GIVEAWAY

Oh yeah, a GIVEAWAY.  In celebration of my birthday and holidays coming so soon thought it would be fun to share my festive attitude with my hooker blogger friends.

Previously I showed a picture of my new Christmas design which had just been started, and then an update.  So here is  now the finished hooked piece and I like it a lot.  It measures 10 x 18 ~ actually, you hookers know that sometimes in some areas it might be a smidgen over or under as is the case with this mat.  But the approximate size is between 10x18 and 10.5 x 18.5.  And I just finished hooking it and should have tugged at the right top corner to get a better and more straight picture, but didn't.

The outside one line border was a special gift oh so many years ago at Cape May when the multi-colored, dip dyed piece arrived.  It was in an anniversary gift bag and while I had no idea how it would ever be used in a rug of mine it has now settled nicely in this design.

So, in just 2 days, before noon, the winner will be drawn for the GIVEAWAY  for this Holiday Tree Ornaments PATTERN on linen to the lucky winner.  Sorry guys, not the finished piece, that will be offered for sale on my web site.

The requirements are that you be a FOLLOWER and no anonymous OR NO-REPLY messages will be included.  So, if you are among those who wish to remain "anonomous' with a no identity and NO-REPLY you will not be included.  Those e-mails go to my spam and will not be seen so not included.  Only those people whose comments show up on my blog will be included.

The winner will be chosen on December 4th before noon.  Good luck for those of you who enter and thanks so much for visiting.

Saundra

HOLIDAY TREE ORNAMENTS

Since there aren't any elves making things for me, it required me to take action if I wanted to put this design on my web site so people can get it by Christmas.  So today I posted a picture as is on my pattern page and when it is finally hooked will  update my web site with the completed piece.  Certainly I should have worked on it a few months ago but getting ready for Cape May and the Ocean City workshop seemed to take priority.  So now THIS project is a major priority.

It measures 10 1/2" x 18 1/2" and hooking seems to alter the finished size so will measure it again aftewards.

Normally I don't do bright colors but then Christmas is a festive and colorful season so figured brights were necessary.  And, I just might need to tone down that shocking white with a mild tea bag blotting as it hurts my eyes.

One year at Cape May rug camp they provided a goodie bag for all the attendees and there was a dip dyed strip of wool for each of us which had red, green and blue in the approximately 4" wide and maybe 18" length.  I've had that strip for years wondering what on earth I'd ever use it for.  HA!  Perfect for the outside border.  Not sure that there is enough for more than one row around tho.   What was surprising is that it was peaking at me when I went into the wool room.  Why it wasn't buried under other wool is amazing so it was meant to be.

Thanks for stopping by.

Saundra

EDWARD TULANE finally finished

Although I try to keep this blog mostly about rug hooking (my personal favorite past time), the rabbit Edward Tulane has been very popular and cannot count how many of them I've made and sold.  Not only parents and grandparents have purchased them but also three different elementary school teachers in Texas purchased them to use as a teaching aid for their class.

Last year at Christmas I didn't have one to sell so wanted to be sure one was available this year in time for the holidays.  Therefore I think this Edward was started sometime in the summer since my delightful indulgence is rug hooking knew that short spurts of time would be spent on the making Edward.  Plus the fact that making him is an arduous task with so many steps to take and then down time while the paint or coating is drying before the next step. 

Here he is in all his glory and I finally listed him on e-bay yesterday.  So now I can concentrate on pulling loops.

And, that Christmas ornament mat I'm working on needs a little toning down on that white before I show a picture. 

Have a great evening everyone and....remember to be kind to one another.

Saundra

Pots on the Stove ~ Wool and Soup

My first dye experiment had lack luster results,  unfortunately.  These are the wools I started with and had hoped that the blue would bleed well enough to tone down the bright green in the one plaid and that the tan, light grey herringbone and bluish/white would pick up a little of the dye in the process.

The only piece I was pleased with was this blue piece which did accept more of the blue color so kept it.

