A Small Collection of Rugs

First up is a Floral Hearth rug hooked mid 19th century and the private collection of Dan Wagoner.   The rug measures 33 x 66. 

When I find rugs on auction sites they sometimes mention the name of the collector or the estate name from which the rug came.  But this is the first time the auction house provided a bio of the owner.  So before I continue with other rugs from his collection thought you'd like to know more about him.  

Dan Wagoner was born in Springfield, West Virginia when the population at the time was 150.  He is one of the country's most celebrated modern dancers and choreographers of the second half of the 20th century. He started life far from the big stage in rural West Virginia, born in Springfield with a population of 150 at the time.

Wagoner was introduced to the performing arts through his experiences in grade school.  Then as a student at WV University he discovered modern dance and began taking classes.  Here is a young Dan Wagoner as he dances with Liz Walton.

After serving in the Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Hospital Wagoner moved to New York to pursue a dance Career and eventually established his own studio and troupe which lasted for 25 years.

In 1970 Wagoner purchased the 1789 Kurkendall House, an important stone home on the South Branch of the Potomac River near Romney, WV and with the help of his nephew began a laborious restoration.  With no electricity or running water Wagoner made that his vacation home away from the hustle bustle of city life. In that stone house Dan was able to display his collection of painted furniture, folk art and textiles. 

One such rug is this Central Octagon design, 23 x 38, with a hooked cartouche with Albert on one side and Hollowell on the other.  Hooked late 19 early 20th century.  

Although difficult to see is "Albert".

And below is "Hollowell".

The braided edge folk art rug incorporates hour glasses, triangles, crescents & fleurets.  Hooked mid 19th century. 

General Washington hooked rug circa 1920.  It measures 35.5 x 47.5 and this is the front.

Although a little worse for wear, the color doesn't seem to have faded a lot, here is a view of the back.

Doubt these are the only rugs Dan owned but they were the only ones I've found so far on an auction web site.  Hope you enjoyed the mini show.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Getting Closer on New Years Eve

For my friends who said I'd be done hooking New Years Eve pattern by this weekend....it didn't happen; but it's close.  

For you newbies here is a little lesson to tuck into your grey matter.  First I must say I'm not fond of directional hooking as I personally find it boring.  BUT, if you notice the up and down direction of hooking and color change gives it the appearance of the inside of a tree trunk with bear paw clawing to make it his home.  Uh, my interpretation.

Also notice the slanted directional hooking of the floor to give the appearance of distance from the lantern which would be smaller than the bookcase on the far right.  It's to give the illusion of distance.

I still have to face hooking the Coleman lantern but want to finish the right side of the rug first.  BUT...if you recall, there is a clock on top of the book case, right?  Teehee, wait until you see how I handle that.

Love keeping my readers waiting on the edge of their seats.  Or, maybe there aren't any readers waiting, lol.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Close But Not Exact

I've loved this antique rug for a few years and fell in love even more when watching a friend hook her version in a class with Kris Miller.  The original rug measures 23 x 41.

This morning while perusing various sites for old rugs stumbled upon this Sheep said to be hooked 19th century and from the estate of Penny Marshall ~ yes, THAT Penny Marshall.  The rug measures 23.5 x 36.

So I'm wondering if one is a derivative or adaptation of the other.  If you are wondering who that friend was, it was Tanya Wishard and what a beauty she created.

The antique rug is back on my 'to do' list but am still working on New Years Eve, Over the Moon is on the side lines awaiting the last loops and Woolly Santa still needs to have the binding completed.  So by the time I'm ready to put a newer rug on my frame my interest might be elsewhere.

Happy hooking and stay well.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Reverse Hooking

Seems I do a lot of reverse hooking as you (my regular readers) already know.  Truth be told I've reverse hooked and a couple times put back the wool I'd pulled out.  This is what New Years Eve looks like now.

And this is the previous photo.  It will be fun for me to compare them too and who knows, maybe I'll put back some of the wool I pulled out.

You probably already noticed the reverse hooking was mostly in the window/port hole and the book case to the far right.  For sure I like the darker colors of the bookcase much better as it looks like a companion piece to the bed and even stands out rather than sinking into the background.  

