After the last blog post I temporarily set aside Oh Glorious Day to pick up Glazer Antique Hearts again. It is sorta nice having two rugs going at the same time but wouldn't want more than that. But today decided to take a brief detour even from that.
A couple years ago a friend gave me several yards of wool. Wasn't fond of the color but a hooker never turns down free wool, especially on the bolt.
It was a bright fuchsia color and I wasn't fond of it. Gave some to pal Deb and the rest has been sitting on the bolt in my attic. Don't know if Deb ever used hers but I haven't cut one strip and thought I'd try to make it more palatable for me. See, told ya it was a bright color.
Here it is soaking.
When I poured out the wool and water the wool had bled quite a lot. Hmm, I've more ugly fuchsia wool so could marry it with something else lighter in color and see what I end up with.
I decided to use the recipe "Indigo" from Tonya's dye book A Rug To Dye For. Chose that recipe because if it turns out to be an eggplant color I'll be happier than what it looked like in the beginning.
The wool simmering on the stove in Tonya's recipe.
And here are the results of the before and after.
The color results after the dye bath is much more to my liking. Don't have plans for it yet but will be put on the shelf in the wool room as a potential for future use vs. the attic.
Saundra
I love all the rugs I've hook but often said camp rugs hold a special meaning in my heart. Since I'm presently hooking Oh Glorious Day will share some of the reasons why this one is special.
On the last day of camp, which is always a bitter sweet day, Lois Filingeri spoke to those of us still packing up in the hooking room. She said Deb Burcin had given her a piece of wool to put in her rug so it had a fond memory from someone else in the room. Lois put the idea in the room to the rest of us. I happened to be working with a piece of green wool which I offered her and it was also a green strip she offered in return ~ great!
If you look on the picture below you will see Lois' wool hooked into my rug. There is an arrow showing the one. Thank you Lois, you were such a great addition to the room and lots of fun. Hope to be in a class with you again when we will share stories and lots of laughs again.
As I was pondering what color to hook the windows on the house I had a light bulb moment.....literally. Decided that room was my hooking room ~ therefore a light would be on! It's subtle but will make me think of my happy hooking place.
Okay, newbie hints.... the yellow and grey tones are the same value so while there is no contrast there is still that hint of light in the room.
Also, Kris says when she hooks leaves she uses 3 values of green. This is a primitive rug vs. realistic, but that makes sense since the top leaves would be closer to the sun and newer growth. The leaves would be older and get darker near the root. So I used 3 different values of green. Great lesson Kris.
She also shared the information about how "color gets all the credit while value does all the work". It was a reminder of what my third ever teacher Bev Conway said in her color lesson. Am hoping to get Bev next year at Cape May, it's been a long time since I've had a class with her and miss her contagious laugh.
Below you will see close values in the bulbs growing in the grass below the chicken. But I didn't want bright colors distracting from the other wonderful colors going on in the rug. Purple is what was needed as there is purple elsewhere in the rug. There was a dark grey purple and an over-dyed texture alternating, which I like.
But what adds to the memories of camp are incidents which happen and which one remembers when they look at the rug once it is done.
You see those two slightly darker value dots below the chicken? Hmm, while I was away from my frame someone pulled a prank on me. Am not quite sure who did it but loved it so much decided to keep it in the rug. Each time I look at the rug it will make me smile and remind me of a delightful camp. Kris, you wouldn't happen to know who did that.... would you?
Newbie hookers, just remember I was a newbie too. Heck ALL of us were, none of us were born hookers. So save your pennies and plan to attend a rug camp or find a quilting shop who also offers rug hooking nights or a guild near you.
Oh, and while I'm not a newbie I'm still learning things from all my teachers. The green wool leaf was a lesson from Kris I'll remember along with all the other things she has taught.... uh, and done, 😂😂
Saundra
Here is what my rug Oh Glorious Day looked like on the lawn at Cape May Thursday the 12th.
And now 11 days later this is all the change that has been made. Oops, see some loops were pulled out at the top of the rug when removing the rug from the frame. But that will be easy to repair.
Guess I'd better get my hooking groove revved up as I've rug camp in November AND STILL have the Glazer Antique Hearts rug to finish.
Grass cutting is drawing to the close so that will reduce some un-fun work. Yet already had to start trimming forsythia bushes which are WAY out of control. But I'm sure I'll find time for the FUN time.
Happy Hooking.
Saundra
Below are the photos I captured on the front lawn at The Chalfonte hotel on Thursday after class. Gives all of us a chance to see what everyone is working on. Some folks put their name tags on their work so it was easy to see whose work it was.
