Dear Canada: A step back in time

Braided Mat

From the rag bag in every pioneer home came scraps of cloth that were re-used for many purposes, including rag rugs. You can make your own braided mats from old t-shirts! Make them in different sizes to use as a coaster for a teapot or a coffee mug, or to decorate a dollhouse.

Materials:

• A needle and thread
• Scissors
• Three old t-shirts (one light-coloured, one medium, and one dark)
• Two large safety pins

Directions:

1. Begin by cutting off and discarding the bottom hem of each t-shirt. Then cut across each shirt, making 2.5 cm-wide rings from the bottom up. Snip each ring to make a long strip.
2. Gather one strip of each colour and sew them together at one end. Then attach this end to something sturdy, like an armchair with a safety pin. (Or ask a friend to hold the end for you.)
3. Start braiding, keeping the braid as straight as possible.
4. When you have braided almost to the end, secure the braid with another safety pin and sew on three new strips. Continue braiding.
5. When you have a long enough braid for your project, fasten the end with a safety pin again.
6. Now you're ready to sew the braid into a coil. Thread the needle and knot one end. Working on a table or similar surface, lay the braid flat. Hold the start of the braid with one hand and begin to wind the rest around it. Sew a couple of stitches where the edges meet to hold this in place. Continue winding and sewing, keeping the braid as flat as possible, until you have a finished coil shape.
7. Remove the safety pin. Fold the loose end of the braid under and sew it down neatly to the outside edge of the mat.

Pioneer Christmas Crafts, text © 1999 by Heather Patterson and Joanna Rice. Photographs by Wally Randall and illustrations by Susan Gardos are copyright © 1999 by Scholastic Canada Ltd.