DIY Bath Rug Runner {Tutorial}

Many master bathrooms have double sinks, but bath rugs still come in singles. By that I mean they are only big enough for one person, in front of one sink. The double sinks in our master bath are pretty close together and built in with a wall on each side. I wanted a rug for in front of each, but two rugs just barely fit and looked awkward placed so close together.

Then I thought what about a runner? A runner would give one nice long rug in front of both sinks. But runners can be pricey and generally not that bathroom friendly. I judge bathroom friendliness by the ability to throw something into the washer.

I love the zig zag bath mat on our master bath mood board.  Finally, I decided to get two of them from West Elm for $24 each.  Two of them together would fit perfectly in front of the sinks. But the best part is the continuous pattern…I could join two bath mats together to create one seamless bath mat runner.  (Of course my hubby was embarrassed watching me lay bath mats on the floor in West Elm to see if the pattern lined up.)

To keep it simple and machine washable I whip stitched the binding on the two rugs together to make the runner. Here is how I did it:

1. Line up the rugs with ends butting.  Make sure the pattern lines up well.  If not, try turning one or both of the rugs around until you find two short ends that match up almost seamlessly.
2. Bring the edges of the rug where the seam meets up to a peak, so the binding underneath the loops is visible and touching.
3. Pull your thread through the needle.  Tie the two ends of the thread together.  Pull the needle through the edge of the rug binding from the bottom to start. Whip switch the binding together.  Don’t worry about pretty stitching…no one will see it.
4. Continue whip stitching to other end of the rug.  Tie the threads off on the back of the rug.
5. Once stitched together smooth down the peak and fluff the loops by the seam until the joint virtually disappears.

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