What Is A Penny Rug Used For

Originally penny rugs were made from scraps of dark wool fabric or felt from used clothes and hats and were used as mats to clear mud and dirt off shoes.

What is a penny rug used for.

A penny rug is a decoration made of stitched together coin shaped fabric scraps. It regained popularity in america during the civil war in the mid 1800s. Most penny rugs were made using wool and felted wool. They were named penny rugs as they were made of three different sized circular medallions layered on top of each other.

Penny rugs date back the 1800s. In the 1800s starting around the time of the civil war thrifty homemakers would use scraps of wool or felted wool from old clothing blankets and hats to create designs for mats or rugs using coins as templates they created circles and each piece was then stitched in blanket stitch fashion. Surprisingly these rugs weren t really rugs at all but were used as table runners wall hangings or even quilts. Although people call it a rug a penny rug was never intended to be walked on and was a decorative piece used as a wall hanging a table cover or a lap robe.

I have not lined this rug but i will be sharing photos of rugs i have for sale. Do you want this to be the ultimate rug or are you new to penny rugs and want to keep it simple choose this method. You will need paper patterns as a cutting guide for every shape in your penny rug a sharpie marker and sharp scissors. The thread used for blanket stitches is twisted 2 ply cotton embroidery floss with a blunt sharp needle.

Moondance penny rug kit wool felt craft kit wool felt applique penny rug kit candle mat kit dragonfly embroidery kit wool applique oneoftheflock. The scraps were mostly from men s suits or high quality blankets. Use wool felt commonly sold in 12 by 12 inch squares in the colors of your choice. The top medallion was the size of a penny though in the 1800 s.

Although felt was handcrafted in years gone by we are blessed to be able to buy felt by the square usually a 12x12 square or by the yard in most craft fabric stores. 5 out of 5 stars 8 789 8 789 reviews 28 50. Each circular piece was sewn onto thick wool. Materials to use in making your penny rug.

This is my way of constructing this particular rug. Housewives saved scraps of wool and felt from worn out clothing to make these delightful penny rugs. These rugs had a variety of uses in the home including being used as decorative table mats or as fireplace hearth rugs. The penny rug was an economical way of using the leftover pieces of fabric that were too small to braid or hook.

They have linings and are meant for table tops.