DAY 3 Of CHRISTMAS THEMED RUGS I'VE HOOKED

The Santa and Deer antique adaptation was hooked 2013; it measures 23 x 25. 

Below is a picture of the antique rug and I don't know the designer, date or size of the original.

I've seen numerous hookers' adaptation of this design and here are a couple.

Happy Saturday and happy hooking, knitting, stitching or whatever your go to fun it's 5:06 and wine o'clock for me.....cheers. 

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Winter Hooking Ideas

Most Christmas themed rugs have probably already been started but if not or for next year I'll show you some I've hooked.  Below is the first Christmas rug I hooked and is an antique adaptation of Santa and Deer hooked 2014.

Last year just before Christmas I  hooked the Woolley Santa, a Karen Kahle Design.  I decided to eliminate the sack Santa was holding and show him in his coat.  If you'd like to purchase Karen's pdf pattern click on the previous hyperlink.

If you are looking for something quick for yourself or to give as a gift to someone you could hook this mitten.  This is one I have hanging on my front door and still want to put pine tree greens in it.

You can find that pattern in the following Kindred Spirits booklet.

This time last year during the pandemic shut down I was looking forward to the new year.  This was my celebration rug which was so much fun.  Named New Year's Eve you can find it HERE.  You may need to ask for the pdf pattern if there aren't any available.

I've snowmen patterns I'll show when we have our first snowflakes dancing in the sky.  Some was predicted a few days ago but nothing happened, not even rain.  So sad for the lives lost and damage caused by the horrific tornados.  The turbulent weather in the mid-west is sending the 70 degree temps for today but hope tornado activity does not occur as tomorrow the cold weather will be back.  

Sorry for showing the same ol same ol rugs I've hooked.  But in my defense I figured everyone is busy baking cookies and putting up Christmas decorations so wouldn't be reading blogs anyway.  But just in case someone was looking, at least I'd have something to read albeit old news, lol.  Then that gives me more time to accomplish more on my rug.

Back to working on Bird Dog and later this afternoon will make chicken turkey rice soup using the meat left over from my son's Thanksgiving dinner.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Santa

Finally scrubbed my kitchen floor and even got on my hands and knees to wash the baseboard and edges of the floor.  Now my back and knees are paying the price.  But at least the Santa display has a clean room.

The Santa was one which didn't sell at the last show I did and decided to keep him.  Actually I still have a couple other Santa dolls I'd made and couldn't decide which one to use.  Of course I hooked the vintage Santa and Deer rug.

Because yesterday disappeared with cleaning there were very few loops pulled on Star Geo.  Am hoping to accomplish a little something in that department today.

Two days ago I did something stupid ~ I had a link to my old web site on the right side bar but because no changes could be made to it decided to delete it and add my active Weebly web site.  With all the changes Google has made to Blogger was not able to post it.  So here I am with nothing.  Am going to try to circumvent that problem by posting something here.  If you would like to check out my RUG PATTERNS click on that link.

Saundra

Hooking Man Cave and Binding Tape

Not sure just how little progress was made on the beer mug since loops were pulled and replaced.  Maybe I'll get colors to suit me and/or wish I'd just think about that picture Julia sent and make it more simple. 

In looking at this picture below I see things now that will change.  The right side of the glass part of the foam needs the yellowish wool pulled at the far right side and the brighter white put in for at least one row.  On the same side below the handle need to clean that up some too as mine looks YUCK.

My hat goes off to all you hookers who have successfully hooked glass or mirrors.  Perhaps if I would try harder and reduce the size of cut from #8 to #3 I might achieve that success too....uh...ain't gonna happen...I'll dumb it down and make it simple first.

Today someone inquired about the 3" binding tape that Lauren wrote about on her blog.  I replied to her but others may have wondered where to purchase the 3" BINDING too.  It comes in different colors and yes it is expensive since you need to buy the whole roll.  However, if you have a group who would like to purchase a roll you could each share in the cost to make it more affordable. 

I used that to bind my antique adaptation of Santa and Deer a couple years ago.

However, I didn't want the coffee brown color on my son's rug since the border and lettering will be in black.  So my the Man Cave Rug will be bound with a wide denim since I'm thinking of attaching it to a wooden frame.  Thankfully (or sadly) there is still an over abundance of all types of textiles in my house so had some yardage of denim.  As the background is blues and the outer border black this should work perfectly. 

The denim was ripped straight of grain 4" wide since 1/4" is used as a seam allowance and there should be plenty of extra width for me to staple onto a wooden stretcher frame.  Or at least that is where my thoughts are going now.  Who knows how the final finishing will end up.  But if bound traditionally it will have a nice wide border.

Have a magnificent evening!  Over and out from chilly Delaware.

Saundra

Santas on my Harvest Table

Was thinking about pulling out some Christmas decorations but this is as far as I've gotten so far.  This Santa and Deer antique adaptation of was hooked by me as was the standing Santa doll.  Standing Santa doll is for sale; price is $65 plus shipping, oh, I also made the Charlie Brown Christmas tree he holds and it has tiny decorative lights on it.  I love this rusty metal container and branches with big snow beads which is not for sale.  That was purchased a few years ago from a shop that has since closed and I LOVE it as it is something that can be used all winter.

