My choice of design to hook at Woolley Fox camp was Barb's Oh Deer rug. I saw it in 2012 just after she hooked it. I was spell bound and knew it was going to be a future rug of mine. Barb enjoys the color planning process and tries to use as much wool a student brings as she can ~ but of course the colors have to work with one another so sometimes it means buying a smidgen of wool to pull it all together.
This is what I've accomplished so far. The color palate is a brighter than I normally hook and anticipated it would be a little more dull and primitive. So for sure this will remind me of the over the top laughter and fun times we had for 3 days with Barb and our gal pals. Perhaps the happiness influenced her brighter fun colors.
Since arriving home, unfortunately there has been less fun pulling loops and more time spent on laundry, yard work, and other responsibilities. Plus spending lots of make-up time with my boy Ben, who gave me a very warm welcome home... he missed his mommy.
I was in a turmoil as to which Woolley Fox design I would work on once arriving home ~ would it be the Henny Penny that was started just before camp or the Oh Deer? Well, the Oh Deer won out.
Today I spent some time with my son, DIL and grandson Zach and their friends. Hope you all had a happy and safe Memorial Day.
Saundra
Oh but a fun time was had by all. There were 6 of us; Sue, June and Eleanor stayed in the Guest House (closest to Barb's home); Deb, Char and I stayed in the Woolley Cottage which is a few steps further from the house. Both are lovely and warm with beautiful antiques and hooked rugs for us each to enjoy.
Not only are the cottages delightful but also the grounds are spectacular and eye candy as you walk to and from the classes. To the left you can see a portion of Barb's home and the wall with the sheep and blue awning is the Guest House.
This is the door to the Guest House under the awning and you can see the Woolley Cottage in the distance on the right.
This is the view from the back deck at the Woolley Cottage but totally forgot to get a front view or side view of our accommodations, sorry. Just know that we have had a great time hooking and having cocktails and snacks on the back deck.
This is the view we would see as we walk to classes ~ this is at the other end of the Guest House and you can see the back deck which was a nice place to sit in the morning with coffee or hook.
Sometimes we would walk to Barb's on the left and down the steps, and sometimes we'd take the walk to the right (picture above) and take the more scenic route. When we walked by the fishpond talking the koi would come to the surface hoping for a hand out of koi food and while we had none to share, it was fun to watch the frenzy in the water.
I took numerous pictures of the grounds but will move on to people and rugs. This is a picture of (l to r) Sue, Barb, June and Eleanor.
This is Sue watching and listening intently as Barb color plans her rug.
June and Eleanor busily hooking here.
And my pal Deb pulling loops like a maniac to my right. Can't believe how much she accomplished in just 3 days.
Sue was hooking Herb Angel a Lori Brechlin design sold by Spruce Ridge.
June hooked Halloween Hooligans by Star Rug Company.
Eleanor was working on a Warren Kimble design offered by Woolley Fox.
Deb hooked Monticello a Karen Kahle design. I dearly love the more primitive hooking and it is way different than Karen's pastel palate. This picture was taken Tuesday night before Wednesday's class where even more hooking was accomplished.
My dear pal Char, sly girl, managed to avoid all photos of her as well as her hooking. She was hooking a delightful design called Craig's Whale. It was drawn by her son as a child who is now 32. I was so hoping to get a picture of it and her but her Irish is mighty force when trying to capture her in pictures.
I know, you're wondering where my rug is, right? HA! You'll just have to wait for an update on my blog tomorrow.
Please be kind to one another.
Saundra
This is the smaller Henny Penny (a Woolley Fox design) which measures 15 x 21. As you can see I'm drawing lines to make it a smidgen larger and lines so that I can hook more blotchy spots of color. Sure hope I'll like it when I'm done, but if not I've been known to pull out loops and re-hook.
Actually I've since drawn more lines after the picture was taken so it will be quite easy for me to confuse myself. This is the project I'll work on Sunday night in the cottage and in class until Barb gets to me with my camp rug. If I'm lucky maybe I can get Barb's input on this one also. Although I might be a little embarrassed for her to see all the lines I've drawn on it.....hmmm, after thinking about it maybe I won't show it to her.
