Penny Rug Harvest Table Runner
This
table runner is fashioned after the penny rugs that were made in the
1800's. The term penny rug is
used because they traced a penny to make the small circles. Although they were called rugs, they were
never put on the floor. They
were used as decorative table coverings. The
designs are simple folk art shapes so anyone can do this. You just need a few simple patterns and a
little imagination.
Material List
Wool
Felt for the base of the table runner
(determine size of base for your table)
Wool
Felt in a variety of fall colors
(fat quarters work very well for this project)
Heat
n Bond iron-on adhesive
Embroidery
floss to match felt colors
ShapeCutter and Circles - 1 template
Cutting
mat
Iron
Large
coin or small plastic lid
(I used a mini play dough container)
Paper
to draw shape templates
Scissors
Pencil
Embroidery
needles
Helpful hints
Use
two threads of floss for blanket stitching.
Thread
three needles at one time when you split the floss. This will save time when you are blanket stitching.
Blanket
stitch around the shapes as they are adhered to another shape. The stitching will be easier because you
will not have to stitch through as many layers of felt.
Instructions
1. Make
a paper template with scalloped edges. Use
a large coin or plastic lid to create the scallop. Cut out the table runner base to the desired
length and width. The model
shown in the above picture was 14" wide x 92" long.
2. Iron adhesive to the back of the
fat quarter felt pieces. Draw patterns
for simple shapes of pumpkins, stems, leaves, and hearts. Cut out the shapes. Cut out a 14 3/4" x 10 inch felt block
for each color section of your runner. The
model used five blocks. Cut out a 4
inch square of felt for to go at each end of the runner and
between each block. These squares are
brown in the above picture and orange on the model. You choose which color you prefer.
3. Use
the ShapeCutter and the 1.5 inch circle template
to cut out the felt circles. Cut
the circles out with the paper adhesive side up. You will need a new blade and you will need
to set the cutter at a deeper setting than you would for fabric. You can cut out the circles by hand if you
do not have a Shapecutter.
3. Arrange
the felt shapes on top of each block and iron them in place. Then
arrange the circles and the felt squares on the runner base. Iron
all the pieces in place.
4. Blanket
stitch around all the shapes with coordinating embroidery floss.
5. Iron
the blocks to the runner base and blanket stitch around the blocks. Blanket
stitch around the outside edge of the entire runner.
