This rug has been a work horse for 16 years at my kitchen sink. The wool whipped edge has been done twice and is showing worn signs again. So think it is time for Eat Crow to retire. This is a design by Anne Hallet, I love and it will miss it at my sink after all these years.
That photo was taken tonight so you can see it is safe to use rugs on the floor. There have been times when I've spilled something on it but since wool is very resilient have taken it immediately to the laundry room and cleaned it up.
First thing I do is use a towel to step on and absorb whatever was spilled. Then using warm water and a bit of mild soap wash the spot. Then turn it upside down and let the wool dry.
This is the replacement rug ~ Lititz Hens which is a Magdalena Briner Eby antique adaptation. It measures 20 x 40 so is a bit larger than Eat Crow.
Lititz Hens will mellow even more with its use and only hope I'll be around another 16 years for this one to retire. Meanwhile I'll enjoy these two 'new kids' in my kitchen. Happy hooking.
Saundra
www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com
Rug hooker friend and blog follower (Lisa) asked me to post pictures of rugs I've hooked. Since all of us had to crawl before we could walk think I should start from the beginning.
With cheap hook, burlap and re-purposed wool clothing I began practicing pulling loops using a round wooden embroidery hoop. No design in mind, just practicing to see if I could actually form loops without them falling back down.
I'd purchased a Kindred Spirits booklet with a small pattern inside which would be my first project. That was around 2001. Unfortunately it was given away to a budding new hooker ~ wish I had it back to show how uneven my loops were. However, I made more of them and they sold well at shows. Hmmm, maybe there is one or more of these in my future before next Christmas, they would make great gifts and I'd like to have one for me.
That same year I hooked several purses as it was a way to practice my loops and they were selling at shows. The star purse on the far left was gifted to my friend Shari. The photo was taken in the sun and colors washed out.
The other two sold at a show so made a couple more in 2001.
Then 2002 The Wool Street Journal offered a free pattern of a cat to the first number of folks who responded. We were to have it hooked by a certain date with photos submitted for the cover of a future issue. Below is my submission ~ hate that awful backdrop, plus the colors are washed out on Max the cat.
Here is Max in progress back in 2002 with more true colors.
That same year I began my first rug, Sam's Hats, which is a Woolley Fox design and hooked on my own. It was a Christmas gift to my son and wonderful daughter-in-law Cathy.
Back then most of my time was spent making dolls and hooking smaller items to sell at shows.
On eBay there was a Penny Circles and Crows kit which I ordered and hooked on my own. This one remains with me on display in my sewing room. It is a design by Jan Patek and published in a Pat Cross book named Purely Primitive.
In 2003 hooking rugs increased and even attended my very first rug camp. At that time I felt the cost of camp was insurmountable so decided it would be my first and last camp. Intentions were to find out what I was doing wrong and learn how to hook properly.
My teacher was wonderful and patient Mary Lou Bleakley. Not having the confidence to color plan myself I had Mary Lou do that. The rug below is named Heritage, a Charco design. It was at my front door for 13 years. Still have it but it is rolled up and out of harm's way.
Never say 'never'.....that April rug camp was NOT my last rug camp. A few months later I attended Rugs by the Sea rug camp in Cape May. My teacher was the late Patsy Becker. I hooked a design by Anne Hallet called Eat Crow. Even attempted my very first dye experiment on the Indian Corn recipe provided in an issue of The Wool Street Journal. That wool is in the eye of the crow, the wavy hooked line in the border and in the corn.
While in Cape May I found a Patriotic Angel kit which I hooked on my own at home and later gave to my daughter-in-law. Sadly the photo is washed out, it was taken in the sun on my back deck.
Notice that I'm gaining a little momentum in hooking rugs. This same year I hooked a design by Fredericksburg Rugs. This is also out of the way in my sewing room. This was the first and LAST rug I will hook on monk's cloth.
Sadly the ends of the rug are weakened, pulled apart and repaired. Perhaps had I not shaken the rug it wouldn't have suffered. But I have shaken rugs hooked on linen and they remain strong today.
The above hooked pieces span a period of 3 years but future posts on my rugs may be just one year at a time. That is IF you don't get bored. Believe I've posted photos of my rugs before but forget there are new people joining my blog all the time who have not seen them.....Lisa is obviously one of them.
Thanks for taking the time to visit; comments or questions are always welcome.
