Thread: How to turn fabric into rags?

Hello everyone,

for a fusion costume project I was thinking about making an overskirt or fringe belt with a "tattered rags" look - thin fabric strips that look old and torn. How do I do that? Just cut or rip some woven wool fabric into irregular strips and wash them with hot water and lots of agitation to get some felting and unraveling going? Or does anyone have better instructions?

TIA! :)

Not sure that this is exactly what you're after: I once saw a skirt that was torn into thin strips that were then braided. I didn't see it close-up, but on stage it looked great. Kinda vintage, but not cheap/torn/messy.

Originally Posted by steffib

Not sure that this is exactly what you're after: I once saw a skirt that was torn into thin strips that were then braided. I didn't see it close-up, but on stage it looked great. Kinda vintage, but not cheap/torn/messy.

There was a thread about making this kind of overskirt on Tribe but I couldn't find any detailed directions or a photo there just now. If you do make the braided overskirt, be sure to use a fabric that doesn't fray. Unless you want a frayed look, which perhaps you do.

If you're on Tribe, check out the DIY/ Bellydance on a Budget tribe and post there, there are lots of creative costumers there. http://tribes.tribe.net/diycostumes

I think you'll be better off aging cottons or loose poly weaves. Snip the end to cut through the selvege and then rip to the other side. This will help you get some fraying going, and putting through the wash will definitely do it. I'm not 100% certain, but I think if you go with wool it will felt rather than fray.

Originally Posted by dunyah

There was a thread about making this kind of overskirt on Tribe but I couldn't find any detailed directions or a photo there just now. If you do make the braided overskirt, be sure to use a fabric that doesn't fray. Unless you want a frayed look, which perhaps you do.

If you're on Tribe, check out the DIY/ Bellydance on a Budget tribe and post there, there are lots of creative costumers there. DIY/ Bellydance on a Budget - tribe.net

I think I posted that. I made a broom stick skirt into a fringe belt by cutting thin strips and ripping up to the waist band. The broomstick skirt material frays pretty horribly so I braided as I ripped, instead of doing all the ripping and then braiding.

I wouldn't actually put it in the wash if it's a man made fiber I can just imagine the nightmare mess you would get out of it. I have thought of doing something similar myself and planned on ripping it like Andrea2 mentioned and then deciding how much fraying I wanted and hand fraying it so I could check the bottom to prevent to much fraying and even seam the bottom and top to prevent future excess fraying. The washer would give you no control over that at all. If you want it to look aged just beat it up in the washer first before tearing.

Great advice, thanks so much! That'll save me a lot of trial and error.

Glindella, I love that braided broomstick. That's probably even better than what I had in mind - I don't mind the fraying at all as long as it doesn't fall apart completley.

Now off to check out dunya's tribe.net link, too ...

..g.: