This is what I have been working on including my Wool Crazy Quilt....2 more penny rugs, table mats! There are alot of them done, but the pile that needs to be done is bigger!
I started making the penny rugs a couple of years ago hence, my love of wool. It started when I was looking through my articles that I have collected from over the years. We all have those piles right? It was an article I had seen in a magazine from years back, I think it was an Early American Life mag that I used to subscribe to.
The "pennies" where started to teach young women sewing skills, also a way of decorating or splurging on decorations items for the home. The ladies would collect peices of wool from old clothing. They originally used a coin as a template to form the pieces. This would be the top layer of three or four pieces. Some used burlap as the backing to weigh this down. I have read other articles where they have used actual pennies on the top layer, sewn right into them to weigh them down.
I love articles on the penny rugs if anyone has any they would love to share please email me!