There's More

In a previous post I mentioned wondering why so many old rugs had the animals' tongues sticking out.  This is the rug to which that comment was made.

Then a couple loyal followers replied they didn't recall seeing that in rugs....or something to that effect.  I love it when readers comment as it gives me a topic to work on.  So went thru my digital library of saved photos.    Enjoy....

Here is a white dog hooked in the 1900s.  Oooh but I love that background.  The rug hooked was quite creative by doing the polka dot border with zig zag beauty line. 

This rug is from Canada.  Thank you Lori for saying you thought it was a mama bear and her cub ~  what was I thinking?   Duh, bears like honey!

Below is a dog with spots and some may say that is a red dog collar, I say its the dog's tongue.

A black lamb showing its tongue.

This is a close up of a hooked dog's face with tongue sticking out and somewhere in my files is the rest of rug.  Will post it when I find it.

A recumbent dog.  Notice also the tip of the tail and feet.  This is not a Magdalena rug but she would often hook a bit of red at the feet, tail and beak or nose of her animals.

Another pup with a tongue showing.

A St. Bernard with hit and miss border.

A fox hooked rug, guess it is panting from being on the chase or being chased.

This dog seems friendly and happy.

Spooky the Cat isn't an antique but thought I'd show you this beauty with its tiny tongue.  You're welcome Kelley 😊.

So far that is all I've found in my archived photos.  If any of you have a photo of an antique rug with the animal's tongue out I'd enjoy you sending it to me.

Saundra

Almost but not Quite

Was hoping to show a finished photo of Lititz Hens but it isn't quite finished.  There's only a small section to hook but has been so long since I've seen a view on the computer decided to take a photo anyway.

Remember how red the hen on the right always looked before?  This time the photo was taken with my iPad.  This is more true to the colors I see.

Am loving this Magdalena Briner Eby design.  And in case you're wondering, neither this rug nor the Magdalena Goat rug appear in the book shown below.  Those two were discovered after publication of the book.

However, the booklet is a wealth of knowledge about Magdalena, her life and her rugs.  You can purchase a copy HERE.

My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered loss in the recent devastation of tornadoes and flooding.

Saundra

Some Eye Candy for Rug Hookers

This first pretty floral with a geometric border isn't really an antique since it was hooked around 1940.  But is vintage and worth seeing; measures 24 x 36.  Still has nice crisp colors..

The Deer rug below is from the June and Sandy Worrell estate and measures 22 x 56.

Below is a closer look of the left side and right side.

Have you ever noticed that old hooked rugs of animals always seemed to show them with their tongue sticking out?  Wonder why?  If they wanted to define the mouth they could have just used a very thin piece of fabric.  Yeah, I know....they used what they had 😉.

A Floral Fraktur from Pennsylvania dated 1851 and measuring 17 x 33.

Beavers doing what they do best, measures 27 x 42.

Crossed Flags with oak leaf border.  Measures 36 x 41.

Rug with a date February 1906.  I'm wondering if this was a wedding rug with the 'knot' or perhaps fish (Christian symbol) depicted center top and bottom.  Rug measures 23 x 51.

And then the rug I've recently fallen in love with.  Don't plan to hook it yet as my project for April rug camp has already been established.  And since my  mood swings from hot to cold so quickly who knows how long it will be before it is on my frame.

Happy weekend to all of you.

Saundra

MARCH Already??

One year ago tomorrow is when the March wind blew over two healthy trees.  Two photos of the base after the fall.

A different angle showing the limbs which fell into a third tree out of the photo to the right.

And here is what is left, two huge bases.  For perspective, the root system in the back is taller than I am so guess it is over 6'.  I would love to have them ground down but since that is expensive and this is in my back yard near the woods I'm not going to bother.  Oh, what you see in the background is water, water, water.

So with all that water still in the yard sure hope another March wind storm doesn't come thru again.

Oh, remember my saying the Hartford insurance company wouldn't cover the cost of tree removal last year?  I had just paid my auto and homeowners premiums in full for the year on 2/28/18 and two days later is when the storm hit.  

Needless to say I have a different insurance agency now.

Saundra

THROW BACK THURSDAY

It is usually a Friday before I remember that I forgot to post a 'throw back Thursday' photo.  But today I remembered, so welcome to my first throwback post.

This photo is departure day of we three Amigas at Rugs by the Sea 2011.  From left to right is me, Char, and Deb.  It was after that year our friend Char became a Snowbird and we missed her for a few years.  We will be together again this September and think it is time we have another photo taken of us.  

IF I remember, maybe I'll take that same tee shirt, Char always has a white oxford blouse and bet Deb has that or similar Life is Good tee shirt too.  Will be fun to see how we've changed.

Below is a photo of Linda & Norma (the two camp organizers), Bev (former teacher), and my friend Evelyn being her normal feisty self.

Here are a few rugs hooked by we three gals in the first photo; have only picked 2 from each of us.

These two rugs were hooked by friend Deb, Peace and Plenty (a Lori Brechlin design sold by Spruce Ridge.

And Hildefern sold by Woolley Fox.  Each of those fronds were hooked using antique paisley.

Char designed and hooked a huge Wedding Rug for her daughter which is even more beautiful in person.  Talk about a "Tree of Life"!!

