Maryland Shores Rug Camp first couple days

Arrival day and a look outside my room at the Atlantic Ocean, and the ocean is calm.  

A look around the room with Loris tending the camp store (The Wool Farm) and in the foreground to the right is Heather, my next table class buddy. 

Photo  of Jeanne Benjamin's class with Jeanne standing in rose top in the background and sweet Sue my table mate in foreground.

Here is Cindy color planning a section of Sue's rug.

Progress on friend Pat's rug who was in Jeanne's class, it is an Old Tattered Flag design if my memory serves me right.

Cindy demonstrated how to make a needle felted bloom....

..which would then be attached to the flower and stem.

Cindy also gave each of us a kit to make sunflowers with seed beads, a piece of wool and stem.  It is double-sided and Sue took a break from hooking and made one in class.

Just realized I didn't get a good photo of Cindy but want to tell you about her upcoming HOOKED ON FAIRYTAILS event October and held in Lancaster, PA.  Click on the link and check it out.

I thought that Mary, my neighboring table, was just a normal person in class like the rest of us.  HA.  Come to find out from Cindy she is McGowan certified!   Mary said it is much easier for her to critique someone else's work than it is to see issues in her own rugs.

Next post will have photos from the rug show.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Room With A View

Actually all rooms face the ocean and this is what my view looked like at 5:55 a.m. Monday morning.

And again at 6:30, time for a shower then first day of camp.

After the April and September camps were cancelled and just two days before Ocean City camp, it became a reality that this one was really going to happen.   I was cautiously apprehensive but decided to go anyway, I needed to get back to living.  

As soon as I arrived to my room and before unpacking anything I wiped down all surfaces with antibacterial wipes, sprayed the air with an antibacterial spray, pulled down the covers and sprayed the sheets and pillows.  Plus I took two of my own pillow cases to place over top of the two pillows I would sleep with.  

At camp I wore my mask and or face shield all the time.  Well, except at meal time.  Even then, when not eating but waiting for the main meal after soup or salad service I'd mask up again; some didn't.

There were 8 students in one class and 7 in the other and all held in the same room.  The weather was nice so we opened one door to the outside which brought in fresh air and it flowed out thru the doors open on the opposite side so air flow was good and the breeze could be felt.

In the photo above, to the left is Jeanne Benjamin, behind her is the door to the outside which is open.  Not sure where all the other students are but perhaps I was taking photos just after lunch when the room was less full.  

Below is a Sharon Smith pattern being hooked named Carrot Cake. 

Here's a review of what some of the students were working on.  It was easier/better for me to take photos when people were out of the room so as to keep distance.  

Hard to recall who was sitting where on the other side of the room but think this one was being hooked by Martha, who obviously started it before camp.

Cant remember who is working on this truck and you can see she is trying Bev Conway's message technique which will not be seen from the front ~ believe it or not.  I tried that at Cape May once and it does work.  If you would like to see the post I wrote about my experience click HERE.

The geometric below is being hooked by Phyllis Sheetz.

Pam Johnson hooking this rug and I love the coneflower colors.

Love the colors in the flamingo, and each time I see a pink flamingo I'm reminded of my dear departed mother who used to have the plastic things in her yard.  

Renia is continuing on the lion rug she started with Jeanne in a previous class.

Heather is hooking a Star Rug Company design and changed the dog into a cat.

Someone is working on a small version of an antique geometric.

Below in the forefront is Heather, one of my table mates, close and on the left in the grey and black top is a portion of Bev's head as she is doing something with Stella's design.

Another table mate is Loris who is returning to her spot and working on the floral pattern purchased from Bev.

Below is a view of the rug by Bev.  The rug is folded to show the front and the back.  The secret message can be hooked not be seen from the front but perfectly legible from the back.

An Owl in flight was awesome and had to take a photo of it even tho it won't be something I'll hook ~ too much detail for this primitive wide cut hooker.

My rug isn't posted today and plan to save it for a separate post.  There's a couple things I wanted to point out so you'll have to wait.  😉

Happy Friday 13th and happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Last Loop

Just now pulled the last loops on #227 Primitive Horse rug.  The un-steamed dimensions are 26 x 39 1/2.  I know that hooking a rug alters dimensions from the unhooked foundation to the hooked version.  So will be interesting to see what measurements are after the rug is steamed.

Again took two different camera settings; the first one doesn't wash out colors.  OH NO!!!!!!!!!  I forgot to do the pre-binding stitches 1 1/4" away from the last row of hooking.  Now I've got to manipulate this honking big rug 3 times around to do the two rows of straight stitch and one joining zig zag stitch.  Oh well, have forgotten before and won't be my last I'm sure.

Here is the other camera setting with more pixels so if you tap on the photo it will provide more vivid view of colors in the rug.

