NAMING and LABELING RUGS

When to use these words:  antique adaptation, inspired by or my design?  I'll give you a few examples.  The first photo of a small mat was inspired by the style of Magdalena Briner Eby and named it Crow Magdalena Style.

The following rug named "Gossip" was designed by Bill Laraway and my friend hooked the feathered friends as Bill designed it.

I wasn't so enthusiastic about hooking the feathered non-bird motifs (turkey, rooster, swan, owl) so I took creative license to draw my own birds.

I cannot claim this to be my design just because I changed and redrew a few things.  This is how my label reads; yeah hard to read but I included a photo of the original design by Bill Laraway.

Another good example is the design by Nola Heidbreder named Golden in the Garden and here is a photo of the original linen.

Again I didn't want to hook the Golden I wanted to hook a Rottweiler to represent my boy Ben.  Tho my drawn perspective and hooking of the head isn't a very good representation of my handsome boy, I know who it is.  

Okay, so you're thinking that because these patterns were drawn by someone else that's why I give credit to them?  So what if I draw a pattern on my own linen?  Dear departed Barb Carroll authored a book with several free to draw patterns.

In that book is a design named July Cabin and here is the original photo from the book.  You can see there are flags on the trees instead of leaves.

I drew my version with leaves, added more stars, lowered the smoke at a different angle to reduce the height of the rug and eliminated the cat on the roof.  Yet I still cannot call this my design ~ it is still Barb Carroll's July Cabin and labeled as such.

Ah, you're thinking because these are modern day designers that's why I can't take credit, right?  So what about antique rugs whether a purchased pattern or you draw it yourself?  When I draw an antique design I usually name it how the auction house described it.  Or if the designer is known, such as a Magdalena design, I give her credit on my label and on my blog.  My last two Magdalena rugs were Magdalena's Rooster, Duck and Horse....

..and Magdalena's Bird Dog.  Both of which I've given Magdalena credit for the design and say it is 'an antique adaptation'.  I'd show you the labels but the rugs are on the wall.

However I do have a photo of other labels I'd made so you can see what they say.  Notice on the Mighty Whale and Posies and Stars I indicate they are antique adaptations but designer unknown.

When I hook antique designs I am not trying to pass them off as antiques but rather an adaptation of an antique and indicate that on the label.  With Deer and Blue House rug if I were to remove the antlers of the buck I still cannot in good conscience say it was my design.  It was a design by someone else even if I don't know that person's name and even tho it was originally hooked 1920.  Therefore a label for this rug will indicate it is an antique adaptation and NOT designed by me.  I may have drawn it and offer as a pattern, but is not my design.

See how I snuck in an updated photo of my present project?  I almost changed the color of the antlers but decided to keep how it started.  Before moving to another motif I'd like to get one row of dark around the buck and the thin light outline completed.  Am going to change the blades of grass colors below him too.

Happily hooking inside today as it is another hot as hades day outside.

Saundra

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