...and Back Again

....only this time it is finished being hooked ~ hasn't been steamed or bound yet but the hooking is done.

Okay, so here's what happened and you have an insight if you've been reading about this journey of my adaptation of the Harriet Powers' quilt block. 

I've struggled with my 'learned' part about the need to hook difference in value of colors between motif and background.  And I did try to put darker wool which would blend in with the background just around Betts.  But also 'knowledge' part since have seen antique rugs which faded out so that there's very little difference between motif and background.  There was a battle going on between my learned part of my brain and known part that accepted this as an antique rug newly hooked.

Then I decided to corn row a #6 strip of something a little darker between Betts (the pig) and the background.  I didn't want to pull out wool and thought I'd try just a section around the tail and leg of Betts.

Yup, certainly makes a difference and makes the pig pop. That is when I decided to send the picture of the unfinished rug to my friend Evelyn Lawrence asking which was better. 

As many of you know, Evelyn has experience with antique rugs ~ she has been up close and personal looking at front and back, touched them, and has done lots of research.  Naturally I was trying to replicate an antique look AND from a quilt not hooked rug but you know also about the learned part of the brain.  In true Evelyn form she was a woman of few words and said the original without the #6 outline was best (those weren't her real words ;~).  And so, decided to go with the faded washed out look.  BTW, I have since toned down the white ducks with a little dab or two of black walnut dye and they look better.

It is easy to look at the rug and want to change things even now.  But it is time for me to move on and finish my two other hearts.  I mean..... tomorrow IS Valentines Day.  So I'm off'n this machine for the night.  TA TA.

Saundra