Free Penny Rug Patterns

Wool circles, blanket stitch, backing…. Yes, we are talking about penny rugs! This page is full of free penny rug patterns that are fun to make and look amazing!

What is a penny rug?

Penny rugs are a kind of folk art originating in the 19th century from frugal necessity.  Coins or circular shapes were used as templates on wool fabric.

The circles were then cut out and stacked together with a blanket stitch.  The finished circle stacks were finally sewn with a blanket stitch to a backing fabric.

Not all penny rugs were made up of circular shapes.  Some were fabric appliques of animals, flowers, primitive shapes and people. 

Now this old thrifty cottage craft is becoming popular with quilters and other textile crafters.  

History of Penny Rugs

It is believed that early settlers to America brought their penny rug making techniques from where they immigrated from, most likely the European countries.

During the 19th century, women made beautiful decorative mats, wall hangings, pillows and table runners from scraps of wool.

The scraps could have come from pieces of family clothing, old hats, blankets, mail order samples from the wool mills or even collected from friends.

The earliest penny rugs had burlap as the backing fabric upon which the circular “pennies” were appliqued.  A large piece of wool was rarely used as the backing fabric since it was expensive and was needed to make clothing.

Oftentimes, the penny rugs were backed with feed sacks or old burlap bags.

It is not known if the penny rugs were used as floor rugs, since homes before the 1850’s did not have floor coverings.  Some antique penny rugs made later in the 19th century show much wear, so it is possible these were walked upon.

The history of the penny rug is that these handmade pieces were used to cover tables or placed upon hearths for decoration.  They were also used to lay upon beds for extra warmth as they were made of wool.

Penny Rug Patterns 

Below both old penny rug patterns and newer patterns can be found. They are beautiful and would not be walked upon today!  The penny rugs are used only decoratively now.

An Accuquilt machine can be used to stamp out the woolen circles in a quick and neat manner with the Accuquilt studio circles die.  For more information on Accuquilt tutorials and patterns, see our page on the Accuquilt.

If you do not have an Accuquilt, a very simple penny rug pattern is to use different sized coins or jar lids to trace on coordinating wool for the pennies.

Once the circles are cut out, lay them in stacks upon a piece of coordinated wool backing, moving them around until the pattern is pleasing to the eye.

Although some crafters stitch all of the penny stacks together before stitching them to the backing, the circles lay flatter if each circle is stitched using the blanket stitch one at a time onto the backing.

To wash the penny rug, simply wash in gentle soap and leave to air dry.  Wrinkles can be lightly pressed with an iron.

Scroll down to find articles on the history of penny rugs as well as lovely patterns to make your own.

This is a page that can’t be skipped!