FLASHBACK FRIDAY

The corner of a rolled up rug caught my eye and thought....gee that faded look antique flower turned out nicely.  So decided to post it as my 'flashback Friday' post.

It was a Lib Callaway design I purchased from Hook Nook when Margaret Lutz had the shop.  It was #227 Primitive Horse and this is how it looks rolled out. 

I started it in a Betsy Reed class using torn strips, #9.5 and #10.  It was hooked 2017.  It looks more like a warm weather rug so might replace the 1909 Horse which is in front of the fireplace now.

Happy Friday and happy hooking.

Saundra
www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

Finally Finished

Thank goodness the rugs are finally bound and can continue hooking my current project without telling myself I should be binding.  The Primitive Horse rug below is a Lib Callaway design which is offered by Jeannie Benjamin and understand Jan Cole sells the pattern as well.

The finished size of Primitive Horse is 251/2 x 391/2.  It was hooked using hand torn, scissor and machine cut.  Also pulled wool from my worm bags.  Size strips ranged from #8 to #10 and larger.  The photo below shows this rug was bound using doubled cotton of the same colors.

Birthday Lion is a Bill Laraway design, was hooked using #8.5 and #9 strips.  The finished size measures 201/2 x 25.

This one also got its label attached since I'd already printed it up.  However the Primitive Horse rug still needs its label.  But the most dreaded work has been done....the binding.

Blizzard still going strong here but weatherman says snow will let up today around 5 p.m.  This area is receiving more snow than predicted but what is worse is the sub freezing temperatures with wind.  

That is compounded by the fact my stage 2 emergency heat is fueled with propane and am almost out.  The company does not deliver this area until next Tuesday so I'm sure the tank will be totally empty before that.  So if my heat pump kicks in it will work its self to death trying to keep the house warm.

But at least I'm thankful for what heat and electricity there is here now.  Hope all of you in this weather are able to stay warm.  Snuggle up under a rug and hook, hook, hook.

Saundra

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

Good Day To Rug Hook

This is what I woke up to this morning.  It started last evening and must admit it is a beautiful view from my front porch.

Thankfully the ground was still warm so the driveway didn't freeze.....yet.

After these photos were taken there was more snow and the temperatures began to drop again.  There was only a slight raise above 32 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon and now back in the 20's.

It was also a good day to make a pot of chili so didn't accomplish as much as hoped on my Primitive Horse rug.  But have high expectations for tomorrow.  Here are photos with two different settings ~ tap on the photos to enlarge.

You can see Sharpie changes in the petal bottom right.  Still not sure if I'll hook the longer petal as the pattern showed or shorten it.  You know me....always making a change here and there.

Hope you are warm and safe.  Thanks for visiting and always welcome a comment or question from newbies....I was a newbie once myself.

Saundra

Primitive Horse

As mentioned previously, this pattern is a Lib Callaway design but it is also offered by Jan Cole. 

You will notice lots of un-hooked space on my rug.  That is because I've very little of a certain wool named Gold Dust, a Rebecca Erb wool from 2010.  What is left I'd like to spread around as equitably as possible and then fill in with other similar as is and black walnut dyed wool for variance.

The one row on the outer edge is hooked with wool over dyed with black walnuts.  My intention was to make the outer edge look worn and aged compared to the richer Gold Dust wool just inside.  Just a little something to give the aged illusion to my rug.

The variance in color in the red flowers was hooked using the same concept....to replicate fading and wear.  

Have a great evening everyone.  Sheesh, just think.... only 20 days until Christmas eve (sorry Lauren, I know you hate that 'C' word).

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

You've Been Waiting.....

....or at least think you've been waiting to see what my project was at rug camp.  Am disappointed I've not made more progress.  But life happens and will make this rug my main focus before going back to Birthday Lion.

This is a design by Lib Callaway called #227 Primitive Horse.  Lib's patterns are now being offered by Jeanne Benjamin.  I understand that Jan Cole also offers the pattern.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family as I did.  The plus part was having left overs for future sandwiches, soups, chow mein, etc.  Oh so many more meals ahead; so that turkey is a gift that just keeps giving, and giving and giving.

Happy Saturday and hope you aren't exhausted from Black Friday marathon shopping.

Saundra

Meet My Friend Shari

Shari always loved putting color together either with scrappy quilts she made in her 20's to her Santa and primitive doll business from her 40's to her 60's.  Her love of anything antique led her to discover hooked rugs. 

Shari continues....."I met Saundra at this time and coincidentally she was intrigued with hooking as well."  Like me, she struggled on her own at home teaching herself to hook.  Finally in 2003 we decided we could use the help and expertise of a teacher, to take just ONE class to get us on our way. Years later we are STILL taking classes and enjoying every moment." 

The above rug was Shari's first camp rug where we attended together. It is a pattern purchased from House of Price, neither she nor I can remember the name of the pattern but was either a Charco or a Primco design.  

Shari has been influenced by such people as Barb Carroll, Lucille Festa and Karen Kahle's rugs.  Shari likes the way Karen is able to pull soft colors together and her goal is to one day take a class with Karen. Meanwhile she will strive to perfect her color choices of soft old colors on her own.

Above is a design by Karen Kahle called Small Flowerbox which Shari hooked.  She likes to hook florals most of all so will choose soft old colors for them.  Shari likes old teal, mustards, yellow green, and soft purples can be found in many of her rugs.

Shari will often change the design to suit herself; an example of that is her rug below where she is using teal in the triangle border.

It is an adaptation of a rug (Old Chatham) she purchased from Hook Nook who carried Lib Callaway designs.

Now Lib Callaway designs are offered by New Earth Designs.  Above is the original pattern and the banana shapped basket Shari changed.

Shari said her biggest hurdle was trying to keep her business going, responsibilites of husband/home life and finding time to hook. Then since retiring from her business she can enjoy her great love of rughooking freely! 

Sadly, while keeping the business going Shari had to sell some of her precious rugs but is thankful to have had a venue to sell them to make ends meet at the time.  The General George Washington is a rug which was commissioned.

Another cherished rug she sold was an adaptation of an E.S. Frost rug. That design is offered by Woodland Junction.

Now Shari can spend her day playing in the wool to her heart's content.

Above is a foot stool she hooked last year in a Barb Carroll class.  

Last September at Cape May Shari designed and hooked the design above.  You can see the inspiration she is channeling from Karen Kahle in it's design.  

Shari's light bulb moment came when she realized an 8 and 8.5 cut enabled her to keep to the primitive style yet small enough to give the slight detail she likes her rugs to have. 

Want to thank Shari for the idea of this segment and for sharing.  If any of you wish to participate and share your rug hooking journey, you can get the questions on a previous post HERE.

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