JUST ANOTHER RUG SHOW

This first beauty isn't hooked, it is Colcha embroidery.  You can read about Colcha and see a few other works HERE.

The rug below appears to be floral combined in scrolls.  No date provided but measures 19 x 34.5

Again no date was provided for this horse and rider.  Comes from a Vermont estate (12.5 x 16.5).

Thought this was a cute landscape but absolutely no information was provided, so I googled Muskoka and this is what was found HERE.  Perhaps someone wanted to capture and memorialize their time there in a hooked mat.

Colorful rug with yellow cat said to be hooked early 20th century.

Probably a chair pad is this chicken farmer piece.  It's sweet and was well used.

An eagle with a double border.  No date but wouldn't surprise me if this was a Frost design.

Don't listen to the Mermaid Lad ~ a Hutchinson rug.

A montage (jumble) of figures and animals.  Wonder if the rug below ls also a Hutchinson?  I have the booklet but am too lazy to search thru it to see if the image is in there.

And finally, several pics of an 18th century painted box from Lancaster, PA dated 1764.  This is the chickens and flower side.

This side has images of a couple.  Maybe it was a hope chest?

Below is an image of the top of the chest.

Another side depicting a peacock and flowers.

Finally a dog chasing a stag.  All of these would be great images to use in a primitive rug.

Did another small dye project again using the same dyes ~ Olde Patina and Pro Chem's mocho chino combined.  Will show you results in another post.

I've never enjoyed rain as much as today, finally the white s**t is gone.  True I've complained about the monsoons experienced here in the past, but I've always hated snow since becoming an adult.  Yes it is pretty when it snows then melts the next day.  But don't want foot high snow which turns to white ice and lasts for almost 3 weeks.  Looking forward to spring.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

OLDE PATINA DYEING

I have dyed with walnuts, onion skins but this is my favorite recipe to dirty up some bright, white or other colors for that antique look.  I did three pots with different amounts of dye in each pot and didn't stir much as I wanted a mottled look.  Some dye colors absorb faster than others that is why you will see the variance in colors in the wool results.

On the far left 1/2 yard was dyed in a pot using 2 tablespoons of dye, the before at the top, which is obvious.  Will provide the recipe further down in the post.  Seemed a little too dark but will be used in a future rug.

Next pot I only used 1 Tbls. for the 1/2 yard in the middle ~ the top wool is the before, the one just under that is the result from that pot.  The 3rd piece of wool just under was in the third pot along with that wool to the right.  Not sure of amount of wool as I didn't measure it but was less than 1/2 yard so I used a tad less than 1 Tbls. dye.

If you search "Olde Patina dye Recipe" in the box at the top left of  my blog you will see previous dye jobs using this recipe which is in the Beautiful Wool dye book by Laurice Heath.  Here is the recipe:

OLDE PATINA

1/2 t. Khaki Drab (Cushing)

1/8 t. Cushing Old Gold

1/8 + 1/16 Golden Brown Cushing

1/16 t. Dark Gray Cushing

1/64 t. Wood Rose Cushing

pour in 1 cup boiling water and stir.  From that cup I used tablespoons for the dyeing.  FYI, I have dye spoons which includes a 1/64 t. measure.

If you want to see another topic covered in a blog post like antique rugs, Cape May rug camp, etc.  just type the specific word in the box and you will see some old posts regarding the subject.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Designed and hooked by Polly Minick

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

RUG HOOKING CHIT CHAT

I've found new to me old rugs to share and will start off with the recently found Barbara E. Merry rug someone just listed.  I've never seen this one before so wonder how many more of her rugs are out there with private owners.

Looks Barbara captured a fun time for the folks who tended their farm who are playing music and enjoying the night off.

A Hutchinson style rug.

A Grenfell 1930's horse and sleigh measuring 17.5 x 29.   He started a cottage industry and taught women to hook with nylons to help them make money due to the poverty level.  For those of you new to rug hooking you can read more about him and the hooked mats HERE.

Perhaps this next one could be considered a Hutchinson style hooked rug but the background is a little more busy than seen in those rugs.  Said to be 19th century and measures 34 x 50.

A Native American on horseback dated 1930.

Cute rug of two dogs hooked mid 20th century so maybe not quite considered an antique yet.  

A small 14 x 14 hooked mat with 4 leaf clusters, possibly a chair pad although not round.