My van is almost packed and I will leave here tomorrow to spend the night with my friend Deb, and then head off to Ligonier, PA for a wonderful time with Barb Carroll. Have no fear, I will have camera in hand and will let you know about the fun time we had.
See ya in a few days......TA TA!
Saundra
The Spiral Chair Pad is in the wings waiting to be bound and will post a tutorial of sorts about binding a round mat in a future post after Woolley Fox rug camp. But for now, this is what I'm working on.
This is a design called Henny Penny offered by Woolley Fox and is the smaller size offered of the design. But because there was a nice wide extra margin thought I'd draw lines to extend the parameters of the design and do a little tweaking.... uh, maybe.
As you can see I plan to do the blocks of color to replicate 'using up' what is on hand as I do like the look. All the red is wool from my worms as are some features of the chicken. The dark sage green came from my stash and the lighter green was a green recently purchased with camp and this rug in mind.
Now this is a LOT more fun than the hit and miss chair pad!!!.
Have a wunnerful wummerful evening everyone. And thanks for visiting.
Saundra
Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers.
Today is a double holiday for my dear sweet daughter-in-love for it is also her birthday in addition to it being Mother's Day. This mother (me) has lots of chores to do as there are many on my list before leaving here next Saturday for Woolley Fox. I've spread them out over the course of the week to ensure they all get done. And there were some appointments which are also causing me to spread the work out.
So with cup of java in hand will head to my wool room to try and tidy it up a bit with the mess I made gathering my wool. And while there will trim around the spiral mat.
Have a great Mother's Day.
Saundra
I am so relieved and content now that the spiral mat is all hooked. As much as binding is not one of my favorite things, it will be a welcomed task for this piece.
I'm very happy that I replaced the outer row of wool with black. Here is a picture of what was originally hooked for the spiral, but in a brown at some point.
Oh yeah baby...... big difference. But must admit there came a time in hooking this that I frankly didn't care what color or value the wool was hooked next as long as it wasn't the same color beside or below. Have me committed if I do another hit and miss any time soon. And think the geometric will stay put for a couple more years before it is pulled out again.
There is much I need to do before leaving next Saturday morning but at least now I'm not feeling anchored to the mat. So I'm free to do other tasks to get ready for camp and perhaps even pull a few loops on a new, fresh, project if I have time to relax here. Plus that project will be what is worked on the evening arriving at Woolley Fox and keep me occupied until Barb gets to my Oh Deer design in class.
No way did I want to take the spiral to work on at Barbs. That would be like taking dirty laundry with me. AHHHHHHH, a deep sigh of relief. Thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend and happy Mother's Day to all.
Saundra
But before I show chaos pictures I'd like to welcome my 180th Followers... thanks for joining!
Here is the chaos with the STILL unfinished Spiral Chair Pad (notice Ben is laying right where my feet would be). Yes, I just overturned the tote so all tangled worms would be available. I want this sucker all hooked before I leave!!!!!!! Close, but not close enough. If it isn't done by the time of leaving for camp it will be put away forever and ever and ever I'm afraid.
And there is the chaos of now gathering wool for camp since the 32 patterns have been drawn and shipped.
Notice those two rings on the table to the right. That is where I put samples of the wool to be presented to Barb and will have the bulk of the wool in my van. So whatever she chooses can be retrieved from my van later. Previously I'd taken half yard of all my presentations and that was a lot of bulk to take to the class room. Now will just have these two rings full of samples for her to choose from.
That four spool of pink threads is the serger that saved my butt. That is the one which allowed me to finish the last two patterns for the shipment. Still don't know the story with the one just taken to the shop AGAIN. But hope to know before leaving for camp.
Thanks for visiting and hope you stop by again sometime.
Saundra
I'm both frustrated and thankful at the same time. I'm frustrated because I'd drawn out 30 of the 32 patterns and only had 2 more to cut, serge and draw to be done.
As luck would have it, my Bernina serger (which I just had serviced in March) began making a nasty 'click' and was afraid that to continue using the machine would just throw the timing off or worse break a part. So I had to stop in my tracks. Yes, I checked and double checked the threading and it was okay and the needle wasn't broken.
