Sunday, June 22, 2008

Pennies

The poor retailer that sold me this table cover was delighted to see it gone. He'd picked it up from three different places in the shop and put it back where it belonged, 3 times that day!
Penny rugs or penny covers, (table and dresser runners)is a very old technique used back in the 1800. The frontier women pined away their time by hand stitching scrap wool pieces together to make this unique room decor, it was while waiting for the husbands to return from the fields and it filled endless hours of stillness.

Most people like the idea of these antique pieces but most people aren't sure it would fit in their homes and I must admit, they work better if you had a fondness for primitives.





There really isn't a shortcut to constructing a penny rug or cover. The appliqued layers are commonly hand applied using the blanket stitch, although I prefer the feather stitch for a better sturdiness.

Modern time reproduction have evolved to include the last motif as a flower, heart, star, or button.

Whatever your icon be sure you like the penny for the penny.







And not for your thoughts. C&G Design.

8 comments:

tina said...

These are so neat! I like it you are telling me some great things and I am learning! Always on the lookout for interesting things and I never knew what these were called.

Skeeter said...

Same goes here too Tina! I am learning so much here!!!

Dawn said...

These are really nice, I don't think I'd want them for a dresser cover but a small area rug would be nice. And unusual.

Jean Merriman said...

Ditto to Tina and Skeeter. Most of the things on here I have never heard of but find it all very interesting!!

DP Nguyen said...

Wow, how interesting! I love history... it's just fascinating how they did it in the old days.

Dawn said...

I'm sooo surprised you all have never heard the name for these. Maybe it coming as second nature too me makes me know the titles of them, I always want to know how they are constructed and what they are.
DP, along with construction....it's so neat to learn the history, pennies were in simplier times, I think...

Eve said...

I have to make this. I wonder if the instructions can be found on the internet. I have all this fabric I need to use up. My decor is Early Salvation Army,,,so this should fit right in. : )

Dawn said...

Eve, if you don't find instructions on the internet, let me know I can scan and send you one. Seperate pages because I time out on a file.