A few years ago I made a feather tree so perhaps after I clean my living room I'll bring the table top feather tree down and tell you the story.

Have only pulled a few loops on the Olde Ducks today since pulling things for the thrift shop.  I MUST start downsizing.  There are clothes in my closet that haven't been worn in years.  They fit and were in style then I gained weight and kept them thinking I'd fit into them again..... and I can.  BUT, now the length is different and even tho I may be the same weight as when I last wore them, my body shape has changed so they don't hang the same on me.

So I took a big box, and two large garbage bags to the thrift shop today ~ and I'm not done.  Guess the next haul will wait until I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about this issue of downsizing.

Have a good evening everyone.

Saundra

Binding Another Rug, Yippee

As I've proclaimed many times, binding rugs is not my favorite thing to do but a necessity if you want to display the rug or sell it.  Now there are two left to bind ~ the Santa and Deer adaptation and the Granny Geometric. 

It is the Santa getting the attention now.  I am using a wide cotton binding which is sold by NC Carpet and a product Polly Minick told me about.  This time I cut the binding in 4 sections and stitched on each end.  In a post a while ago, the wide binding tape was attached differently.  You can check out what I did before by clicking HERE.  Oh dear, I see that Santa needs a little spark in his eye and/or a dab of black as his eyes are too washed out.  Totally forgot until I looked at this photo.

This time I was lazy and didn't bother hand stitching close to the rug edge; instead I machine stitched it using my zipper foot and did this after the rug was hooked.  Here is a close up photo.

And I will mitre the corners and stitch down.  

This wide tape has lots of uses and could be used as a great sleeve for hanging rugs too.  I'm considering buying another roll of another color and perhaps a bit smaller.  Sometimes I feel the 1 1/4" binding tape isn't quite wide enough.

Tomorrow I'll have an updated picture of the Cat rug to share with you.

Folks, it feels like fall out there instead of spring ~ it is dreary, chilly, rainy and the heat is coming on.  Wish it was warmer but at least it isn't snowing.

Have a great evening.

Saundra

Overdue Updates on Projects

It's been a while since you've seen updates on 500 Mile Betts and the vintage adaptation of Santa and Deer since I got hooked on hooking hearts.  Several times during the hooking of this was tempted to pull out the background and find something else.  Normally I have a vision of a rug and know the background color I want, which is usually primitive black.  But this time I wanted to hook my motifs first and thought the light texture would work okay. 

The problem ~ the values are so darn close between the background and some of the motifs that it would not get good marks if I was being graded by a teacher, that's for sure.  I can remember Bev Conway telling the class that, "....the color gets all the credit but the value did the work".  Yet when I look at this picture think I'll continue doing what I am doing anyway since I've reached the point of no return.  This may go down as the worst color selection of any rug I've hooked so far.

Finally the antique adaptation of Santa and Deer is done.  Well the hooking that is.  But the binding can wait since there is no rush as it won't be needed until about 10 months from now.

So tonight I think that I'll start hooking the third Heart that was drawn.  At least I'll be on time for one holiday since Santa didn't make it for Christmas.  I know the poll indicates that more people like hooking following the heart shape but think I'll hook this next one in golds going horizontal.  Guess that's the rebel in me but was very interested in seeing what the majority likes. 

OH, by the way, have no clue how two polls ended up on my blog and by the time I discovered it there were too many votes on each for me to remove one. 

Hope you have a great evening and staying warm.

Saundra

Background Wool for Santa and Deer

I was asked to post a picture of uncut wool which was used for the Santa and Deer and am happy to do so.

The majority of the background was hooked using the top two wools (pictured below).  I know the one on the right came from Betsy but not sure about the other one.  Occasionally I'd add strips from the bottom two wools; the wool on the bottom left is from a recycled skirt and the herringbone on the bottom right came from Betsy.

Hopefully I'll be ready to pull some loops on my projects starting on Tuesday as my goal is to ship the commission out on Tuesday since tomorrow is a holiday.  Since I'm not totally finished with the commission I won't be ready to hook on my projects tomorrow anyway.

Have a great evening.

Saundra

P.S.  OMG, I went to Betsy's web site to copy her link and noticed she has a new shipment of wool.  I've got to place my order before my favorites are all sold.   AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   My name sake wool has been restocked!!!  I feel like a proud mama.  Thanks Betsy for naming it after my blog name.

Something Old Something New

Actually I'll start with what will be the something new project just as soon as this commission piece is hooked and shipped (hopefully Monday).   I've already designed my rug but will debut it when I get a little more hooked on it after Monday as responsibilities come first.  However, my piece is adapted from an antique rug made by Harriet Powers.  So Far I've only been able to locate 2 quilts made by her.  This one is known as the Bible Quilt and was said to be made by her in 1886.  I'll provide more information on this talented woman when I post a picture of my rug.

