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
Who doesn't love a rug show? I love seeing rugs that other people have done and particularly love looking at antique rug pictures. Actually I do have a couple small hooked things that I picked up at the local thrift shop and that has a story which is a whole blog message in itself. Perhaps one day I'll take pictures and tell you the story.
Here is a rug that I hooked with Bev Conway and it is her design. This is what I chose to hook with the first class I had with her. I was at Cape May where I saw someone else hooking it and thought it would be great in my kitchen to welcome people from the living room into the kitchen.
Another rug that I hooked with Bev is called Rufus. I'd never worked with such vibrant colors before so it was a little out of my box but I like it. Normally I go for the more drab antique looking colors.
This one makes me smile every time I look toward the dutch doors in my kitchen. This is also a design by Bev Conway which originally had each of the chickens sitting on a huge egg each. But, wanted to tweak it to suit me so I made them sitting on straw nests instead.
The Olde Gals was an adaptation of a quilt design, I asked permission to hook it and permission was granted. When it was time to put something new on my frame I was leaning toward Coastal Girls by Deanne Fitzpatrick. It was during the time of going thru a divorce I didn't ask for and the pretty girls with flowing scarves just couldn't happen...... I kept thinking about this image of a quilt panel I had. And so I contacted them to get permission to hook it.
This was a very cathartic hooking project which was a way for me to make a statement for all women no longer young but who are comfortable with themselves. These women are not spring chickens, they are wearing their olde clothes but think they look pretty snazzy. They like who they are and who they have become in their aging process; they have been close friends for years. And ya know what, I'll bet they are all hookers.