The auction house listed the rug below as an eagle and dated 1910.  It is definitely not my favorite depiction of an eagle, to me it looks more like a Condor.

Horse running free so will consider it a mustang.  No date but there are obvious damaged areas on it and such a shame as it would be a lovely rug otherwise.

A couple cats, no other information provided.  I love the quirkiness of antique rugs.  Perhaps the hooker had no extra light value to hook in that bottom scroll so "used what she had" to finish it.

There ya have it for today folks.  Yesterday I finally made my chicken rice soup and it was delicious.  Guess you know what my lunch and dinner will be today and then will freeze some.

Also pulled out the dye pots again yesterday and just may do so again today; will show you the results in a future post.  And no, it isn't primitive black again.  It will be my favorite Olde Patina.

Did you remember to turn your clocks back?  

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

I'M DY'N HERE

Even tho it is hot and humid outside thought I'd dye up a little wool for my next project.  No you didn't miss seeing what that next project is because I haven't shown you yet.  There are a few more loops to pull on Cottage and Apple Tree and before starting the next one will force myself to pull Mary out of hiding and pull a few loops on that.  Which might be very few loops me thinks.  But have no fear you'll find out soon enough what will be on the frame next.

As luck would have it there was still a little mixture of "Midnight Run" from Tonya Robey's dye book and also some mixture left of "Olde Patina" from the Beautiful Wool dye book.  Used less tablespoons of Olde Patina as I didn't want this as dark as I've done before.

The rug in the foreground is an antique adaptation and one I hooked of an Early Farm Scene back in 2019.

Diane recently sent me a photo of a rug I drew for her named "Rainbow Petals".  So want to share it with you as it looks wonderful.  It is also an antique adaptation.  

Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Be Prepared

The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared".  The next time I host or do a textile challenge my motto is "be more prepared".  In 2021, during the pandemic, I hosted a textile challenge on my blog and you can read a little about it HERE.  The objective was using more of an alternate textile than wool in a rug to get back to our roots, so to speak.  

Not such a wise decision was that I chose to use woven cotton and homespun as my alternate textile.  Not next time baby, it is a bear to pull through the linen.  Finished works by the participants of the challenge were featured in the August/September 2021 issue of ATHA magazine.  Thanks to all the rug hookers who joined in, it was fun.

So in order for  me to be more prepared for the next challenge I've started looking for and collecting silks, cotton knits and nylons.  If you peruse the rug hooking sale sites on FB you've seen Sari silk offered I'm sure.  What makes Sari silk (a silk garment worn in India) any more special than a silk item worn in America?  Go to your local thrift shop and look for silk items.  Yeah, you'll have to dismantle and rip it yourself but much more thrifty and you can use the savings toward gas.

Yesterday I did rip a couple items which you see bundled to the left of the photo below.  I'll bet that colorful blouse will be beautiful and will eventually work on that.  The white nylons will be thrown in a dye pot once I know what the project will be.  You can also see a green and yellow piece of nylon stocking.

And here is my collection of cotton knit, and more yellow and green nylon stockings.  These will have to be cut vs. ripped, but at least I've got my bounty ready.

For those who have followed me regularly, you know my passion for hooking antique adaptations.  Here is a photo of antique star and diamond rug which measures 33 x 70.  Love those blotchy off color patches on antique rugs.  Shows me they used what they had.

Now look at the close up detail of the textiles used AND notice the spacing between the loops.

And yet another closeup of another section of the rug with burlap showing thru.  That may also indicate weakening of the foundation.  Point is, that's not wool.

Here is the back of another antique rug and look at the spacing between loops.

On another rug, the photo below shows this person even used a sweater.

And probably my all time favorite antique rug designer/hooker is Magdalena Briner Eby.  Here are two closeup photos of the front and what is now known as Great Granddaughter's Rug.

Notice that even tho these rugs were well used, walked on (pressed), during Magdalena's time you can still see foundation showing.  And of course they got dirty which adds beauty to the antique and tones down the bright white.  Sometimes I have used walnut juice from walnuts collected in the fall or I've a favorite dye recipe called Olde Patina which I use.  So if you want to make a rug look old, follow in the footsteps of our foremothers, just say'n.

Here's Magdalena's fine rug held by relatives.  That is the great granddaughter in the middle.

In 2019 I hooked that design and tried to follow the color scheme Magdalena used but hooked in my normal rhythm and using what I had on hand.

