Step One

Using the rotary cutter, mat, and clear ruler cut 65 individual Oly*Fun strips 2” x 50”. Set strips aside. Cut one piece of the twine 54”. Tie a knot on one end.

Step Two

Begin knotting the Oly*Fun strips onto the twine. Keep fringe ends 3” to 4”. Push knots together.  Do not allow then to overlap. Total measurement of the twine with strips knotted should be 36”. Secure twine by knotting.  Cut off excess. Depending on the size of the knots, more or less Oly*Fun strips maybe need to achieve 36”.

Step Three

Using the rotary cutter, mat, and clear ruler, cut Oly*Fun strips 2” x 58”. We cut 29″  Oly*Fun strips, on the fold– widthwise, then opened it up to 58” lengths. The number of strips needed will depend on how tight the weave is. Our weave was very tight so we cut 25 strips at a time.

Step Four

Lay the knotted strips on a flat surface. Straighten out the strips as flat as possible. Strips will gain shape as the weaving begins. We used an ironing board surface for weaving and pined the strips sporadically to hold in place.

Step Five

Knot the first strip to be woven to the string on the right side. Begin weaving the Oly*Fun strip in the over-under method. See white strip in diagram above.

Step Six

Weave from right to left side. Loosely wrap the Oly*Fun weaving strip around the last holding strip and weave back to the right. See blue strip in diagram above. Repeat this procedure for the length of the floor mat.

To splice Oly*Fun strips together, place a small piece of Fabric Fusion tape on a new weaving strip. Remove release paper and adhere to the short weaving strip. Continue weaving.

To keep the weaving in shape, pull holding strips after every few strips have been woven. This will lock the strips in place. We also used straight pins to assist as needed. We continually pulled and shaped the mat since a frame was not being used.  Important tip, don’t over pull the sides. Leave a little play to the wrapped strip.

Step Seven

Stop weaving when desired mat size is achieved and the final strip is at either side, not in the middle. Take the second piece of twine and tie a knot in one end. As with the top, knot strips onto the twine. Secure twine end with a knot. Cut off access.

Step Eight

Lay mat on a flat surface. Gently tug into shape as needed. Trim fringe to even lengths.

Step Nine

Crate a reversible mat by stenciling a design on one side. We used white acrylic paint and the Moroccan Inlay stencil. Simply lay the stencil on the mat and tape in place. Pour white paint onto a piece of foil or a paper plate. Pick up paint with a sea sponge, blot excess paint onto paper towel (to give a worn look) and dab sponge over stencil openings. Repeat until the mat is completely stenciled.

Note: Your Oly*Fun mat may fade and age over time when exposed to full sunlight. For long lasting enjoyment use mat indoors or in a shaded area.