And of course I hooked more of the wall background.  But Buster's eye needs a little tweaking, still need to decide how to hook the Coleman lantern and undecided about the wine glass and if that sparkle line needs to be pulled out.  Yeah Mz Robin I know you want it gone, lol.  But how did I do with the other tweaks?

Still having fun with this fella, have Over the Moon on the side lines, Woolly Santa needs the binding finished and then will need to choose something else to  hook.  I want to hook an antique adaptation again!!!!!!  I miss my antique rug adaptations.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

New Years Eve

No, I haven't time travelled to the future, it is the name of the rug on my frame which was my camp project with Bev Conway.  It was love at first sight because it gave me hope for 'the new year'.  

The pattern reminded me of me in my cave for over 9 months and this bear has been in his tree cave for probably as long.  This design would be a happy covid rug as a reminder of good things going forward because I did not want to hook a mask or a colorful covid germ.  To me those are not happy motifs to hook.  But this one, oh man, does it speak volumes to me on the future.  Plus, my 'Buster the Bear' has a glass of cab in his hands to celebrate'.  Yep, that's my boy's name....Buster.  If you would like to purchase this pattern in either pdf or drawn on foundation you can find it HERE.

Am thinking that window is a big chipped out hole from woodpeckers, large retired Owl nest or a huge rotted out knot hole but it still serves as a window for Buster.  There's snow on the ground there but hopefully not here any time soon.

A story about the wine glass ~ which, by the way I think the glass shine should be removed between the thumb and the rest of the paw behind the glass, think the lighter color provides the idea of glass distortion.  What say you Lynne?  

To be continued on the glass... I know I've seen wonderful hooked pieces in narrow cut with a fishbowl and other reflective items and what 'to do' was running thru my mind one day while shopping at Walmart.  All of a sudden I see a palate of boxes shrink-wrapped and when I saw that glistening shrink-wrap immediately though "wine glass".  So pulled off a section of it and put it in my handbag.  

Those snowflakes are salvaged white linen threads ~ you pull up a loop in a hole, pull up two ends in the next hole and pull into the loop to make a knot and snip off the top.  Voila, easy peasy snowflakes.

I've still the Coleman lantern to figure out but have lots of background to hook as I ponder that part.  Lindsay, Loris and Bev....if you read this, I'm having a BLAST hooking this fun design.  Thank you.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Room With A View

Actually all rooms face the ocean and this is what my view looked like at 5:55 a.m. Monday morning.

And again at 6:30, time for a shower then first day of camp.

After the April and September camps were cancelled and just two days before Ocean City camp, it became a reality that this one was really going to happen.   I was cautiously apprehensive but decided to go anyway, I needed to get back to living.  

As soon as I arrived to my room and before unpacking anything I wiped down all surfaces with antibacterial wipes, sprayed the air with an antibacterial spray, pulled down the covers and sprayed the sheets and pillows.  Plus I took two of my own pillow cases to place over top of the two pillows I would sleep with.  

At camp I wore my mask and or face shield all the time.  Well, except at meal time.  Even then, when not eating but waiting for the main meal after soup or salad service I'd mask up again; some didn't.

There were 8 students in one class and 7 in the other and all held in the same room.  The weather was nice so we opened one door to the outside which brought in fresh air and it flowed out thru the doors open on the opposite side so air flow was good and the breeze could be felt.

In the photo above, to the left is Jeanne Benjamin, behind her is the door to the outside which is open.  Not sure where all the other students are but perhaps I was taking photos just after lunch when the room was less full.  

Below is a Sharon Smith pattern being hooked named Carrot Cake. 

Here's a review of what some of the students were working on.  It was easier/better for me to take photos when people were out of the room so as to keep distance.  

Hard to recall who was sitting where on the other side of the room but think this one was being hooked by Martha, who obviously started it before camp.

Cant remember who is working on this truck and you can see she is trying Bev Conway's message technique which will not be seen from the front ~ believe it or not.  I tried that at Cape May once and it does work.  If you would like to see the post I wrote about my experience click HERE.

The geometric below is being hooked by Phyllis Sheetz.

Pam Johnson hooking this rug and I love the coneflower colors.

Love the colors in the flamingo, and each time I see a pink flamingo I'm reminded of my dear departed mother who used to have the plastic things in her yard.  

Renia is continuing on the lion rug she started with Jeanne in a previous class.