Then decided to pull out more brighter blue wool, add the same wool with exception of the blue and put them all in a pot together and stew them once again.  Oh, must say that at the last minute threw in a piece of white wool to see if it would grab any color.

Still poor results so these were not very good bleeders for sure.  Yet the grey herringbone did take some color and the tan grabbed a little more too, but nothing to write home about.

Since it was now 2 to 0 in the scoring of wool dying success stories decided to marbleize some wool because I refused to be defeated.  As you can see I had two oranges (looks yellow in the picture but it is lighter orange) a dark green, fuchsia, tan, burgundy and dark red.

Here are the end results of a variety of colors chosen...... this old gal was determined to find bleeding wool somewhere.  The tan accepted some of the reds and on the other side there are hints of green.  The oranges took the green and it looks as tho the green got lighter in some spots as well.

And not crazy about the results of this either and think I should stick to using my regular dye recipes.

However, I did have success making a delicious pot of Turkey Barley Soup!  Nothing better in the chilly weather than to heat up a nice healthy and hearty bowl of soup.  Plus it is a good way to use up leftover turkey.  So I would like to share with you a recipe which I downloaded from Taste of Home web site:

Turkey Barley Soup
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 T. Vegetable Oil
9 cups turkey broth
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

In a 3 quart saucepan saute carrots, mushrooms, celery and onion in oil for 20 minutes or until tender.  Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 - 60 minutes.  Discard bay leaves before serving.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the rest of your weekend and please be kind to one another.

Saundra

Working on New Design

Always challenging the time clock I designed this pattern a few months ago but didn't have time too hook it then.  Matter of fact I sent the pattern drawn on linen to my friend Evelyn Lawrence and told her she could hook it and sell the rug but please send me a picture so I could put the finished piece on my web site to show a hooked version.  Evidently she was busy getting ready to teach, for her fun rug camps as well as a show she does in North Penn so it didn't get done by her either.

So, finally I put aside my Wee Folk rug because this has to hurry and get finished so it can be put on my web site as a pattern for sale.  Besides, I'd like to put it on one of my tables for Christmas.  It is a smallish pattern so should go fast.

Obviously there will be some red and green wool hooked in the design too, and had thought of putting the red for the center Christmas ball with blue and green on either side.  Then decided to have the red on one side and green on the other. 

And today am going to play in the dye pots and marry some wool ~ goodness knows how the choice of colors of wools are going to turn out but just felt like experimenting and it is a no muss no fuss way to dye.  Just pick out as is wool, wrap together, put in a pot of water with some laundry detergent (no bleach) and see how it turns out.

Thanks for dropping by during this busy holiday season..... and be kind to one another.

Saundra

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This rug was a design in a Need'l Love pamphlet called "Falloween" and love the colors design, etc.  As you can see that is only one initial "S" as it was hooked while going thru the divorce and was changing my name back to Porter from Slagle but the decree hadn't come thru yet so hooked just my first initial.  This rug happens to be on my harvest table for a little fall and Thanksgiving flare.

Today I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my son, daughter-in-love Cathy, grandson Zach and other family members at my son's house.  Greg, my son, always does the full holiday meals and today will be turkey with all the trimmings.  Christmas he will bake a ham with all the side dishes.  Each holiday I take a pie and another dish so that I feel as tho I'm contributing in some way. 

The Princess (sweet Cathy) will be perusing the paper ads as well as checking all stores on-line to see what specials she wants to purchase and plans her road trip accordingly.  She and her sister Kim will leave their house tonight around 11 p.m. to go shopping and won't get home until morning when everyone else (like me) is just waking up.  They do this every year and must admit they get some darn good bargains at the Midnight Madness and door buster sales.  That isn't my thing so will come home and get a good night's sleep.

Hope all of you have a very special Thanksgiving; we should be grateful for what we have ~ our health, family and friends.  And just look around outside to look at the natural beauty.  And please folks...... be kind to one another, it takes less effort than being caustic, besides you really can change someone else's bad day with a pleasant smile.

Thanks for stopping by.

Saundra

Wee Folk Update

Wee Folk is a wee big fuller than you saw before my leaving for the workshop ~ not done, but closer. 

