Braid a Rag Mat for the Picnic Table
Three strips from an old cotton T-shirt can become a soft spiral mat for a cool pitcher or a bowl of picnic fruit. Hand stitches join the braid from underneath, leaving the top free of visible seams. Plan for a small mat rather than trying to turn the whole shirt into one long braid.
Cut and sort the strips
- Clean cotton jersey cut into strips about 3 cm wide, at least 4.5 m in total, divided into three lengths of about 1.5 m
- Strong sewing thread, hand-sewing needle, scissors, ruler and sewing clips
Use similar fabric weights throughout. If you need to join shorter pieces, overlap their ends by about 2 cm and backstitch across the overlap. Stagger joins among the three strands so they do not make one thick lump. Braid width and tension will determine the final diameter.
Keep the spiral flat while sewing
- Stack one end of each strip and stitch them together across the width. Clip that end to a firm surface. Cross the left strip over the center, then the right over the new center. Repeat without stretching the jersey. Clip the finished end temporarily.
- On a flat table, curl the sewn end into a tight center. Working on what will be the underside, stitch through adjacent braid edges with small whipstitches. Catch both edges without sending the needle through to the top.
- Coil the rest of the braid around the center a little at a time, stitching every 5 to 8 mm. Near the end, trim the strips at staggered lengths, tuck the tapered tip underneath and stitch it down securely.
Fix a ripple before it spreads
If the spiral cups, the outside braid or joining stitches are too tight. Unpick the last section, set the mat down flat and feed a little more braid around the curve. If the edge waves, lay the braid closer to the previous turn before stitching. Reshape the mat flat after gentle washing. Use it under cool serving pieces, not hot pans.