Heather is hooking a Star Rug Company design and changed the dog into a cat.

Someone is working on a small version of an antique geometric.

Below in the forefront is Heather, one of my table mates, close and on the left in the grey and black top is a portion of Bev's head as she is doing something with Stella's design.

Another table mate is Loris who is returning to her spot and working on the floral pattern purchased from Bev.

Below is a view of the rug by Bev.  The rug is folded to show the front and the back.  The secret message can be hooked not be seen from the front but perfectly legible from the back.

An Owl in flight was awesome and had to take a photo of it even tho it won't be something I'll hook ~ too much detail for this primitive wide cut hooker.

My rug isn't posted today and plan to save it for a separate post.  There's a couple things I wanted to point out so you'll have to wait.  😉

Happy Friday 13th and happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Couldn't Take It Any Longer

I did manage to bind Old Tom and binding Woolly Santa binding has just begun.  But just couldn't stand not having a rug on my frame any longer.  Yes I've plenty of drawn patterns in my stash.  But my heart was set on doing my own version of the sweet Homestead Design  by Terri Leamer.  Of course I have $11 for the pdf pattern but wanted to put my own spin on the design with a log cabin, and other critters.

I had a slew of drawings to choose from and placed them in various positions to decide what I wanted.  

Even cut in half a huge piece of linen to use the flip side for my wanna be design.  It happens to be a doll to match one I'd made a few years ago.  This is what the pattern looked like but the hooking never came to fruition.

Below is the doll I'd made and subject of the never hooked piece.

After a couple days of frustration and failed planning efforts for my wanna be design, I pulled something from my stash.  At least it is giving me comfort having immediate gratification as the wool was also gathered and I've a hook in my hand again....ah...happiness.  

Haven't pulled many loops as I've been preparing for rug camp ~ leaving around noon.  I pray I don't come home with Covid and am equipped with several masks, a face shield and even taking my own pillow cases to place over the hotel cases.  Also taking wipes to make sure everything is wiped down and a spray for the room and sheets. 

After coming home I have a suspicion eventually I'll nix my design and purchase Winter Cottage Studios design by Terri Leamer; after all, hers is a nice design.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

It's Been A While (edited)

 Seems like forever since I've posted photos of old rugs so me thinks it's about time.  The rug below I've had on my flash drive since 2018 and haven't shown it until now as I was hoping to learn more about it.  That hasn't happened so will share all I know...it was being sold at Christies.  No info on size, provenance or age.  But I do like it.

Dog at rest early 20th century from the estate of Gail and Charlie Lohr, Rockingham Co., VA.  17 x 18.5.

A floral said to be hooked 1920 with the initials DEC and MEC.  From the  estate of Ann Vail, Waynesboro, VA measures 16 x 28.

A floral early 1900s measuring 31 x 54.

A shirred rug dated 1916 from Pennsylvania.  For those wonderful non-hooking friends who follow my blog here is a link to explain what a a SHIRRED RUG is.

House and Barn flying American Flags hooked late 19th early 20th century.  This is the front side, measures 24 x 44.

Here is the back side so you can see original colors. 

And lastly is a Moose with arrow shaped corners hooked 19th century, measuring 26 x 34.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Celebrating A Life

For me it is celebrating the life of a sister rug hooker, Joyce Kloster, whom I've never met.  But thru a fateful day having my vehicle fixed at an auto repair shop have gotten to know her from her daughter Lea.   To read my previous blog post about Joyce click HERE.  

I'll show more rugs further down, but here she is holding a huge Eagle pattern.  Heck, I'd probably still be working on something that large.

Here is that pattern hooked, these are part of the family photos Lea was kind enough to share with me.  This one might well be the rug Lea spoke of which is in the museum.

Joyce, was a mother of 6 children with no male figure helping raise them but they had a grandmother to help while Joyce went to college to get a teaching degree.  Lea said she didn't have fancy new clothes or extra anything as a child but she had everything she needed and then some.  She said she never felt like she missed out on anything and Joyce found a way to expose her children to the best possible life enrichment experiences as possible.  

She was a volunteer for the Red Cross so taught canoeing, first aid and cpr classes. Lea remembers getting to fix the Annie resuscitation doll's hair, fun for a little girl.  The kids always helped their mom when she was doing demonstrations getting valuable training and nurturing from a loving mom.  The family had a trailer in their backyard with six canoes.  The kids loved getting to flip the canoe over and tread water under it for teaching purposes. 

