Old Rugs Live On

The old rugs live on thru us with our replication of the designs.  Wonder what Magdalena would think, or does she know, how her designs have influenced modern day rug hookers?  Old rugs evoke emotions in us, or at least that is true of me.  Could be the design (I do gravitate toward horse and deer rugs) and could be the colors.  

So I'm thinking there are attachments to old rugs which also live on thru the antique rug itself.  A Horse rug measuring 37 x 37 was hooked 1880.  Look at the orb on the inside brown border.

If you have followed me for a while then you know of my posting photos with orbs taken at Cape May and even here at home.  Orbs at Cape May I've thought are part of the hotel and for whatever reason their spirit remains there.  

Then I wonder if the orb at home is a family member watching over me or my guardian angel.  Even blogged a true story about my repair of a thrift shop piece I purchased where there was a scent attached.  To you who have read it my apologies for being redundant but there are new followers and new rug hookers who may not have seen that post.  To read about it click this link:  https://woodlandjunction.blogspot.com/search?q=scent+of+potpourri  

Or perhaps you'll need to copy and paste it in the search box.  If that fails look in March 2012 of the post dates.

 

So perhaps there are spirits who attach themselves to rugs.  Okay, back to antique rugs ....

A delicate floral hooked piece dated 1830 sold for $2,500 in 2012.  Dimensions are 31 x 48.

An Elephant and Castle with tongues was said to be hooked 1850-1880.  It measures 29 x 43.  I read somewhere that years ago elephants were a favorite animal to hook.  Don't think it had anything to do with politics back then tho.

Squirrels and tulips circular rug hooked in the 1900's is 39" in diameter.

You may think I've gone crazy, but something about this next one appeals to me.  Have no idea as to date hooked or dimensions.

The  next one is definitely not one of my favorites by any stretch of the imagination.  But since I found it and an oldie hooked between 1885-1915 here is Bat and Cat measuring 23.5 x 70.   Could be the hooker had a favorite cat who was a good bat catcher.             

A closeup of the cat's head.

And finally, a cat with trapped mouse dated 19th century measuring 12 x 15.  Well there ya go with some unusual pests, cute cats and large animals.

Another mild day and was able to abolish some periwinkle in one area  and do laundry which I hung on the line to dry a little and reduce time in the dryer.  

Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Recently Retired Lauren

Lauren lives in Ohio and worked for the city.  When it snowed she had to get to work ~ even thru the drifts and hip high snow ~ to handle calls from city folk wanting to know when their street would be plowed.  Oh there's more but it's her story so will leave you with that.

Needless to say I'm sure that gal is doing the 'happy dance' every time she sees a snow flake now.  Anyhoo, onto her rug hooking journey......

Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) likes to say she is a self-taught hooker but that’s not entirely true.  She said about 30 years she took a hooking class ~ and HATED every loop.  She recalls it as a 4 or 6 cut using a push-pin frame.  She finished an area perhaps 4” x 4”.  When the class was over she put all the supplies in a closet, never to pull another loop on it.

Fast forward to 2004 she stumbled upon primitive hooking.  In the meantime, she downsized and probably threw out all the supplies because she tore the attic apart looking for them but never did.   Lauren found a class to take from a wonderful primitive hooker.  Sadly, the class was cancelled; think she was the only one signed up.  

Then Lauren turned to eBay for supplies.  She purchased 8 cut worms since she had no cutter.  As most of us just starting out she had no idea what bad wool was.  And Lauren says, "but let me tell you, I spent a fortune buying bad wool.  I wasn’t hooking, just buying wool."

Lauren continues:  "When I finally got brave enough to start a little mat, I drew up a diamond mat and I chose THE UGLIEST colors, flat red, black and yellow.  I knew they were ugly, not sure why I chose them, but that didn’t stop me."

Above is Lauren's first effort which was hooked 2005 and measures 6 x 9 1/2.  She still has it displayed in her hooking room as reminder to how far she's come.  

Lauren  wrote, "Initially everything I hooked was small.  I mean really small.  In 2006 first time I hooked a mat which was about 12” x 12”, you’d think I’d hooked a room sized rug I was so proud."

This would be that 'room size rug Lauren spoke of.  It is definitely an accomplishment over her first.  Yet her first still looks better than my first.

Lauren said, "The first three years I hooked alone.  The only other hooker I knew was the teacher and you’d think the next time she had a class she would have contacted me but she did not.  I knew of one group that met but I hate to enter a room full of people I don’t know, so it took me a long time to finally put on my big girl panties and go.  Too bad it took me so long to be brave.  I was made to feel so welcome and they are friends to this day.

Lauren has come a long way since then and the hooking never stops; well, maybe a pause on occasion.

Above is a collage of hooked items she has hooked, bottom left is a chicken on a spring from a class with Annette Shaffer.  The chicken design above that is offered by Maria Barton.  Top right chicken pattern is named Henny Penny and is a design by Woolley Fox (I also hooked that pattern, it was fun and quick). Below that is Cat and Mouse, a design by Betsy Reed.  I have that pattern too and still haven't hooked it ~ one day when something is needed between rugs I'll do mine.

Now we're talking ROOM SIZE rug here for Lauren now.  This is a bit bigger than her 12 x 12 she once thought was huge.  It is called 1885 Horses, it is an antique adaptation and copyright free and is also offered by Woolley Fox.  It comes in two sizes and bet money that Lauren hooked the small one which measures 16 x 47.

Would like to thank Lauren and all others who have kindly volunteered to share their journey of hooking rugs.

Happy Saturday even tho the temperatures are frigid.

Saundra

More Rugs I've Hooked

When I first started hooking it seemed I'd never finish the mitt shape that I started and the hooked angel wings.  The thought of trying to do a whole rug, even a small one, seemed unattainable at that time.  But boy have I hooked quite a few rugs since.


Here is a picture of Birds and Pomegranates, a design by Edyth O'Neill which was a pattern offered in one of my rug hooking books.  I believe I hooked it in #8 strips using some over dyed and some as is textures.  It was purchased and now resides in New Hampshire.

This next one was a pattern in a booklet by Needl'love titled Falloween.  Funny thing about this one is that I had over dyed a red, light blue and white check skirt using a gold and thought the colors came out ugly, but it was that very wool that was Lucille Festa's favorite.  It appears in the flowers and feathers.

And this one I loved and unfortunately sold it because I had an offer, I needed money and it is now gone.  Perhaps one day I'll hook another.  It is an adaptation of an antique rug in the Kopp book Folk Art Underfoot.  Like the other two it was hooked on primitive linen and hooked in mostly in #8 strips but started trying to use the #8.5 which I came to prefer.

Another which I hooked from the Folk Art Underfoot is the Cat and Mouse rug, which was also sold.  Sorry this is such a washed out picture but I took the picture in natural light outside, sure wish I'd taken a better picture of it.  This one was hooked on rug warp using mostly #8 strips.

I've plenty more rugs to share and as I sometimes need fodder for my blog will depend on them to keep the blog alive.  Hope you enjoyed the mini show of rugs I've hooked.