The bicycle handles and bars still look too washed out and close in value to the background, so it appears that I'll have no choice but to change out the color but don't know yet what color to make them.  Guess I could use the bright green that is used in the chicken and the flags in the banner.  Or could go with a somewhat darker blue but not as dark as in the border blue.  For sure red it out of the question since there is already so much of that.  And sometimes wish I'd done a plain colored shirt on the bunny instead of the stripe which was suggested ~ there's just too much red and white stripe and the flags would have been plenty.

But for now, I'll hook what I know (to quote Eric Sandberg from an earlier class) and keep pulling loops then decide what to do.

Hope everyone has a nice and Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Saundra

Rugs in Progress at the Workshop

There were 3 classes with teachers Lucille Festa, Gail Walden and Terri Schaeffer so you are about to see a wide variety of styles of hooking and braiding.

In Lucille's class these were the rugs being hooked, the first one by my friend and roomie Deb, it is a Woolley Fox design called "Have you any Wool".

This one was being hooked by Pam Brune and is a Lucille design.

This design was being hooked by Pat Duggan and she is in the process of changing out color more to her liking therefore the difference in color.  Sorry but not sure not sure who drew that one based on the antique.

Renia had two rugs she was working on; one to hook until Lucille got to her (as most of us did) and it happened to be her very first rug she hooked with Lucille at Cape May in September.  It is a design by Lucille as is her other rug she started at this workshop.

You can see the improvement in Renia's hooking between the Cape May first rug started and the one below.... great job Renia.

And this is Janice Russell's rug.  Let me mention here that Janice is a McGowan teacher and runs the April rug camp and is predominately a narrow cut hooker.  But she wanted the experience of getting primitive and she let her inhibitions go.  I like the changes they made with the border design too.

This rug was being hooked by Phyllis Sheetz and was a design by Lucille.

This is the rug I started hooking based on two antique rugs and I adapted parts from each to come up with this design.  Since being home I have not pulled one more loop on it as I have been working on the Wee Folk rug.

There was another student in Lucille's class but don't know if I have permission to show Stella's rug in progress or the rugs finished so won't post them now. However I do have other rugs to show and not sure who the teacher was or most not sure who the hooker was. 

However, this colorful geometric rug was started at Cape May in September and Susan Woodworth has accomplished a LOT since then.  So I'm thinking that she just continued the rug at this workshop just to be around other hookers and have a great venue with like people and have a great camp time.

Here are some in-progress rugs and sorry that I do not know who hooked them but enjoy.

 

It is obvious the next rug was flipped over and another design drawn on the back which is the subject being hooked.  I have done this also when I had a rug that I fell out of love with ~ hey, perfectly good linen so may as well put it to good use.

And then this wonderful wolf is great; I've done a narrow cut with my Rotties and it is also delightful but I'll not do another narrow cut rug even tho it does provide the detail as I like primitive wide cut rugs for my home.

This horse rug I know was being hooked by Janice's daughter Fran Trishman so can at least give credit to her for this.

And don't know who the rest of these were being hooked by but do enjoy if it is your style hooking, color, etc.

Just look at this VERY narrow cut rug.  Must admit I stood and admired all the detail which must have been hooked in a #2 cut.  Would I hook it?  In a word NO, but do I admire the work.... YES.

And then look at the detail of the toy section on the right side.

Hope I didn't miss anyone and if I did I apologize.  Thanks for dropping by, hope you have enjoyed your stroll thru of the rugs in progress.

Saundra

 

Great Design and Something New to Me

This is a rug pattern by Polly Minick and is an adaptation of an antique rug a friend of hers has ~ it is a nice rug design I think.  Polly said the original antique was in pastels but while she tried hooking it in those colors she pulled it out and chose her own colors.  She is waiting to board a plane home but said that when she gets home she will send me a picture of the original antique.  So you may want to drop by again to check out the original.  Check out the original pastel antique at the bottom.

And then, when I flipped it over got a wonderful surprise.  Just look at that wide cotton binding!  That is much nicer than the 1 1/4" binding I have used.

