Luxurious Braided Terry-Cloth Rug

A few years ago I was reading my monthly Martha Stewart Living Magazine and came across this project:
It mentioned how soft they are, how luxurious, and how easy. Luxurious? Yes, please.

So I filed the article in my Good Things and 101's binder to do on a rainy day. Seriously. I have a binder just for projects and ideas I would like to try. And it is labeled, "Good Things and 101's." Here is a picture of it:

I'm a bit nuts really. (I know, you already knew.) I have binders for everything. Good Things, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Decor, Floor Plans (I like to create them), Main Dishes, Desserts, Side Dishes, Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Tarts, and more. The holiday binders hold both recipes I use during that particular holiday as well as ideas for decorations or party ideas.

So I was flipping through, found this how-to and set out to purchase towels for the project. I chose blue (to match my bathroom wall color), yellow (because I am using that as a secondary color in the bathroom), and white (because that is the other color in there...).

I followed the steps on this one page:

I cut the towels. The towel in this picture looks quite green. I assure you, it's not. (Because I was thinking you were worried and needed to be assured. Feel better? You are welcome.)

Then I braided the three strips, attaching another strip of towel by hand-stitching as needed.

It was a mess! Tiny towel fibers floating about and falling onto my carpet, onto my bed, onto me. Geoff is so patient through my projects. (Thank you, Geoff.) It only took a few days to braid, and just one day to sew it together. That is, I probably could have done it in one day if I hyper-focused; but I just did this project in the evening.

My binder in front of me, my remote handy, and the hamper that held the cut strips and also served as an anchor while I braided. When I didn't use the hamper, I used my toes. My toes are quite handy for picking items off the floor, too. I know, a little barbaric to use ones toes to pick items of the floor, but there it is, I do it. It comes in handy when I am expecting. (I'm not, by the way.)

After I would braid a few more strips I would lay it out on the floor to get a feel for how large the rug would be and if I wanted to add more strips.

Then I sewed it together on the backside by hand. It was going to be a lot larger (and I had enough strips braided together) until I realized that the door, when opened, would move the rug. Argh. The best-laid plans, eh? So in the end, it becomes a bath mat for wet toes coming out of the tub. Luxurious, mmm.