing with the velcro. Genius idea, simple to execute, and much (MUCH) less expensive than similar fur rugs.
At the risk of sounding snarky, I would like to point out that as the long time die hard professional DIY’er you must be, I can see where this simple project might be totally beneath you. Sort of like sending a 5th grader back to kindergarten. However, as the inventor of sliced bread can probably tell you, sometimes the simplest things are the most genius. And let’s be honest, once in a while we all need to go back to a place where naps and juice boxes are acceptable.
Yep, you’re snarky, and I was actually complimenting all the other awesome DIY projects on this particular blog, and my expectations for this post were based solely on that.
Nope, you were just being backhanded!
I just have to say that this is simply the most genius idea that I’ve ever seen on Pinterest and I’ve been on Pinterest for a long time!
My husband and I are helping our son remodel a fixer upper and rebuild his life with his 2 children after a horrible divorce.
Pinterest has been a life saver for us. We have torn out walls, replaced drywall, textured, replaced flooring, decorated and you name it with the help of Pinterest.
Our latest project has been my granddaughter’s bedroom. I have been searching high and low for a large white shag rug and the cheapest I have found was $150 but still not in our meager budget.
When I saw this post I did a happy dance!!!! All I can say is, “Thank you God” for leading me to this amazing website! I can’t wait to purchase the materials and place this in Abigail’s room and the best part is the ease in which it can be made!
THE BEST DIY EVER!!!!
From one happy, happy Nana…my sincere thanks!!!
Awesome idea! It looks beautiful in the nursery
That’s what I’m thinking of. My first grandchild will be born in Autumn and I was thinking of this for that situation, depending on whether the nursery will be carpeted or not (they’re shopping for new digs right now). It would be soft and washable, which would be key.
What a great idea to use faux fur fabric as a rug! I’d wondered about doing this myself but hadn’t tried it. Love the idea of adding the backing but keeping it velcro’d on so you can still wash the fabric. Love this idea! 🙂
Oh, another great source of long faux fur fabrics is Distinctive Fabrics (in tons of colors & styles):
http://www.distinctivefabric.com/category.php?cat=LONGFUR
Getting tired of the bland rug near my bed so want to do this. Thanks for sharing!
What a great DIY. I think this is so perfect for a nursery. I had no idea you could do this. Love it!
so awesome! i did something similar in emmy’s room and cut a faux pink fur hide rug for her, but i layered over another rug so i didn’t back it- but i love this idea!!!!
I totally just snorted my coffee at that horse cookie/picture.
This rug is awesome!! I love it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Love your blog! Today you hit the nail on the head. I created a board titled “Don’t Try This At Home” for my pintrest fails. Needless to say, it’s a quickly growing board ; )
I love this idea! I would love to do something like this in our Master, when we get around to redoing that room. In the mornings I would love to roll out of bed onto what I can only imagine a cloud feels like or a polar bear without the mauling of course.
I love rugs, but hate the price so a DIY rug is the route I like to take. I actually made our dining room rug.
http://mostlyplantbasedmama.blogspot.com/2014/02/diy-no-sew-shag-rug.html
Now that’s one truly DIY rug 🙂
Great post! Who knew it could be so easy!
OMGosh….once again, God’s perfect timing….WOW DID I NEED THIS BELLY LAUGH THIS MORNING!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your ‘fails’ and giving me such a laugh…I laugh ONLY because your fails are NOTHING in comparison to mine!!!!! At least you can fix bread without burning it–seriously, almost 100%; my sweet Southern-bred-for-cooking Mother feels like a total failure!! 😉
Oh! And, I can’t wait to try the faux rug!! I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting one of those cool rugs forever but too expensive!! Yah–I think I can make my own now thanks to you!!!! 😉
Love Love love it! I may have to do something like this in our guest room.
How does it hold up to vacuuming? I’d like to make something like this for my living room.
Hi Kate!
It does great with the vacuum. 🙂 The fur gets all fluffed in the process. 🙂
HOT DANG! The possibilities just might be endless. I want to go and make all the rugs now!
I just came across this fabric in Joann’s earlier this week and immediately thought “I bet this is what Kelly used to make that rug!”, lol. I would not have guessed it could be washable. I’ve been wanting a few small ones (like Ikea sells) but this is a less expensive option (and a much shorter drive!).