Here is a close up of the mitred corner.

Immediately I wrote Polly asking where she purchased it.  She said the carpet outlet store carries the product as it is easily accessible to people who put it on their sisal or sea grass rugs.  But most recently she has started purchasing it on line rather than driving to the outlet store.

I placed my order with the on-line company and miraculously it was at my front door the next day.  I decided to get the color Espresso since I also use a lot of brown backgrounds and when I hook a primitive black there is usually some black/brown wool in there so figure it will work for either.  You can see the difference in width between the 1 1/4" and 3".

Now I can't wait to finish a rug with it but have decided that the Wee Folk will be bound with blue wool strips or wool covered cord.  Hmm, probably the wool covered cord.

And my pal Polly came thru for me.  Here is a picture of the original antique rug from which she designed the one above.

Thanks for stopping by for a spell.

Saundra

Finished Rugs Shown at Camp

Here are more rugs which were on display for the impromptu rug show.  Some may have been started with teachers last year at this camp or maybe other camps.  I was able to get permission from Pam for her wonderful Giraffe rug posted below.  I'm not sure if it was hooked with a teacher or if it was a McGowan program project for her certification.   However, the giraffe as well as the braided border (done at this camp) with Terri Schaeffer is wonderful.  Terri gives a three step class in joining the ends of the braid around the hooked project.  And....while my friend  and I tried, we could not find where the dang three strips of wool braiding were joined.  It was wonderful!!!

Some works on display were those which I admired but would not choose to hook on my own, but of course you appreciate the work involved.  Here's a great mask and wouldn't have a clue how to make one, but I love it!!

Isn't this a cutie patootie?  It is obvious who the designer is... Star Rug I'm sure and think it is a free pattern in a former Rug Hooking Magazine generously provided.  Just love this guy and now have to search thru my RHM to find the pattern so I can hook him for myself.  This one was hooked by Pam Brune.

And this great rug was hooked by Pam Johnson in Lucille's class last year.  Some people commented that it looked like 'dead flowers' but to me it looks like a soft aged and wonderfully primitive end of summer sunflower.  But to each her own.  Pam AND Lucille together made a great rug.

So this is a great piece which I wanted to snap up and take with me.  She told me that her plans were to buy Lucille's Mermaid pattern and turn it into a "tavern' rug as well.

Sorry, but not sure who did this ARK Mola which was on display since there were no tags.  Yes, it is a great design with lots of color and design.

This American Eagle is bold and proud but perhaps it a young one since it doesn't have a white head; but it is still representitive of our USA.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll post some IN PROGRESS rugs tomorrow.

Saundra

Home From Rug Hooking Workshop

Oh but it was so good to get away but oh so nice to sleep in my own bed and see my boy Ben.  Lucille's class was great as always and it was fun to be with her once again.  Last year she shared a classroom with Michelle Micarelli and this year we were in a suite classroom by ourselves.  It was a small class as people signed up, dropped out and so it made for a comfortable environment with only 8 students in the room.  To the left of me you can see Lucille working with a couple students.

This picture is of the right side of me in the classroom and that empty seat near the door is where I was sitting.

Then there was wool.

And even more wool.

Here are a few pictures of the impromptu rug show of finished rugs some of us brought.  This is only a sampling of them so look for more tomorrow.  These two are done by Lucille.

Unfortunately I'm not sure who designed some of the rugs shown here but will mention if I know it is hooked by or designed by.  Yet, I do know that Pam Brune hooked these next three rugs but not sure who the design is by.

 

 

 

Sure wish I knew who hooked this paisley designed rug with tassels at the ends.  It is a very nice piece.  Not sure that it is something that I would hook but it was very lovely.

Then this one must have been a family rug and not sure who hooked and designed this one either, sorry.  But I'll bet some grammie did it for her grand kids.

 

Stay tuned as I've more finished rug pictures but want to get permission to show, just in case the rugs are supposed to be entered into Celebrations or other venue.  And there are some which are brand new designed primitive folk art pieces that I HOPE to get permission to show. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Saundra