Another quilt made by Harriet Powers is this one below.  Hope I've piqued your interest but bear with me while I finish the commission.

Now onto the something old.  Nope, haven't accomplished much on this one either and this is what the rug looks like now. The binding part can wait but want to get the hooking finished so that I can work on the Harriet project.

As you can see from the picture above, the Santa and Deer adaptation measures 23 x 25 1/2; it is hooked mostly in #8.5 strips but for the border was using #9.  Have a great evening everyone.

Saundra

It isn't Christmas but here's Santa

Guess it is about time for me to find another rug to hook since Christmas is long gone.  However, the last several years I've wanted to have this antique adaptation on my harvest table during the Christmas holiday but never had one hooked.  Well by golly I'll have one next year and this is what I've accomplished so far.  Now it's pretty much the boring background and narrow border to hook.

And I've been designing something else but haven't started hooking it yet.  It will be a very primitive and naive adaption of something from the 1800's and that is all I'll say for now since I've nothing to show.

Thank you new follower's for joining me.  It puts a huge smile on my face every time I see an additional follower to the fold.   And for those who take precious time from their daily life to post a comment I want to thank you ~ Comments are always appreciated. 

AND, questions are welcome too.  Sometimes when I'm explaining a technique, there might be something small that I've left out. 

Hard to believe that earlier in the week it was in single digit temperatures and today it reached 65.  Now, it did rain, but it was warm and I'll take that over snow and frigid temps any day.

Have a great rest of weekend everyone.

Saundra

Santa and Deer Update

Not a whole lot more was hooked since you last saw it but here is what the 'guys' look like now and picture taken with a flash.

Today I did manage to get some hand stitching done around the Hearts and Swags pillow while waiting to pick up my grandson from school.  You've heard the story before...... I hate the finishing part; yet I'm anxious to be able to use the pillow so I'm torn between working on the pillow and hooking.  Don't you wish all issues were this level of difficulty?

Strange weather we're having in Delaware.  Three days ago it was 7 degrees when I walked Ben with 5-6" of snow outside.  This morning when I awoke and walked him the snow was gone of course, and the temperature was 61 degrees.  But then temps dropped and it will be 9 degrees tonight.  But hey..... it's Monday and the weather man said it is going to be 60 again by Saturday......  Strange.

Stay warm everyone.

Saundra

Snow Day Hook'in

Well actually I had to do a little snow physical labor as you could see from my previous post.  Also managed to fill an order for someone for a little pin money.  So it was a good day with a little work and a little play.  But I still don't like snow ~ Loved it as a kid but I'm older now.

This is my adaptation of the antique Santa and Deer rug I've been hooking.  Have made more headway and already I'm thinking about what design to put on another frame.  When it gets down to the background I get bored and like to have more than one hooking project going on at the same time.

Here is another shot of the Santa rug while Ben (paw to the right) was looking on to give his input. He seems to think I need a little spark in Santa's eyes like the deer has.  He is right IF the white will show up in the blue.  For sure I didn't want dark eyes for Santa. 

Was giving some thought on changing the deer lead (leash) using a dark.  And like Lori I sometimes over think things.  So what I'll do is keep it like this until more is hooked and then decide.

Hope everyone is warm and enjoying being inside with their 'fun' things to do.

Saundra

What to do about Santa

I'm having issues with my Santa and Deer rug.  It seems that all I do is air my dirty laundry on my blog about the decisions or issues with the rug I'm working on at the time.  And truly I do enjoy hooking, but since it's only me and Ben here there's no one for me to vent to other than my readers.  Oh don't you feel special now ~ haha.  But it also gives any of you newbies comfort knowing that you aren't the only ones who are in a quandary on what to do next.

So here's the skinny........ I've tried two different wools for possible background choices and not sure I like either because they will both make the moon disappear.  Hmmm, maybe if I use the most blue part of the texture wool which is to the right of Santa's beard around the moon it will be okay.  Oh, I've put a black arrow at Santa's cap and that is a tail sticking up and encroaching on the pom pom of Santa's cap.

Then there is the tan texture hooked in above the deer's butt and toward the tree.  Since the original antique had a tan background with a darker brown border thought that might be a good option. 

So...... do I go with the texture which has blue to make it look like sky or go with the tan/brown texture similar to the antique?  Decisions decisions.

The other problems are Santa's gloves (yet again) and the Deer's face.  For Santa's gloves think I've got it figured and will re-hook using the green in the tree limbs instead of the texture used for the trunk I used. 

So that next decision is what to do about the deer face.  The original antique has a collar around the neck instead of a halter across the nose.  If I change mine it will eliminate the issue I have on how to separate the face from the chest of the deer.  And, just now I walked away from the computer, pulled out the wool and re-drew the face.

So guys, gals and hookers all..... check back tomorrow to see what I've gotten myself into now.  Hopefully it won't be another 'hot mess' but a lovely antique adaptation going in the right direction.

Ta ta.

Saundra