You crack me up! HA! I have glanced at your post title several times this morning on my blogroll, and was subconsciously giving it the skeptical side-eye. I was like, “Yeah… right.” But, then when I realized whose blog it was (I honestly sometimes just look at the post titles), I was like, “Oh… yeah, this might be worth reading.” It was! 🙂 And, my boys and I got a big kick out of the horse cookie. HAHAHA! I don’t think there will be any faux fur rugs in my future, but you’ve got me wondering what other types of fabric could be attached to a rug pad… Indoor/outdoor mat? Maybe?
The rug is beautiful and a great idea, and I want to try it in my bedroom where big man work boots filled with who only knows are never allowed! And your “nailed it meme’s” are hysterical!! That sheep and horse … hahahahahahaha
OMG…I cannnot stop laughing at the horse cookie fail hahahaha
Hey Kelly, thanks for pointing me to a new Ikea product – Ikea Stopp Filt anti-slip rug underlay. At this price, everybody should grab (at least the small size) this for future projects like – apply to the bottom of table and chair legs to protect your wood floors or attach to the back of braided or hooked rugs. Also, I’ve never considered using a white fluffy rug in my home but I’m now interested in looking at these fabrics for throws knowing that they can be washed. So, let’s all say a prayer for those from Snarkville and be thankful for our own awesomeness. Love ya!
WOW, I am amazed and I want to go out and do this ASAP! I’d love it if you shared this over at The Makers link party going on at my blog, http://upcycledtreasures.com/2014/05/makers-link-party-17/ Hope to see you there!
~Katie
What a great post! I’ve wondering about making my own rug for awhile because I LOVE the look but can’t afford the price. You’ve given me the courage to go ahead and try. I’m curious about vacuuming it as well, as a previous poster asked. Does your friend vacuum it at all or does it have to be shaken out/washed every time? Thanks for sharing!
Oh, how many memes could I do? Every. Day. But I’ll never give up.
Tots diggin that rug. It’s furfect. <3
I never ever would have considered faux fur rub, but I’m kinda loving it. And I really wanna make one now. Love that it’s machine washable and that it looks soooo easy!
I’ve never been a fan of fur rugs (or really anything fur for that matter). But after seeing this I feel the need to make one, and then just nap on it for all eternity. It looks so soft!!! And you are not the only one who is brought to tears of laughter from Pinterest-fail memes. The horse cookie cutter made me laugh for about 10 minutes after I first saw it, and had to giggle again seeing it in your post . Fantastic post as usual!! 🙂
Yes, you kind of need to make one just for sprawling out on.
Yup! Trying this if we ever end up having #2 (the baby, not the… nevermind). 😉 I’m so excited to see that this was so simple and seems to be working so well for them. Very awesome. I never would’ve thought of this in a million years! 🙂
It looks amazing!
Say what?!!! This is the most brilliant thing ever! I’ve been moaning over the price of rugs lately. I guess you could just vacuum it normally? I have a toddler that loves tracking outside dirt and crumbs every where. I really need a living room rug but I’m guessing the fur should find a less used room. Oh, but I love it and the price!
Hi Elizabeth 🙂 I do vacuum it and it does just fine, but with the length of the fur, it’s a little more efficient to shake it out. I’ve had the fur down on the floor for several months (it did a brief stint in our living room before going in the nursery) and it’s held up beautifully under lots of traffic. I think it’d do great in a living room. 🙂
How do you wash the fur? Id love to try this but I’m worried about tangling in the vaccum and washing it.
Oh Kelly you make me laugh. Love ya
Very cool! Pinterest failed me the time I tried to paint a fabric chair. Yeah, no.
ooh, great idea! washable is never a bad thing in my world. Now I’ve got a craving for some fat horse cookies…..
That faux fur fabric is way nicer than the stuff I’ve seen at Joann. It actually looks nice and not like a stuffed animal. 😛 I’ll have to keep it in mind for future projects! The whole room is adorable! 🙂
Great idea! Love that it’s washable too, I definitely wish I could do that with our nursery rug!
You are a genius. I have always loved the fur rugs but with dogs in the house I have to have rugs that are easy to clean. You can’t get any easier to clean than machine washable. I think I see a new rug in my dining room’s future. Love your blog!
