THROWBACK THURSDAY

I've been weeding thru magazines to throw out those which I've no interest in.  While doing so have made a list of which Primitive Quilts and Projects magazines have a design I want to hook ~ didn't catalog all patterns, just those which interest me.  So no needlework or quilt designs, only those patterns which could be converted to a hooked project.  I list the title of pattern, designer's name, issue and page so when I'm looking for something new to put on the frame will be able to find it easily.  Have also been weeding out Early American Life magazines.

By now you're wondering what perusing magazines has to do with 'throwback Thursday'.  Well it really has a lot to do with rug hooking icon Barb Carroll,

this Early American Life magazine and an antique rug.

While thumbing thru the above magazine I was reunited with this article.   Then a fond memory of a class with Barb emerged.  Barb called us over to her work station to look at an antique rug she'd recently purchased and said there was an upcoming article about it in EAL magazine and we could see the rug in person.

As Barb is talking about the rug I lifted one corner of  it to peek at the underside to find how it was bound or if it was completely covered.  Like a true faithful Catholic who was taught by Nun's, she smacked my hand.  I actually laughed out loud yesterday with that memory.  She didn't smack my hand hard, but didn't skip a beat in her dialogue as she did so.  She wasn't ready to explain that part yet and didn't want me snooping too early.  OMG, gotta love that woman!

This is the underside of that antique rug I tried to take a peek at.

If you would like to have a copy of this old issue you can find it HERE as I'm keeping mine.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Sweet Kelley Shares her Journey

In Kelley's words.....

"I first started noticing hooking rugs in Country Living Magazine in the early 1990's...then found instructions in Early American Life.  Without a clue on where to find the needed supplies, I ordered a kit from Hooked on Rugs, it was a Santa.  I think the backing was burlap and the strips of wool all solid colors.  I practiced a little on my own, packing those strips as tights as can be.

A friend asked if I was interested in a rug hooking retreat, she had recently started hooking too.  I was lucky enough to go to Barb Carroll's Woolley Fox and have a class with Kathy Morton.  My first rug was an Emma Lou Lais triple snowman.  From the moment I descended into the wool heaven of Barb's basement I have never looked back.

Over the next year or so I attended a dye workshop with Barb and Emma Lou and a few random hooking days at Barb's.  By then I had found the joy of the Miller pencil hook...purchasing as many as I could afford for backup. Although I use 8, 8.5 and 9 strips I use a fine hook...works perfect for me.  Last year I purchased the large Talon floor frame and couldn't be happier with it.

I was in my early 30's when I started hooking.  The worse part back then was finding the wool.  Everything from the thrift store, then over dyed.  Beginning hookers today have it made.  I cannot paint with a brush, but give me a hook and a strip of wool though.  From Emma Lou I learned "more is less".  But for me, more is more, why use one red when you can mix a dozen different wools for more interest?

Green is my favorite color, Army blanket green, drab olive, khaki green...not Kelly green, not crayon green but maybe a little lime these days.

I love to hook scrappy rugs and the above was hooked with lots of scraps.

I hook in the living room with my feet up when possible, either sitting on the couch or a sewing chair and always with an Ott light or two by my side.  I listen to audio books or TV shows...I don't own a TV, I listen through Amazon Prime and rarely do I look up when hooking.

Some of my older rugs...I draw up my own designs, love patterns by Lori Brechlin, Woolen Memories, Cheri Payne, Woolley Fox.  

The crow and Old Glory designs were drawn by me, the Crow Alphabet is by Lori Brechlin.  

My latest finish (above) is based on the applique patterns of Cheri Payne.  And my hooking companion is Chester....

Above is Chester on his namesake rug called "Chester"."

Thanks Kelley for joining in, I was looking forward to reading about your journey.  

If others would like to participate you have a general idea of what we rug hookers are wanting to know about you. Must say that I'm somewhat surprised that of the nine participants, none of them had a family member who taught them to hook.  Perhaps that is because we are not of the generations which hooked out of necessity so the tradition/craft was not handed down. 

Hope everyone has a great evening.

Saundra

Sharing Visits to Woolley Fox

Last year (May 2013) when our group went to Woolley Fox camp for Barb she showed us an antique rug that was to be her next pattern.  Barb owns the rug and this is the original she shared with us. 

Barb requested we not take pictures of it because she wanted no photos leaking out since it was going to be featured in Early American Life magazine.  Naturally we all complied with her request so didn't get a photo of it until this year. 

To continue, Barb called us all over to her work area where she delicately placed the antique rug face up so we could see the materials used by the woman who made this rug oh so many years ago.   As I was anxious to look at the back to see the true colors Barb smacked my hand to keep me from lifting it.  After all, it was Barb's story to tell and I was rushing her, she didn't miss a beat in her commentary on the rug either.  Believe it or not, that was an endearing and memorable moment for me and even now I'm grinning at that memory.  I even reminded Barb of the event and the fun I had when we visited her this trip. 

It just so happened the back was covered with an old ticking but Barb had already done her homework on the rug so knew the true colors, the foundation fabric and we could see the original colors ourselves by looking at the lower portion of the hooked loops.  It was fun to share that experience with Barb and to be trusted with the knowledge and sight of the rug before it went to print. 

In addition to getting a photo of the original this year, we also took a picture of the rug she hooked of that design.  Sorry there is a wash of light coming in thru the window which is changing the color of the wool in the picture, and the horse isn't green.   I even went to WF web site to pull a better photo of the rug from there but couldn't find a picture of there; perhaps I didn't look long and hard enough. 

Oh did you notice it has Barb's initials in it but reverse sequence?  CB is obviously the person who hooked it before so Barb calls the pattern "Cora and Bently". 

This is the issue of Early American Life the article is in if you want to read the article and/or hook the smaller version of the antique design.

And there is a line drawing of one of the two horses as a free pattern inside the EAL magazine but as mentioned it is a smaller cropped version.  So if you are interested in hooking the pattern like the original click on the Woolley Fox link HERE.

Hope you all had a great first day of June.  Please be kind to one another as kindness and a smile is contagious.

Saundra