DIY Tutorial - Faux Cowhide Rug

I created todays DIY to decorate my kitchen for an Apres Ski themed party! I wanted to get that 'winter cabin' look, but after doing some research I found that the faux cowhide rug I was after would cost me upwards of £70, so I set about making my own imitation! Here's how you can make your own...

You will need;

• 2 metres of white/cream lining fabric (I bought mine from The Range and it cost me £9)
• Scissors
• Brown acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Bowl

First of all you need to cut your fabric into a realistic shape.  To to this I folded the fabric in half, then drew a rough outline onto the fabric using a picture of a real rug I had found online for reference. Then I cut through both layers of fabric at once ensuring both sides were roughly even. After this I ironed it to get out the creases and ironed in one crease down the middle.

The lining fabric is actually a good substitute for cowhide, although it is thinner, it does seem to have a leathery feel to it.

Next I mixed my brown paint with some water in a bowl.  The fabric is thick enough so that the paint doesn't really seep through (unless you make it very watery!) but to be safe I folded the fabric back on itself as a safety barrier to the floor!  Again I used my online picture to reference while I was painting. You may want to have a couple of sizes of paintbrush, one to do the details in the outline, and  a bigger one for filling in the gaps!

Depending on the thickness of your paint you may need to give it 2 or 3 layers. Then all you need to do is let it dry, after which it is ready to be placed either on the floor, as a wall hanging, or over the back of the sofa!

What do you think? Would it pass for the real thing? Perhaps not on close inspection, but it definitely added something to my cabin feel!

Laura xXx