Yay, happy dining room in your future! 🙂 Thanks!
Totally made me laugh this afternoon. Thanks for sharing your DIY for the rug. My last pinterest fail was a sure-fire formula for spot free window cleaner…. not too many water spots, but it left filmy residue on every window on my house. Sigh…
This looks so cool! I can’t believe it’s fabric! Awesome idea!
I am DYING at the horse pictures!!! Thanks for the laugh!
Such a great idea, I passed this on to a friend that is looking for a rug. I have some I purchased many years ago and she likes the oval shapes but wants some in other colors. This would very well for her.
OMG, I love this project! Unlike SOME very RUDE people who commented on this post I think simple projects like this are just as great as the more complicated ones… even more so sometimes because they are done so inexpensively and easily! I am definitely going to have to try this!
Tania
Beautiful job as always, Kelly! I can’t wait to make one of these bad boys for my classroom!
I am horrible at following diy instruction because I always think I can make it just a little better if I changing it in one particular (typically essential) step. Thanks for the fail-safe idea!
Oh I love this idea! I wonder if I could manage to cut it in a sheepskin shape without it turning into my very own Pinterest fail! Anyway, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ideas! Thnx for the project and the hilarious horse cookie!!
Amazing! I’m doing this!!!
Do you think if I put this over carpet I would still need the underlayor do you think it would just get all bunched up without it?
Thanks for the awesome idea!
Hmmm. Not sure. You could always order the fabric and live with it a while and see if it works?
How is this holding up? Specifically with the vaccumm? I am really interested in making one, especially since it is washable! But with dogs, I need something I can zip over with the vaccumm!
Also, that the brillant idea to do this for underneath our master bed, but only make it on the 3 sides that stick out, so it’s U shaped, and then it’ll look like a HUGE rug, but be ultra cost effective!
I have to say I was brought by pintrest…lol and that horse pic had me giggling loudly.
I love this idea and can’t wait to poke around your blog.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much
This is really random, but can you tell me what color paint was used on that cute blue cabinet? I am wanting to paint something that exact color- thanks! Love the rug too!!!
I wish I could help! Erin mixed that color with some leftover paints she had so we don’t have an exact color name for you. Sorry!
That is perfect for my living room! 2 questions: #1 Do you think it would look okay on carpet? I have carpet in the living room and I don’t want it to look ridiculous. #2 Where and exactly what type of faux fur did you buy? How thick is it? What material? I’m looking online for different types of faux fur but it’s hard to decipher which one would work.
Thanks for the post!
if you click on the blue link under materials it takes you to amazon where I assume she bought it…hth
Hi! I’m on my way to try out this DIY! I just bought and received the fur that you linked to on here and at first glance, the fur seems a bit dreadlocked. I was wondering how you got your fur to look so fluffy and luxurious?
Hi this might be an obvious question but when you order the fur on amazon do you select 3 in the quantity to get 3 yards? I just want to make sure I get one whole piece. 🙂 love your blog!
Love your rug!!! can you tell me where you got the fabric?
Do you pop this in the dryer after you wash it or let it hang dry? Also mine seems to be shedding a bit, did you have this problem?-maybe it stops after a washing… thanks
A lot of the faux fur reviews complain of shedding along unfinished sides. Erin/Kelly, can you shed any light on this? I’d like to make a rug like this, but I’m not much of a sewer so hemming the sides probably isn’t an option for me.
Every time I see the cookie fail I shout TOO MUCH BUTTER!!! Butter makes the dough spread more when baking.
This is such a fab tutorial…love it! So going to try this…just the right amount of steps to be able to actually do it and finish it with a serious case of DIY A.D.D.! Love an easy project and so perfect to be able to wash it anytime…hello 2 big Labradors! Thanks for the DIY!! Just found your blog and love!
I know this is late from the original posting but I’m Taking a chance and hoping for a response. I need a rug larger than a 5×7. More like an8x10. Do I order 2 of the Ikea underlay and sew them together and then of course the extra fabric and sew it together and then follow the instructions?
Thank you for your help!
That should work!
You have made my day….laughed so hard at the fail, famous words in our house are “That didn’t go well did it..Never mind lets get take out…Love your blog.x.