Thankfully my friend had given me an older Bernina serger when she learned mine was not working properly in March. The conversation couldn't have been more timely because it was headed to auction just days later. So with the grace of having that backup was able to finish the last 2 patterns. Here is the stack.
Now to do an invoice, box and ship tomorrow. And then I'll be free to finish the Spiral Chair Pad, gather my Woollie Fox items and prepare for camp. What I'm NOT happy about is having to drive an hour to take my Bernina in for repair again nor the trip home when I'd rather be getting ready for camp. But I will be needing it again soon so the sooner it gets repaired the sooner it can be picked up.
The Bernina guy did tell me that the linen is tough on sergers but hey, that is what we use to serge the linens isn't it? Does anyone know of a perfect work horse serger that can withstand the coarseness of linen?
Oh, and another bit of luck is that I had JUST enough linen to do the last two patterns. So now need to order more Dorr Natural Primitive Linen and need to do that before I leave for camp as there will be more patterns to draw when I return home I'm sure.
Thanks for dropping by. TA TA.
Saundra
Margaret hooked this rug in record speed. I just checked and she purchased it on April 18th and it has not even a whole month later and she has it hooked. The measurements are 18 x 35 so it isn't huge but it also isn't a mat size. It still needs to be bound but she was so excited to share with me (and you) that she sent a picture early; and I'm glad she did.
Along with the picture she had this to say.....to quote Margaret,
"Hi Saundra,
Not yet bound, but I just steamed it and it's resting comfortably. I was skeptical about the yellow kool aid but it really seems to work with the other colors.
I enjoyed hooking this and hope that you are able to entice many more hookers to do their own version. It's simple but very charming!"
Thanks for your kind words Margret and happy you like it. For all who have ventured onto my blog, thanks for visiting.
Saundra
My friend Mary hooked Domestic Zoo and entered it in the the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and won Second Place. Congratulations Mary!!!!!!!!! This is a picture of the beautiful entry and ribbon.
Now that Mary knows what the judges are looking for and nit picky things she knows to correct, she plans to enter it in the Maryland State Fair. So check back later to see what ribbon she gets next.
Okay, I've been remiss in posting a picture of the spiral hit and miss chair pad. That is because I've been busy drawing patterns for someone ~ I've drawn 23 and have 10 more to do before I leave for Woolley Fox rug camp. Since these need to be shipped before leaving for camp I can't be having fun hooking OR even getting ready for camp.
So, here is what has been accomplished so far on the chair pad and it seems like so far to go to finally finish even tho I see the area of the spiral getting thinner.
I truly do like the look but hate hooking it. Hit and miss takes a lot more effort than you would think.... UH, or than I thought. There is still the hit and miss geometric I started over 7 years ago which still needs to be finished but don't think that will happen any time soon.
No more drawing of patterns tonight, gonna have din-din, walk the boy Ben and hook more on the %#!?# spiral chair pad.
Hope you have fantastic evening.
Saundra
Actually I received it yesterday afternoon, however I'd already posted on my blog so saved this for today. But in yesterday's mail received the book of sketches from Lori of NotForgottenFarm. And much to my surprise was an unexpected gift..... a retractable tape measure with her logo.
Immediately after taking this picture it was put in my woven basket which holds my hooks, scissors, rug brush, felt tip pen and all important hooking paraphernalia. Thank you Lori!!!!! The girls at camp will be jealous.
Saundra
In 1997 I did two sets of 12 month stitchery projects in anticipation of the new home being built; one was posted yesterday of the applique. And I also did 12 Angel stitcheries, one for each month.
Unfortunately I couldn't locate the patterns so can't provide info on the original designer. But if anyone knows please write me so that I can give credit to the designer.
Obviously I'm biding time in hopes the spiral chair pad will soon be done and can post a finished picture.
Saundra
Spring is definitely in the air and so is the pollen but the leaves and new green grass is ever nice to look at instead of snow. This is just one of 12 stitchery designs by Indygo Junction which I appliqued and stitched the year this house was being built.