Saundra
Recently my friend Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) posted photos of rugs she has on the floor. It appears all of hers are in low traffic areas which will definitely extend the life. Seems a lot of people are afraid to place rugs on the floor anywhere, even in low traffic areas.
After her blog post a follower asked me to post photos of all my rugs. Told her I'd have to do it in segments or by year because I'm sure I've hooked well over 80 rugs and if you add purses, mitts/pockets , etc. there would be over 100. Well, here goes......
2001 and just a newbie began my hooking with small stuff. I'd see wonderful antique rugs in Country Living Magazine (the old publications) and wanted to replicate those. But you have to start somewhere, right?
My first lessons were from the booklets of Kindred Spirits. The very first piece hooked was a piece like this. But not this one; sadly I didn't have a photo of the poor sad thing. But below was like my very first project.
Then, being really brave (I think) decide to hook some purses. The middle purse with the three flowers was my second project from a Kindred Spirits booklet. The other two were ..uh, ...designed by me with a universal and not copyrighted star.
So making purses for shows and expanding my hooking experience became the new norm and love instead of dollmaking.
In 2002 I hooked and stuffed Max the Cat, which stood 26" tall. It was a free pattern from Bonnie of The Wool Street Journal. People were to hook their rendition and submit photos for a forthcoming issue. This was my presentation and that backdrop was red but shows up pink in the photo with flash. And of course the cat looks washed out. As I had no space to keep it ended up selling it at one of my shows.
In 2003 I attended my first ever rug camp and hooked a pattern sold by Charco, #1105 Heritage. It was hooked using #8 strips. This rug was in a very high traffic area at my front door until recently. It held up very well and only the edge of the wool wrapped foundation was worn. Not the foundation itself, but rather the wool covering, was worn so rolled it up and put another rug in its place. But hey, it was at the front door for 14 years.
September 2003 at Cape May I started a rug called Eat Crow by Anne Hallet.
This rug is still in front of my kitchen sink where it gets lots of use. It still looks great but on occasion will need a damp soapy cloth to clean up a spot where something has dropped on it. Again, 14 years and going strong. I am getting a little bored with it so will need to find something else to place there.
Same year I hooked Patriotic Angel, at kit, which I believe was put out by Hooked on Rugs. My sweet Daughter-in-law loved it so gave it to her.
That year I also hooked Sam's Hats, a design by Woolley Fox, which also was given to sweet Cathy, my DIL.
In 2004 I hooked a floral pattern by Patsy Becker which resides on the step landing and gets lots of use when I climb to the sewing room and wool room. If I'd had a better wool stash would have hooked this differently. The background and border was hooked using Dorr #44 which was popular back then as a primitive black. It was also left over from the wool purchased to hook Heritage above.
The same year I hooked a small runner designed by Brenis called Circle Whimsey.
Also an oval Hearts and Flowers w/checkerboard design by Kindred Spirits. The outside border and inside dark blocks are hooked with a blue and deep red plaid wool. I didn't have much of a stash back in those days and used what I had.
Below is Humble Beginnings, another Charco design. When I had my teacher color plan the Heritage design (above) had her color plan this too and it includes the Dorr #44 for the border. Must admit this one is resting on top of an antique chest at the foot of my bed. Since it has a very light background didn't want it walked on.
Both Humble Beginnings and Heritage above were hooked in April at the McGowan Rug Camp in Ocean City, MD. At that particular time only McGowan pattern designs or Charco designs could be taken to the classes. McGowan patterns were NOT me. So purchased a Charco pattern book to make my choices for a rug design.
A few years after the classes of 2003 and 2004 the McGowan Guild mellowed and decided to accept pattern designs by other artists. I'm sure that choice gave the camps more revenue with that decision.
Pineapples and Flowers is a design by Bev Conway and until just recently was on the floor between kitchen and living room, another high use area. This one shows only having been flattened by use but no dirt or damage. I got tired looking at it so put another rug there just recently.
Below is a very washed out rug called Mouser which is an adaptation of an antique. The photo was taken outside on my deck as natural light was supposed to get a good picture... or so I thought. This sold at one of my shows years ago and would love to hook it again.
Am not sure if these were all the rugs hooked in those years since I didn't start recording my pieces until years later and was at the mercy of photos, memory or having the rug on hand. I'm much more diligent in recording rugs as they are in the making now.
Have a great day. It is lovely outside today and a good day for the men to replace the roof on the shed since it is low humidity.
Saundra