Guess I've rambled long enough on this post and need to save up something for future posts.  Happy Hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Weekend Stuff

Pulled out the dye pots again to do a little Olde Patina dying which was successful.  This is about a yard give or take and done in two dye pots.  Each had some cream wool and off white wool.  One pot had 2 tablespoons of dye and the other with 1 1/2 teaspoons.  In antique rugs not all are soiled evenly so wanted various degrees of dirty white.  

Am planning ahead for when one of these vintage rugs becomes the next one on my frame.  And I have darker dirty/muddy available.  The first old rug is known as Wyeth Rose previously shown in my antique rug show.

Or perhaps the wool will be used when I want to hook these gorgeous deer.

Also cut and serged linen on which a design was drawn for the 'next pattern on my frame'.  Nope, it isn't on the frame yet because I'm determined to finish Mother and Fishbowl.

If you want to see the Olde Patina Recipe you can see it and a previous post when worms were overdyed with it HERE.

Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Misc. Rug Hooking Chit Chat & Tornado

The last couple days hooking Early Farm Scene realized I was critically close to the end of Old Patina dyed wool.  Luckily there was more solution left so grabbed approximately one yard of cream, white and wheat wool to over-dye.  It is in the dryer now and only hope there will be something to use for the rest of the background.  Since weave and wool content varies it is always a surprise when dyeing.

This is what Early Farm Scene looks like now.  Looking closely you will see a color and slight value difference in background on the left between the tree and black sheep.  That was in the original antique so was able to use some of my olde patina wool from previous dye lots to get that look.

This is the original antique.

The linen I'm hooking on was purchased on ebay for a good price and is not drawn to scale.  Seemed like a great deal on linen (and it was) but now realize if I'm crazy about hooking an adaptation then I should draw it out myself.

Some things I want to change, which was not the fault of the purchased pattern, is pulling out the purple in the top motif (is that a sun or crop area?).  That purple needs to be red.  Also my Cross is unevenly hooked so that must be fixed.  The reset I can deal with.

Now to the tornado. Here in Delaware we get snow storms, hail, flooding, hurricanes, had a couple mild earthquakes and sometimes tornado warnings.  Of all those things it is tornadoes which scare me to death.  

When living in California was terrified of the earthquakes because they had more magnitude than encountered in Maryland and Delaware.  

During the wee hours this morning there was an EF2 tornado touched down between my town of Seaford and neighboring town of Laurel.  On the news it was reported to be about 50 yards wide and the wake of damage traveled 6.2 miles, you can see some pictures by clicking HERE. 

After enduring the two trees blown down with just straight winds last March 2, 2018 this would have been very scary if I'd had my iPad in the bedroom when the warning was announced.

My new Olde Patina dyed wool is in the dryer and hope there is something which will work for the remainder of the background.  But, if not, I'll do what was done before....use what I have.

Saundra

Taming an Ugly

A few years ago I purchased a couple yards of a pinkish red wool which looked appealing at the time.  But since then have come to think of it as putrid pink.  Tried using some in Lititz Hens and had to pull it out.

Didn't feel like getting out all my equipment and mixing dye recipes so went to my stash of pre-mixed jars of dye from previous projects.  The wool looks different on the reverse side so have displayed it so you can see both sides.

The narrow center piece of wool is what I started with.  Wool on the left  was put in a pot of Olde Patina dye (Beautiful Wool by Laurice Heath).  The wool on the right was put in a pot with Evening Shade A Rug to Dye For by Tonya Benson Robey).

Still cold here and weather forecast is calling for about  an inch of snow but at least it won't be the frigid temps of the last couple days.  Still in the teens right now tho.

Hard to believe it is February already.

Saundra

Star Geometric

Thank goodness the rug is all hooked.  It isn't steamed yet and won't be until later as I'm anxious to start my next rug project.   This rug measures 29 x 32 and hooked mostly in #8.5 but used various other cuts from my worm bags.   A lot of the wool has been over dyed with either my Olde Patina dye recipe or with black walnuts to give it an aged look.  The flash is giving the rug a rather washed out look.

 Here is a photo without a flash.....

..and now the original antique rug.

Before I can start hooking my next rug there needs to be a major clean-up in the wool room.  Again I'll use a lot of my wool worms but the two main motifs will require some cutting of wool so the table needs to be cleaned off.

As much as I hate cleaning there is no better motivation for me than starting a new project.

Saundra