They were all fun to applique and I'd planned to finish each of them properly but think only one was finished nicely. Each month I look forward to the change out. This one I placed on the school marm's desk to take a picture of it and was moved back to the sofa table.
There are a few designs which would make great small hooked pieces too; one design I plan to hook before next winter. This particular design is tempting me to buy some new herbs for my garden.
Have a great evening everyone, and please be kind to one another.
Saundra
After doing another application of walnut dye solution here is the result of my attempt at making the rug appear like an antique. Not that I will say it is an antique, but to try to replicate the loved and worn appearance of an antique.
For comparison, here is a picture of the original. And yes, the original is so warm and mellow; that is what endeared me to rug hooking in the first place.
At the moment I'm still tugging along on the hit and miss spiral chair pad and admit I get less accomplished on it than on the Red Bird in the same time. Frankly I'm not sure if it would make any difference in appearance if I were to just stick my hand in the tote full of worms and pull randomly or do the search and make woolie worm knots. Random might even end up looking better than my selection.
Sure hope the spiral is done in 18 days because that is when I leave for Woolley Fox camp. I'd like this done to take a new small project to work on first night in the cottage and next day while waiting my turn with Barb.
Have a wonderful evening. Mine will be great because I'm getting ready to start a pot of hearty vegetable soup. Yummmm.
Saundra
This morning I thawed out my walnut stain from what was stewed up 2 years ago plus brewed up a cup-o-tea to decide which should be applied to my rug to tone down the cream border. But first I hooked a few rows on scrap foundation using the same wool as in the border so I could experiment first.
Although my mentor Lori said I couldn't go wrong with walnut staining I still wanted to practice first. And Lori was right...... I like the look.
There was a little difference between the walnut and tea; the walnut made it look like a dirt stain with age and tea had a mellow appearance. I wanted the dirt to replicate an old rug with use over time vs. the near dip dyed look.
The far left row is unstained wool; the upper section of the top right hooked wool was dabbed with the walnut stain and the bottom top section was dabbed with the tea stain. You can probably see a gentle difference in the color of the wool without it being a slap in the face.
I took an inexpensive half inch brush and dabbed some walnut stain randomly all around the rug. Since wool naturally wants to repel water it would lay on top so proceeded to brush it a few times in the same place (just on top).
Lori reminded me that antique rugs get stains just on the top of the loop and when the loops are separated you can then see clean lighter colored loops. So I didn't douse the rug but rather tried to paint the top until that first amount was absorbed into that 1 - 2" section.
The above photo was taken with a flash and the one below without so you figure the rug looks somewhere in between. And, notice the shiny speck to the left of my brush stroke below? That is the solution on top of the wool being naturally repelled by the wool. That is why I would brush the liquid a couple times until the dollop was absorbed.
HA! You thought you were going to see a picture of the rug tonight, didn't you. Since I liked the results and was a little timid this first time think perhaps I might think about touching it up a bit more. Are any of you old enough to remember the "Burma Shave" road commercials? I recall reading signs along the road and the one that sticks in my mind is "A little dab will do ya". Well, I think more than one dab will do me better. Come back tomorrow for another update.
Saundra
p.s. My friend Lauren says it was the Brylcream commercials where they said "a little dab will do ya". Thanks Lauren.
One of the Red Bird of Pennsylvania patterns was purchased from Margaret. Before drawing it out asked her if she wanted me to do dashes where the original antique had different background color and she said yes. But once she started hooking decided she didn't want blocks of different color after all. She also said she wanted her version to be more colorful particularly with the anticipation of spring after this winter.
Margaret is one fast hooking machine and she will probably have hers done before mine gets bound. I did steam mine this morning so it is resting right now. Then it will get toned down and rest some more before it eventually getting bound.
Here is the way Margaret's vision looks right now. She said it isn't really as bright as it appears in the photo and plans to send another when she gets more done of the border. She also said the background is cashmere and camel hair color wool from her stash.
It is always great fun to see other people's vision of the same design.
Have a great rest of the weekend.
Saundra
For those of you who are tired of recurring posts of the antique adaptation which I've named "Red Bird of Pennsylvania" you will be pleased to see it is all hooked!!!! The rug hasn't been steamed yet but since I've been so remiss in posting thought I'd better post a picture of something so my readers don't disappear.
