Culture

Learn to Make a Penny Rug at Shaker Village

Learn to make penny rugs with wool on wool applique with traditional rug maker Rose Ann Hunter at the Penny Rugs in the Shaker Spirit Workshop on Saturday, June 24. In the early 1800s thrifty women would recycle and repurpose worn textiles into folk art designs to create bed coverings, table mats and mantle pieces for colorful adornments. Most designs were made of layers of circles of wool traced from coins, hence the penny rug.

The workshop, open to those 12 and up, occurs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester. The fee is $70, and pre-registration is required. A complete kit will be supplied, just bring along a pair of scissors to cut your wool. Register online at www.maineshakers.com, or by phone at 926-4597.