That time of day the sun is behind us so makes it difficult to capture a good photo. And some would ask to move out of the way so as to not get the shadow.
Below is a design and wonderful memory to Char of the trip to Scotland she and her husband took this year. Char snapped photos of rocks at Brig 'O Doon which held a special meaning to her and hubby who is of Scottish descent. Char hooked the Loons in a previous post and many other wonderful pieces.
Undoubtedly this face below is being hooked by Cheri Reid ~ think it is called Goldilocks. Cheri has hooked so many large realistic faces it has become second nature to her.
Christi Teasley did the collage at the bottom left and decided to do a hooked version. She said the orange yarn will eventually be replaced by another textile after it is all hooked.
Deb Burcin is working on Dennis.
Friend and roomie Deb drew and is hooking this Fraktur Angel.
A narrow cut piece of an infant and mother.
Jan Finger's Solar Power design below.
A lion and don't know who is hooking it...sorry. And it might be a design by Bev Conway????
New friend Lois Filingeri was making very good time hooking Turkey and Tallowberries, a design by Lori Brechlin and sold by Spruce Ridge Studios.
O're the moon Neath the Sea piece I believe was started before camp.
Pat Kasold was hooking a foot stool to match the colors in a certain room.
Pat McDonald's piece below I believe was started before attending camp also.
I've always been intrigued with this Spinning Witch design that Phyllis Sheetz is working on.
Lois Hilliard also accomplished a lot on her rug named Sue's Catch.
An antique adaptation being hooked by Susan Foley.
Tropical Leopard colors are being distorted due to the shadow.
Luckily I'd taken a photo of the rug when it was just started so you can see the colors better.
I didn't spend much time looking for orbs this trip. Evelyn emailed me just before leaving for camp and her instructions were, "just hook, don't look for orbs". Try tho I might to fight the urge, finally Thursday evening I grabbed my digital camera.
There was a music jam in the bar that night and the place was crawling with people. Some hallways were closed off near the cupola to access the rest of the hotel. So my travel was limited. Going down the steps to venture other hallways I had to ask people to move off the steps. Likewise, upon returning I had to ask people to move so I could go back to my room. So that ended my orb search as I didn't feel free to move about.
BUT, that brief search did find one orb. And no, it isn't a piece of dust on the lens as there were photos before and after and no dust in that spot in those other pictures. Do you see the orb in the top right side of the photo? It is along the wall close to the back door exit.
My flash did catch someone off guard as they were entering their room. And for that I apologized.
Saundra
There were a LOT of rugs in the show this year but I do recall a couple years back when there were so many rugs some were placed on the front porch rather than eliminating them from the show. This is the last of the finished rugs but there is still the 'throw down' photos coming later.
You should see this rug in person...awesome! Named Adamstown Filly it is designed and hooked by Kris Miller of Spruce Ridge Studios. The border is unlike anything I've seen before. Kris said she used the lattice work on her porch as the pattern for the border.
Dorset Flowers was hooked by Ingrid Hieronimus.
Fraktur Angel needlepunched by Pat Osborne.
Below is a design called Tropical Leopard by Kris Miller. A gal in our class was hooking this and hope she attends same week next year so I can see her rendition.
Tiger and Leopard hooked by Elise Roberts.
A pattern named Vintage below and hooked by Kim McWilliams.
Kim also hooked the "Tumbling Blocks" rug below.
She also hooked Manchu Dragon Below.
Diane Stoffel designed and hooked a display of color in the Apple.
Cape May St. Francis hooked by Roberta Olah.
Partridge in a Pear tree was hooked by Margaret Woody.
An antique adaptation below was hooked by Lois Hilliard. Lois had several rugs in the show this year.
Kathy Spellacy hooked this design "Hometown" below.
Cyndi Stinson hooked this rug named Shall We Gather by the River.
Sweet sweet design by P J Rankin named "Over the Moon". Must say I was over the moon in love with this cute design offered by Spruce Ridge and purchased the pattern at camp.
Margaret Woody hooked this wonderful piece called Comstock. Love her color choices and I've a small version of his design in my pattern stash.
Hmmm, didn't see a tag on this rug so if anyone knows who hooked it, please let me know.
The following pieces were all hooked by Ingrid Hieronimus and while those are definitely not my color choices or wool strip size of choice, these were magnificent pieces. Such great workmanship and detail.
There are still the 'throw down' photos but am done for the night.
Saundra
