How to Make a Felt Flower Bookmark with Penny Rug Circles

This felt flower bookmark is easy to make and an ideal gift for any book lover, Mother's Day or Teacher Appreciation Day!  

In addition to being an easy, amazing and useful DIY craft idea, this free bookmark pattern is also a money saver. Costing Practically Nothing!   Bust through your scrap bins for scrap felt, scrap ribbon and scrap buttons.  

Why is this bookmark called a penny rug flower bookmark?

The flower is made using felt circles. The circles are cut out and stacked together with a blanket stitch.  Traditionally these felt circle stacks were sewn onto a background fabric which when completed was called a penny rug. 

But we aren't doing that today.  We'll make the penny rug stack into a flower bookmark. 

Learn the history of penny rugs, how they were made and where they originated on our penny rugs page.

Today's article aims to teach you how to make a DIY felt flower bookmark with our written step-by-step tutorial below. 

Not only will I provide instructions, but I also have photos and even provide a video tutorial you can follow by simply clicking on the link below to go to a YouTube video tutorial.

how to make a penny rug flower bookmark

Looking for something to do to pass time on road trips, in a waiting room or on vacation.  This is the perfect take-along craft.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE FELT FLOWER BOOKMARK craft WITH PENNY RUG CIRCLES

STEP 1:  Gather supplies

This project can be a scrapbuster.  If you have felt scraps, check them for three complimentary felt colors for the flower.

Have ribbon lying around?  This is a way to use up scrap ribbon since the project only needs 12 inches.

What about buttons?  Most of us have button boxes with lots of buttons inside.  Here is a way to use them.

STEP 2: prepare circles

In this tutorial, I am not going to explain or show how to make penny rug circles.  But to learn how go to our page on how to cut penny rug circles using freezer paper.  

What size penny rug circles do you need?  The flower includes three layers and a backing. For one penny rug flower bookmark you will need:

• 2 pieces 2 1/2"
• 1 piece 1 1/2"
• 1 piece 1"

STEP 3: Assemble the Penny Rug Stack

To begin you will use the 1” and 1 ½” penny rug circles.  Remove the paper backing.  Center the smaller circle on top of the medium circle and secure it in place with a pin.

Thread an embroidery needle with three strands of embroidery floss or Perle cotton and knot the end.  You will blanket stitch the smaller circle onto the center of the middle circle.

How?  To begin blanket stitching bring the needle up from the back of the felt right against the edge of the top smaller felt circle. Carefully pull the floss all the way through until the floss is taut and the knot catches the felt on the back.  Make sure the floss only goes through the larger felt circle and not the smaller one.

Next, insert the needle a short distance down from the edge of the smaller circle and pull it out at the back of the work.

Avoiding the knot bring the tip of the needle from the back of the felt up through the initial hole. The needle should only be coming through the bottom layer of felt and not the top one.

Slide the needle under the top of the first stitch.  If you will be blanket stitch counterclockwise around the circle, slide the needle from right to left.  If you will blanket stitch clockwise, slide the needle from left to right.

The first stitch is finished.

Now work your way around the entire smaller circle using the blanket stitch.

To make the next blanket stitch, insert the needle a short distance away from the first stitch inserting the tip of the needle into the smaller circle and coming out at the edge of the smaller circle.

Before you pull the needle and floss through, make sure your embroidery floss is looped under the needle.  Then carefully pull the needle through the loop until the thread is taut.  Second blanket stitch completed.

Repeat around the entire circle.  If possible try to keep the stitches the same length and an equal distance apart.

How do you end the blanket stitch?  To end the blanket stitch, after completing the last stitch,

push the needle under the top of the first stitch.

Pull the floss completely through.  To secure, push the needle again under the top of the same stitch and make a knot by placing the point of the needle through the loop and pull tightly.

Insert the needle between the two felt pieces allowing the point of the needle to come out in the middle of the front and cut with a scissor.  The floss is buried between the felt pieces.

After securing the two circles with blanket stitches, center it in the middle of the larger circle (the 2 1/2" felt penny) with a pin.  Blanket stitch these together in the same manner as before.

At this point, you have blanket stitched the edges of the small and medium circles.

STEP 4 Attach button  and ribbon

To add a little pizzazz to the felt flower embellish it by sewing on a small button. 

Double thread a sewing needle with standard sewing thread and tie a knot at the end. Place the button in the middle of the smaller circle.

Now, coming from underneath the felt stack and the button, poke your needle up through one of the holes. Pull the thread through until it is tight and the knot is against the back.

Next, insert the needle in the hole diagonally across from the first hole. Pull the thread to the back of the felt piece.  Repeat two more times.

Finally, sew through the other two holes on a diagonal three times.  To finish, work on the wrong side (the thread should be on the back) knot your thread several times on the back.

Attaching the button this way gives it a more decorative touch with an attractive "x" in the middle.

The ribbon flower stem is next!

Use a scissor to cut a 12-inch length of ribbon.  Turn the penny rug flower over to the backside, place the ribbon in the center and with a needle and thread make a few small stitches in the back to hold it in place. Don't forget to make a knot when finished.

Here is a look at the flower bookmark so far.

STEP 5:  Sewing backing piece to penny circle flower

It's time to hide the button and ribbon stitching and finish the felt flower.

Remove the paper backing from the second large felt penny (this is the backing for the flower) and place it against the back of the 3-layered circles.

Thread an embroidery needle with three stands of embroidery floss and knot the end.

The knot will be sandwiched between the two large circles.  Place the second large circle on the back of the completed flower stack. 

With the flower side of the stack facing up, bring the point of the needle up through the front circle a short distance from the edge of the felt so the knot is hidden between the two layers.  Pull the floss all the way through.

Next, poke the needle up from the back going through the same hole on the front piece, forming a vertical bar. This is the first stitch.

As you've done previously, insert the needle under the stitch going sideways at the top edge of the stitch. Continue blanket stitching around the outside of the felt flower.

If you are concerned about how to blanket stitch when you get to the ribbon, when you approach the ribbon simply continue blanket stitching in the normal manner.  Insert the needle into the felt a short distance from the edge but bring the needle up close to the outer circle edge also going through the ribbon. End the blanket stitch the same way as previously done.

The felt blanket stitched flower is complete.  Here is a front view.

and this is the back.

STEP 6: Add button to the end of the ribbon

Now it's time to finish the raw end of the ribbon.  

Grab the second button and a knotted needle and thread.  Fold the end of the ribbon up about 1/4" toward the right side and sew on the button.

By folding the end of the ribbon to the right side and adding a button, the ribbon will not unravel and fray. 

Your DIY penny rug flower bookmark is now complete  UNLESS you would like to add a few leaves to the stem.

STEP 7: adding leaves

You can use the bookmark as is or you can attach some leaves to the stem. From felt cut two leaf shapes in green felt.  With craft glue or a hot glue gun, attach these leaves to the ribbon stem.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make penny rug flower bookmarks and decide to make some for yourself or as gifts.  Be sure to pin and bookmark so the felt bookmark is available to you in the future.  We would love for you to also share it with crafting friends.

Make sure to check out some of Needlepointers.com's other videos on our YouTube channel. While you're there, please subscribe to our channel so you don't miss future craft projects.

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