Plans are to age the light and bright cream border as well as other areas of the rug so it appears more antique. My pre-hooking attempt at mellowing the cream wool with the dye bath was a little to weak I guess. Here is the original antique.
Yup, a big difference in color here for sure. There is also a difference of camera, and the picture of my rug was taken on the back deck with no flash and in the shade. However, when I printed off a picture of the original antique my color choices seemed 'right on'. But obviously not from the difference of photos.
Anyway, I do plan to stain it with walnut stain after it is steamed. In the meantime I'll pull a few more loops on the spiral chair pad. Oh but can't wait to finish that one either!!!!!
Have a fantastic weekend.
Saundra
I'm getting so excited now because this great design is getting close to being finished. Which means it can be steamed and I'll be able to do the mindless and boring binding while in the car on the way to Woolley Fox in about 3 weeks.
Yes I've made some adaptations from the original antique but that is what we do, right? If you scroll to past posts you can see the original antique and see that I chose to not include the gold line from the right hand berry to the teal line.
The original hooker did a great job outlining a simplistic design of a single bird and berries to be the main focus by using a cream wool. And her 'using what she had' for the background in different wools just adds to the fun of the rug.
You will also notice in my rendition as well as the original antique that the cream border is wavy. It is wider in some areas and then thins down. When I first started hooking this design my thought was to make it the same thickness throughout. But that is not how the original was and so I gave in. Well, that is except for the very outside border.
Man, I'm torn between wanting to sell this finished rug and keeping it. I really really like how it is turning out but how many rugs can I possibly keep?
Tomorrow is to be a wonderful warm day again and hope all of my readers have a great warm Wednesday.
Thanks for visiting and PLEASE be kind to one another.
Saundra
.... but which way ~ downward, upward, forward, backward? I took two steps forward and then one back when I reverse hooked the very perimeter of the mat only to discover that maybe there was a plan for it to be that color anyway? Well I'm not reverse hooking until I know for sure this time.
Perhaps I have made a little headway even tho areas were re-hooked. It looks like the space is a little uneven between dark spirals on the right side so will fix that eventually. And, I can see where the curvature of the hooking is different in places ~ some places it has a faint curve almost straight and in other areas it looks almost like a "C" shape. Must admit that I was tempted to pull out and re hook but it is not going to be judged in a contest or on display at a show, but will be sat on at home and placed on a stool or chair.
Here is what it looks like now.
This is what it looked like when I found it tucked under hooking supplies.
I believe that when this chair pad is finished I will have had my fill of hit and miss for a while. Between this and the geometric I'm ready to move on to greener pastures. Well, my Red Bird would do just fine and that is what I will work on this evening.
Have a great evening everyone.
Saundra
Currently I'm flipping between the spiral hit and miss chair pad (with the emphasis on currently) and the delightful antique adaptation which I've named Red Bird of Pennsylvania. I named it that because the auction house gave credit to PA so it was either hooked or discovered there and was hooked in the early 20th century. This is what I've accomplished so far. The photo was taken outside in the shade without a flash so it has natural light and oh my but you can see the color in the dark background. All the blue, red and brown hues.
Taking pictures of rugs and dolls that I make is very frustrating. If you take pictures inside with a flash it sometimes washes out the color or renders them bright. Taken outside in the sun does the same thing. If you're lucky to get a picture outside in the shade without a flash it is usually great.....usually.
Today I received an update from Karen, one of the people who purchased the pattern from me. But since the other patterns were sold most recently, only Karen has had the time to hook and share her progress. I think Karen has done a lot of hooking in such a short time and great color choices. She also chose to try and replicate the original antique using 'what she has' (as I am doing). I sure do like her colors for the berries better than mine tho.
However folks, just because Karen and I have chosen to try and replicate the original antique doesn't mean you can't use colorful yarn or wool, silk, cotton, etc. If the design strikes you and have a different vision I'd love to post your rendition on my blog.
Thanks for dropping by for a visit and please be kind to one another. A smile and kindness goes a long, long way and is contagious.
Saundra
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