My CAPE MAY HOOKED RUGS

Since I'm not attending Cape May this week or next week thought I'd show you rugs hooked in classes with various teachers at that venue.  Actually my very first rug camp was April 2003 in Ocean City, MD but this blog post is about rugs hooked at Rugs By The Sea.

In 2003 and my first year at Cape May was with teacher Patsy Becker when I hooked Eat Crow, a design by Anne Hallett.  My last name was different then thus the SS initials.

While at that camp and soaking up anything rug related noticed the class being taught by Bev Conway beside me.  In 2004 she was my teacher and hooked her design Pineapples and Flowers.

I'm drawing a blank on what rug was hooked 2005 at Cape May or which teacher I had.   So will show you rugs which bring no memory of teacher, only hooking at home.  Yet I know for a fact I was there.   Fluted Basket is a design by Karen Kahle and was a free pattern insert in a RHM.

Another Karen Kahle pattern hooked that year was Stop and Smell the Roses.

Tonya Robey was the designer of this whimsical lion hooked that year also.  It was a kit and came with Tonya's overdyed wool.

Anyway..... 2006 in a class with Bev Conway I hooked her Rufus the Lion.

In a Lucille Festa class 2007 my project was 1847 Turkey from the Needl'love booklet.  Notice just the initial "S" appears as the signage.  That is because I was in limbo, going thru a divorce and hadn't received court documents to take back the last name of my deceased husband.  OH, perhaps that is why I don't recall which rug or which teacher I had in 2005 ~ that was the year with lots of turmoil, health scare due to stress and life decisions to make.  So there was no room in my brain to store happy memories.

Cape May 2008  I asked permission from Brenda Gervais to hook her Herb Angel needle punch design.  She granted it so printed her email permission and took it with me to camp.

The following year (2009) it was yet another class with Bev Conway and  hooked her pattern Speckled Hens.  The original design had the chickens sitting on one huge egg but I wanted them sitting on straw.

Although a poor copy, below is what the original design was supposed to look like.  Naturally I had to change it.

2010 was my first class with Kris Miller and I drew this antique adaptation of a Stag.  If I were to do it over again (which I won't)  there would be less background and would draw the motifs a little closer together.

The following year in another class with Kris at Cape May I hooked Barb Carroll's July Cabin.  The pattern is in one of Barb's books and I drew leaves where the original design had small flags.  Also changed the direction of the smoke so the design wouldn't be as tall.

There are still a few years' rugs from Cape May to show but will save them for next time when there is the second week of classes at Rugs By the Sea camp.

In other news......see that black slithery thing on my front porch?  It was time to ride the bike and get the mail but I wanted to watch the black snake.   Sadly the camera was on the wrong setting and didn't realize it until just now so it doesn't show up well.

Anyway it slithered down to the ground at that point then went to the garage to get the bike.  The garage door went up so far and stopped so figured a leaf had blown in from outside.  Nope, it was the snake who was slithering in.  It saw me and quickly hid under the shelving.  When I returned with mail it wasn't where I'd seen it last and who knows where it is now.

Thunderstorms came thru last night but is nice and sunny today.  Hot but not as humid.  And it's mail time again.  Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlanjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

RETIRED after 16 YEARS

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 

Some of My Hooked Items

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

How about a Rug Show

I've been like a slug this morning sitting at the computer looking thru old rug pictures saved on CD's and moving them to a flash drive as a back up.  After my computer crashed and lost all the photos saved in my 'pictures' thought it might be wise to have backups to save photos I like to refer to.

Some were from Cape May 2008 and some I just saved were antique rugs.  So maybe I'll show you the Cape May rugs first and another day will do the antique rugs.  This first one is a Lib Callaway design.  

Can't read the label on the lion rug but I think it may be a Bev Conway design.

The dog and cat primitive is by Lucille Festa.

In the spirit of Halloween is Merrie Halloween in progress at the 'throw down' at Cape May 2008.  Love the colors

This is a picture of me in 2008 holding the pattern Eat Crow which I started with Patsy Becker.  

Below is a Bev Conway pattern  of chickens on eggs.  That is the way the rug as designed.

I hooked that design too but wanted to do my own thing and have the chickens sitting on straw nests instead.

Here is a design by Lucille Festa named Moon Over Vermont which also happens to be one of the patterns in my stash yet to hook.  Love the way she hooked the sky giving energy to the home.

 Below is a rug which was being worked on by my friend Evelyn Lawrence.

Home on a hill with heart shaped outlined scrolls.  

An antique adaptation of a dog and pup by Evelyn Lawrence

 Aother hooked by Evelyn of a chickens runner.

 Cute bird mats.

 Horse rug by Lucille Festa.

There are many more photos I haven't gone thru so will have a diversion for you away from the bordom of my rug updates.

Well kids, I'm growing mold under my butt so I'd better get off the computer and be more productive in some way.  Should work on cleaning up some leaves and want to pull some loops.  Which will win????  Even I don't know yet .

Saundra

Eat Crow & Secret Hooking

A follower commented that the first crow rug on a previous post was her favorite.  That pattern would be Eat Crow, by Ann Hallett.  When I purchased my pattern it came from Rittermere-Hurst in Canada.  Sorry, but I don't know where that pattern could be purchased now.

So this was Rose's favorite... now check out that oatmeal background which has darkened with use for sure.  

This is the reverse side of the rug.  So you're wondering what the big deal is, right?  Well before I learned how to hook secret messages that were legible reading from the flipped rug, I learned how to do secret messages which were camouflaged and only the hooker knew it was there. 

This is what I would see if I stood in front of a mirror.  It is the hidden word Panzer in the upper left corner of the rug above the crow's head. This rug was for my crow-chasing thought he would sprout wings goofy Rottweiler.

But that technique could also be used if you didn't want your initials and date to show up in front, but that info would be detected from the back.  OR, you could just hook that information in the front using the same background wool.  

For me it was just a fun experiment and something I thought I'd share with you.  

Happy Saturday.

Saundra

CROWS

Yes, it's true that I love crows.  The story behind that is my sweet departed Rottweiler Panzer, the son of Shumba.  We bred Shumba once, she had 8 pups which all lived, strange for a first litter.  We sold 7 and kept Panzer.  

Panzer was the sweetest most gentle goofy boy dog ever.  I used to tell my ex he was a jokster.  He'd run thru the field grab a wild flower and run at his mother hoping she'd chase him down for it.  I'm getting off track here.

Anyway, Panzer also thought he could fly because when a crow would caw and fly nearby he'd run and leap as tho he would sprout wings and catch it.  Then the attraction to crows began.

1 Crow Bad News

2 Crows Mirth

3 Crows a wedding

4 Crows a Birth

5 Crows riches

6 Crows a thief
7 Crows a journey

8 Crows a grief
9 Crows a secret

10 crows sorrow

11 Crows love ~~ uh, I'd like to know where that love is??? 

12 Crows a good tomorrow.  But the poem doesn't have a 13th crow so maybe that is where my love went, lol.

Yes, I hooked all of those and actually have another couple Magdalena rugs which also had a crow in them but didn't post.  

Have a great evening.

Saundra