Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My First Penny Rug

For many years now, the town next door has held a huge craft show on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Many crafters come and go, but there are some who are always there, in the same spot every year. One such crafter has a booth full of beautiful felt decorations. She has a pegboard full of Christmas ornaments that she has embroidered and stitched together. But her piles of penny rugs have always captured my attention. I have been to many craft shows and I've never seen anyone else selling these adorable items. She begins the day with two stacks of penny rugs, each about 12 inches high. They each seem to be a different design. All hand stitched, all beautiful colors. As the day progresses, the stacks shrink. I'm sure she must have customers that come back each year to buy a new design to add to their collection.
So, in case you can't hear the longing in my voice, I'll come right out and say it. I envy these penny rugs! I want them all!
And yet, I've never attempted to make one myself. Certainly my decades of sewing and crafting experience, qualify me to create one of these objects of my desire. I guess I was waiting for someone to take me by the hand and show me exactly what to do. That's exactly what happened while reading Creative Breathing's blog Just the project for a first attempt at making a penny rug. This was so much fun to make! I think perhaps I'll try the cherry design next. Thank you Elizabeth, for taking my hand.


8 comments:

★Carol★ said...

Your penny rug turned out so cute, Linda Ruthie! Now you don't have to envy anyone, or long for one. You can make something amazing all by yourself!

GardenOfDaisies said...

I love your strawberry Penny rug! I tired one of Elizabeth's Easter penny rug a couple of months ago, and it was a lot of fun to make!!!
Wanted to say thank you for following my blog too!
Hope you are having a happy day!

GardenOfDaisies said...

OOps, tried, not tired!

Diane H said...

Hi There! I have one second to say thanks for stopping by my blog and becoming a follower - I've repaid the kindess. Love your penny rug - now I have envy! Will take the time to get to know you better soon.
http://sideroadstitcher.blogspot.com/

craftyles said...

Wow,you did a great job! That turned out so cute.

Unknown said...

Linda, I can't tell you enough how much you have made this such a fun day for me. What a thrill to see my own pattern actually works! And work it did! Your penny rug is simply wonderful. Oh I wish I could have seen the 12 inch stack of pennies at your craft fair. I have THE cutest one ever already designed for the summer months. Think watermelon and long legged crows ringing the edges. Thank you again for sharing your beautiful work! Elizabeth

Nan said...

This came out so lovely. I would love to make one myself. I'm thinking perhaps that Christmas one she did with the reindeer and the red houses which looked very difficult to me to cut. I'm your newest follower.

Shawnee said...

THAT is so cute!!! I love it. I really want to make a penny rug, too. I'll go check out her blog.

PS - You won the One Yard Wonders book. Send me an email confirming your mailing addy, 'k?

http://shawneett.blogspot.com