How to Customize a Plain Rug with Embroidery (DIY)

I’ve had this simple runner sitting at the studio for months, that was begging to be DIY-ed. I like the simplicity of the rug on it’s own and all, but the do-it-yourselfer in me couldn’t resist adding a simple design to make it more eye-catching. There’s no denying that I love a good rug DIY around here (this one too)!

The technique is super easy, making it a good candidate for beginners and anyone who wants something to keep the hands busy while catching up on Netflix, etc. Here’s how to create a custom design on any rug with just a few supplies.

Materials for DIY Rug

• yarn
• yarn needle
• scissors
• any rug (any size- mine is a runner but there’s also a smaller version)

How to Customize a Plain Rug with Embroidery (DIY)

1. Start by mapping out your design on a piece of paper to help visualize spacing, shapes, etc. We went with a simple linear pattern to keep it modern and clean.

2. Then thread the yarn through a yarn needle and start stitching (start from the back and end from the back – creating a double knot at start and finish). We used two different kinds of embroidery techniques for this project. The first is a satin stitch (which is a series of straight stitches right next to each other) and the second is an alternating running stitch (which is a series of connected dashes that alternative like bricks down by row). Here’s a guide to different stitches if you need more visuals. 

3. Trim off excess after finishing the first design (with a double knot in the back). And start the process over again with your next shape, line, etc.

4. We found it helpful to finish the entire embroidery design and then look at it on a whole to determine what areas still needed more pattern / fill in / extra thickness on lines, etc. That’s it!

After finishing up this rug, I started thinking about other designs that would be cool and came up with these: stitching a message or a quote in an alternating running stitch would be fun, or a more organic pattern (like circles, flowers, etc), or even a mud cloth pattern could be cool.

What do you think? Do you have a rug that could use a little makeover like this one?

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