Joyce was also a Girl Scout leader for a few years; when Lea was a teen so took the girls canoeing in the boundary waters of Minnesota.  Lea never knew until she was married and moved away that her mom would pre-write her post cards and give them to the camp director so Lea would have one every day  Joyce also helped with Lea's brother's Boy Scout troop trips.  

Joyce also helped the Red Cross disaster team for a few years. There was/is a lot of flooding in Iowa and Lea remembers going around the town of Waverly, Iowa in an ambulance handing out Donuts, sandwiches and coffee.

Here are a few of the rugs hooked by Joyce which Lea owns.  First up was perfect for the Halloween just past and going into November.

The "Angels on Duty" rug below could well have been designed with Joyce in mind as she surely was an angel on duty caring for her 6 children.

Here is a humorous family story Lea shared with me... As mentioned, there were 6 kids and her mom had a purple cow cookie jar which both Lea and her sister Kathy always wanted.  Joyce said when she died Kathy could have the cow and brother Doug could have the purple rug.  The rug color shows almost black but it is purple.

The story continues...as the children became adults, almost every Sunday the family would go to moms house for a couple hours to visit with everyone.  The siblings would sometimes hide the purple rug or the cow cookie jar to see if anyone noticed.  It became a ritual to find where they were hidden.  Sadly they lost sister Kathy to pancreatic cancer about 5 years ago so now Lea has the purple cow cookie jar and brother owns the purple background rug. 

Lea's brother Danny owns these rugs hooked by his mother.

Remember in the previous post (see hyperlink to it above) where I mentioned inheriting a red dot of a dragon and it drawn on a piece of rug warp?  Here is a photo of a completed Dragon Joyce hooked and is owned by Danny, Lea's other brother.

After Joyce got her teaching degree she had time off during the summer so she and the children would take road trips. One summer they drove to Washington state, another summer they travelled to Georgia and the last big trip they drove from Iowa to Bar harbor, Maine.   They then took a ferry to Nova Scotia and drove to New Brunswick then to Michigan and back to Iowa.   They always drove and slept at camp grounds.  

Joyce had the trips planned out with AAA maps.  Lea said, "It amazes me now as a adult the things my mom did for us.  One thing my kids and nieces and nephews will tell you I say and I get it from my mom ~ I’m never lost I’m just taking the scenic route lol."

For any of you readers who visited Joyce's home you may have seen these.  Lea said her mother collected Russian Nesting Dolls and at one time thinks she probably had over 1200 of them.  Here are some which Lea now owns but surely not all Joyce once owned.

Lea says her mom was awarded a plaque one year (around 1980) and thinks it was a 'kindness to humanity award' but sadly no one knows where it is or who it was from.  She was also Special education teacher at a school called River Hills. The kids helped with special Olympics and there was even a special Ed Girl Scout troop they helped and went to camp with. 

Here are some photos Lea scanned for me and she didn't know any of their names.  I saw a photo and thought I knew exactly who it was sitting in the photo with Joyce.  I posted the question of Facebook if the woman on the right was Emma Lou Lais, and immediately had numerous positive "YES's".   For those of you who are not rug hookers, here is some fun facts about that delightful woman EMMA LOU LAIS.

If anyone recognizes people in these other photos please let me know and I'll see about changing the names in the photo.

Another thing which Lea wanted to share with all of you is the China Doll on the left.  She said she was allowed to play with the doll when she was little if she was really careful.  Her mom would put a wash cloth between her porcelain feet so they wouldn't chip or break.  The fancy gown she is wearing was made by a friend out of Lea's wedding dress.

In Lea's sharing her wonderful memories of her mom with me she said, "You never realize how much impact someone you love has on your everyday life until they are gone."   

Lea knows I'm doing this post to honor her mother and want to thank her.  What's amazing is that I feel as tho I knew Joyce personally and in reading and again doing this blog have gotten teary eyed.  Thank you Lea, and Joyce if you are reading this in heaven you did one fantastic job raising your children,  thank you for your wool and wool strips, and bet you are an Angel on Duty in heaven now. 

Saundra