How to Shred Burlap

Burlap is one fabric that is useful for many hobbies and crafts. Shredded burlap is sometimes used as bedding for nesting birds or as a mulch for gardens. For those who play paintball, shredded burlap is an important component of homemade ghillie suits, which are suits designed to completely camouflage an individual into the background. Shredded burlap is an ideal material for blending into grassy areas of the landscape. While shredding burlap can sometimes seem difficult and time-consuming, understanding the proper way to do it can help you to shred the material as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Things You'll Need

  • Burlap fabric
  • Ruler
  • Marker
  • Scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay your burlap fabric on a table or the floor. Measure the length that you will need your shredded burlap to be. Mark the measurement onto your fabric with your marker.

    • 2

      Cut across the measured length in as wide of a section as you will need. The wider the area of fabric that you cut, the more pieces of shredded burlap you will end up with.

    • 3

      Pull the edge strand away from one side of the cut piece of burlap. Turn the burlap piece around and pull a strand away from the opposite side.

    • 4

      Rotate the piece of burlap again, and select a strand from one edge that has not yet had any strands removed. Pull this strand away. Rotate the burlap again to the opposite side, and remove a strand from the edge.

    • 5

      Turn the piece of burlap to the side that first had a strand removed. Pull the edge strand away from this side. Continue turning the piece of burlap and removing strands from the edges. You will see a square shape of burlap developing in the center as you continue to pull away individual strands. Eventually, all the strands will be pulled apart.