I just bought my faux fur fabric. I bought it on ebay (brand new) 5×12 piece. Super excited to get this done. I plan on only making a 5×7 rug with 2 throw pillows. Surprisingly I only paid $35 for the fabric. My nursery is really coming together. Thanks for this awesome idea!!!
Um…. I think I love you!
I love your posts, they make me LOL
🙂 I’ve also been hankering for a faux fur rug! This one MAY be elementary enough for me to pull off.
I think knowing that you also find the ‘Pinterest Fails’ hysterical makes me love reading along all the more. My youngest daughter and I spent 2 hours going through some similar fails the other night giggling uncontrollably and having great fun. I should add that, while I do appreciate the DIY attempts in the pictures, I appreciate even more their ability to laugh at themselves. Reminds me of my own DIY attempts, lol. Love this idea, which gets me to thinking that perhaps I could do something similar with a thick terry cloth towel and use it in my kid’s bathroom? I’m having to wash that rug every 5 minutes it seems, so a towel might be easier? As always, thanks for sharing!
Obsessed with this room! Where is the owl rug from?! I need thissss.
Dear Kelly,
I love this idea! I’ve been wanting a rug just like this one, but I’m on a tight budget right now. I’m going to be moving into a new place at the beginning of next month and I’m excitedly gathering all sorts of ideas from Pinterest. I saw your rug in the home ideas and fell in love! I read some of the comments on here and found it hard not to frown when reading how snobby some people can be about DIY things. I think this idea is so marvelous because it IS so simple and SO easy to do. I love the fact that you can wash it also. I do have one question though, I am wondering if there is a particular type of faux fur that works best for cleaning and vacuuming? Thanks so much!
You crack me up! ;p You think I can make a round rug following your instructions? Kids woukd love to roll around on this! Love it…thanks for sharing!
Great idea! Does the Ikea rug underlay or the faux fur have any cushion or does the rug feel hard on the floor? Thanks!
Also, do you think using a blanket/throw instead of getting fabric cut would work, as well?
Just wondered if it was necessary to hem or finish the fur fabric edges in any way?
Love the idea!
Just wondering, does this method work with other types of rugs (or blankets) that don’t have backing? I’m thinking about using an oriental rug instead.
HI there, I was just wondering how your rug has held up over the last few years? I am thinking about doing this in my daughter”s room, but was curious if it looks ratty or matty?
Thanks so much,
Shyla
Genius!!
One important thought- I wrecked some faux fur by putting it in the dryer, so make sure you air dry!
I live this because it’s kind of like the Flor tiles. If you can’t get it clean, you can replace a square. You could make another in a different color and then have the option of checkerboard. Ok I’m getting ahead of myself.
Finally, screw that nasty commenter. I would have deleted it. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing! This b-word comes here for free and gets, by her own admission, lots of good advice. But then has the bad manners to tell you this isn’t up to par? I hate people (plus she’s wrong).
Anyway, lovely post 🙂
A couple of additional comments to this fabulous idea that I AM going to try. One suggestion, use the soft side of the Velcro, not the prickly side, on the back of the fabric, so when you wash it, they don’t get all stuck together or stick to anything else that may be in the washer with it. Second, I wonder if this would work to give an old throw rug a “facelift”? If you have an old throw rug that’s still in good shape but you want to change the look, you could use it as your backing. Haven’t tried it yet, but if I do, I’ll come back out here and let you know. Thanks for the idea sharing!
I was just wondering the same thing!
Love this simple faux rug!!! I once did the same thing with a fur coat. Had to cut it into squares, sew pieces together… A lot of work. Only turned our 3×5. Simple ideas are the best. Faux fur rugs are expensive. Thanks for simplifying. Great tutorial. I cant wait to make one of these!!!!
Thank You for the directions for this rug. I’ve wanted one of these for the bedroom for so long. Now, I’m going to get it. Thank You!!
I love this! I’ve been looking for a rug for my bedroom that was soft and thick and girly, and this is it! And with so many fake fur fabrics out there, the colors are endless! (I once bought a beautiful grey and tan small sheepskin rug, but my dogs thought it was alive and chewed it up WHILE I WAS NAPPING! ) This is the best idea I’ve ever seen, thank you!!!
this is great. I am sure the fabric exchange has so many choices of great fabric for this kind of project.
Why not just glue the two sides together? Why use Velcro?