Learn to make penny rugs with rug maker Sandy Rolewicz at the Madison County Historical Society’s Heritage Handicrafts: Penny Rug Workshop on Sunday, September 27 from 1 pm - 3 pm.
In the 1800s women would repurpose worn textiles, saving wool scraps to create colorful fabric home décor. A penny rug is made by layering circles of wool, using a coin as a template to trace the circular shape, hence the term penny rug. The penny rug was not necessarily used as a rug in the home. It was quite often created to be used as a decorative piece for a shelf, wall hanging, or used as a table runner.
Madison County Historical Society’s Heritage Handicrafts: Penny Rug Workshop is part of a series of leisure art workshops designed to engage and involve participants in Fine Arts and Crafts activities common in the 19th century, with a focus on making cultural connections to creative pastimes, which are still relevant today. This year the Madison County Historical Society is collaborating with the Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD) member artists who will be leading a series of workshops at the Madison County Historical Society. HSEAD is a not for profit national organization whose mission is to perpetuate and expand the unique skills and knowledge of Early American Decoration through educational workshops, research, publishing and exhibitions.
Sandy Rolewicz is an associate member of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration who teaches workshops around the region. She has been sewing since the 7th grade, creating her first penny rug in 1993 from a pattern in the Early American Life Magazine. She devotes much of her time making braided rugs and woolen mittens from upcycled wool sweaters. She exhibits her work throughout the region and has been recognized for her artistry, winning several blue ribbons at the NY State Fair in the penny rug class and has been awarded best in show for two of her penny rugs. She is a member of James Dean Chapter of Questers, serving for many years as program chairwoman, past president, secretary, and treasurer. She is also a member of the Westmoreland Historical Society, presently serving as secretary on the board. Her community volunteerism also includes being a member of the Clinton Historical and Town of Western Historical. Sandy opened her own antique shop, Just Like Grandma’s, in Lairdsville in 1991 where she specializes in chair seating-cane, rush, shaker tape, and reed seats. Sandy is also politically active in her community, as an election inspector.
The Penny Rug workshop will be held at the Madison County Historical Society located at 435 Main Street in Oneida on Sunday, September 27 from 1 pm- 3 pm. The cost for the workshop is $25 for Madison County Historical Society members and $30 for nonmembers. Become a member of the Madison County Historical Society to receive the special workshop rate. All materials will be provided. This workshop is for adults and children aged 13 years and up with basic knowledge of sewing. Space is limited to 15 participants and registration is required, so register soon. The Madison County Historical Society is very excited to be collaborating with the Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD) member artists who will be leading the Penny Rug Workshop and four other workshops: Reverse Glass Workshop (June 13); American Painted Tinware Workshop (July 18); Stencil Placemat Workshop (August 8); and Rufus Porter style Painted Box (October 24). To learn more about the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, visit their website at www.hsead.org. To register for the workshop, please contact the Madison County Historical Society at 315-363-4136, or history@mchs1900.org, or www.mchs1900.org. The Madison County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that operates both a museum and the Mary King Research Library located at 435 Main Street in Oneida. The society continues to preserve, collect, promote, and exhibit the history of Madison County and its fifteen towns and one city through the development of programs that enhance Madison County’s heritage. The historical society’s headquarters are housed in an 1849 Gothic Revival Villa that is listed on the State and National Registry of Historic Places.