In case I forget to mention previously in a post of this rug, It was hooked using hand-torn, scissor cut and some machine cuts.  Size of strips ranged from #8 from my worm bags to 1" hand torn.  At the outer edge I used a faded out (actually a walnut dyed) wool strip so it looks like it had been scuffed and worn compared to the second row of wool hooked elsewhere.  A little lesson on making an antique look I learned from Barb Carroll.

Tomorrow I'll steam the rug but tonight I'll clean up my wool clutter from this project and prepare to finish Birthday Lion.  Haven't seen Birthday Lion in almost two months so wonder what changes might be in my forecast.

Hoping all of your Christmas shopping and wrapping is done or almost done... mine is.  And if someone unexpected drops in they will get a bottle of wine.  That's my excuse for having numerous bottles of wine on the rack 😉 .

Saundra

Fill in the Blanks

Most of the hooking has been done on this rug but there are several blanks to be filled in.  This is a Lib Callaway pattern purchased from Hook Nook when Margaret owned the business.  Now Jeanne Benjamin owns Lib's patterns and I understand that Jan Cole also offers the pattern.

The reason for so much empty space is because there was so little of the background wool color to use.  My choice for background was Gold Dust (or was it dusty gold?) a wool offered by Rebecca Erb in 10/10.  I inquired and she said there was none left and she never offered a repeat date.  Sooooo, I'm improvising with walnut dyed wool and other wool.  

Since there is time before the new year this rug could be counted as a rug hooked in 2017.  But I'd better get crack'n!!!!!

More snow here and it is COLD.  Hope you are warm, safe and ready for Christmas as the countdown is here...... only 10 days until Christmas Day.

Saundra

Better Late Than Never

I didn't get to take photos of the 'throw down' at the November rug camp nor able to get many pictures from fellow rug hookers.  Thankfully this morning I received these two photos.

Renia Davis is hooking this beautiful Bengal Tiger which is a Lib Calloway design offered by Jeanne Benjamin.  I admired Renia's work on the rug during camp and cannot wait to see it finished at next November's rug show.  Hopefully she will take it as there was very little participation in the show this year.

The dimensions of the Bengal Tiger is 42 x 67.  If I choose to hook it for myself I'm fortunate enough to have the paper pattern which came with a book on early Needlework designs and a box full of the patterns themselves.  Was lucky enough to purchase that set from my friend Joan Strausbaugh...thanks Joan.

Below is Grace Ayers who was my table buddy and working on Nantucket Broom Ride which is a pattern offered by Spruce Ridge Studios from the artwork of Lori Brechlin.  

The gals must have had a hooking day together and remembered to take a photo for me.  Hi Grace and thank you Rena!

Saundra

More Betsy Reed Class

Betsy Reed always has something new to share at each camp.  Me thinks me needs to take more classes with her.  She had the coolest idea for pouches and zipper bags to carry hooking tools, applique pieces for projects, even makeup in the plastic bags if you so choose.  

 Above are three adorable applique bags.  Two are just wool with drawstring and one with a zipper top (on the far left).

 Above shows a larger applique container and the pot under the flower is part of a sweater...how cool is that?  The below photo shows the inside which is a purchased craft zipper bag.  Then was hand stitched to the outside wool.  Next time I go to Salisbury I'll need to check out Michael's to see if they have them.

Below is a photo of Lois who is hooking a mermaid pattern.  I had so hoped to get a more completed picture of her rug at the 'throw down' but had to leave before that happened.

Below is a photo of Jeanne Benjamin (on the right) a teacher sharing our room.  I had a class with her several years ago and purchased some delightful dyed wool.  Beside her is Sibyl Osicka who wasn't teaching this time but rather enjoying the hooking family in Jeanne's class.

In all the years I've attended either the April camp or November camp I've never taken a picture of the traditional High Tea at The Dunes Hotel.  Finally, just before the 4 p.m. close I managed to get a photo of Betty getting the delicious tea.  Hey.... this isn't tea bags you can purchase because I asked.  They make this stuff themselves and it is AWESOME.  There is no need for sugar or milk, just sip and enjoy.  

If the tea by itself wasn't special enough, they also have warm scones and cookies.  Must confess I indulged just one day although I wanted a scone EVERY day.  OMG, the aroma of the scone is still lingering.

Oh, wanted to show you this delightful necklace Betsy was wearing.  She told me it was purchased on etsy even told me who sold it, but by the time I got back to my seat I'd forgotten.  Will have to ask her again.

Also forgot to post this whale pillow Betsy was working on as a demonstration, thought it was worthy of posting since she offers the pattern.  When Grace Ayers saw it she said, "I need to have one".  Grace was working on Nantucket Broom Ride in class.  Am hoping someone will send me a photo of it to show in a future post. 

Next blog post will be photos taken of how Betsy does the braided edge.  

My house is sadly quiet.. I miss my boy.

Saundra