Carpet Scrap Transformation - Door Mat Tutorial

 I am so excited about this project! I wanted to join in on the April Ucreate "Create With Me" challenge, which was to paint a rug. I didn't want to buy a rug to paint as I didn't need one - so I wasn't expecting to  partake in this challenge. Then one day I walked by my back door and saw this....

...and a light bulb went on. This is an old carpet scrap that came with our house when we bought it. I don't like throwing things away so it got stuck at the back door. This challenge was just what I needed to come out of my creative shell and do something I have never done before. This carpet scrap was getting a transformation. 

Here is what I did:

1) Prep the carpet: I washed the mat as best I could with a carpet cleaner. After it was dry I vacuumed it. 

2) Cut the carpet: I cut the carpet into a crescent shape. I drew the lines on the back and cut with an exacto knife and scissors. 

3) Paint: After a little bit of reading up on how to paint a carpet, I decided to buy latex paint. This little can was about $5 and I really didn't use much from the can. I stirred the paint with a popsicle stick and painted with an art brush. Latex washed up easily with warm water and soap. I used the carpet scraps to practice painting on to see how the paint went on and what I was going to paint.

I free handed painting on a silhouette of grasses. My inspiration was a stamp I saw in a Stampin Up catalog. I painted a black frame around the whole carpet.

4) Finish Edge: I sewed on an edge to finish the carpet. This took a LONG time. I found the biggest needle in my supplies - this was in my great grandmothers sewing kit. I used jute for the thread. I hammered the needle through the carpet - making sure I had the a double layer of scrap carpet underneath to save my floor. I had to start a new thread once in a while so each time I needed new thread I would double knot it on the bottom of the mat and cut off the excess jute. 

Four hockey games later, two of them overtime games,  I finished the edge of my mat. 

I am so excited about this transformation! My husband likes it so much he wants it at the front door.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to....
The Stories of A2Z
Metamorphosis Monday
Sisters of the Wild West