Char also designed and did a life size proddy of a Bear for their cabin.  She used all the dark bad wool purchased when first starting to collect her wool stash.  She figured why throw the wool away when it could be put to good use in a proddy project ~ smart lady.  I still haven't made mine.  

That is food for thought for you newbies who are making the same mistake with thrift store wool we all made.

Most times I didn't take a photo of my rugs at camp but since I've a list of what I hooked when, here are two examples of what was taken to the show that year.

McCue Eagle, an adaptation of a Magdalena Briner Eby design.

E.S. Frost Sheep with Birds and Flowers.

I hooked more than two rugs that year but won't bore you with all of them, just a little sampling from we three gals.

Was fun to look back on this "throw back Thursday".

Saundra

Misc. Rug Hooking Chit Chat

The rug labels recently made I have begun attaching to the rugs.  Only two sewn on so far with 4 more to go.  Of those 1 is for the Lititz Hens which is still on my frame.

Have been pondering what to work on after Hens since it will be finished before April rug camp.  While organizing a pile of wool and hidden beneath was a small mat I'd long forgotten about.  Didn't think I had any UFOs but seems there is one.  Finishing that is planned as the next project, it is small so doable.....IF I stick with it.

It is called Paisley from Fraser rugs and purchased around 2006 while attending rug camp in Ocean City.  Eric Sandberg had an evening class and Paisley was the topic.  As it was small (9 x 25) thought I'd give narrow cut hooking a try.   Since that time decided I'm not fond of narrow hooking and decided to hook it in my own wide cut.  

Hooked what you see here and put it aside. Didn't have a color plan and wasn't sure what I'd do next so stopped.  Now is the time to finish or trash it.

This morning took a critical look at the pattern and what was hooked so far.  Would I continue with the red paisley and put different colors in the center or alternate the main paisley color one slanted row at a time?  Pulled a couple pieces of wool to see how it would look with alternating colors.

Hmmm, me thinks I'll go with the red paisley throughout and different colors in the center.  Will have a primitive black background and still haven't figured out the end borders yet.

Below are two hooked versions I've saved as inspiration.  The top one is hooked by my friend Lynne Fowler  ~ she can hook anything and with any cut.  I cannot read the name of the hooker of the second mat, both are beautiful.

As you can see in my version at the top, I have chosen to NOT have that jagged edge on my paisley.  Besides it would be difficult to achieve that look in a wide cut in such a limited space.

Have been perusing the internet and found more antique rugs.  One which makes my heart go pitter-patter and will one day be on my frame.  You will know which one that is when I next post antique rugs.

Happy hump day for your worker-bees, you're halfway thru the work week.

Saundra

Antique Rugs

It's time to show more antique rugs.  A very damaged and faded rug with 2 cats.  Shame it has seen so much wear and tear.

A Sampler for a child named Francis hooked early 20th century 38 x 58.

From Pennsylvania a Mennonite rug in pastel colors with stripes, diamond shapes and crosses.  Said to have been hooked around 1930, measures 25 x 37. 

Thought the rug below was a hoot ~ a Canadian Folk Art rug of an oversize cat on a roof, apple trees and other animals.   Measures 22 x 30.

New England Pot of Flowers 1900-1910, wool and cotton. Dimensions are 33 x 41.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ~ this colorful geometric below doesn't do anything for me at all.  Yet other folks may love it.  Hooked mid 20th century and measures 22 x 36.

The geometric below does appeal to me.  Even with its misshapen  design I like this one ~ the colors and even the quirkiness of the design.  It measures 36 x 50 and from early 20th century. 

Happy the wind gusts have stopped as well as the rain.  Water water everywhere.

Saundra

Rug Labels Made

I am several rugs behind in sewing labels on.  Unlike Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) who sews on a label immediately after the binding is done, I wait until there are enough rugs hooked to print out an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of labels.

Here are the ones I just printed out but haven't been sewn on yet.

The picture posted on each label is determined by different things.  When doing antique adaptations I like to post a photo of the original antique.  That is what I did with the top left label for Primitive Horse and Birds and a picture of the original antique.  

To the right of that is the Anniversary Sheep design which was a generous gift given us at Cape May, which was basic.  It was a challenge piece to inspire creativity.  On the label I wanted to show the basic design on the back and the result is the finished piece.

The label below that is one I named "Ben in the Garden".  But was a pattern by Pat Hornifus given me by a friend.  I'd lost my boy Ben and decided to change the Golden to a Rottweiler.  But printed the picture of her original rug design "Golden in the Garden" on my label as the original source.  

Since there are new readers/followers on my blog some of you may not have seen the previous tutorial on how I make rug labels.   So to not duplicate that process, if you click HERE you can read all about it.

Happy hooking or whatever creative mood you are in right now.

Saundra

TRUE CONFESSIONS

Gee, I can remember seeing a magazine by that name on the rack when a teen.  Never purchased or read one....wonder if it still exists?  But this isn't about a magazine, it is about my finally bound rug "Star Geometric".

As a reminder, I posted a photo on hating to bind as to how I would bind this rug.  Click that link above for a review.

Here is the front of the finally bound Star Geo.

Below is the back of the rug.  After whipping the bottom edge (which only shows under the rug) I was bored silly and changed horses mid stream.  Decided it would get bound a lot faster if I just did the very outer edge of the cotton rug tape and edge of foundation with the wool yarn.  

Yes two different styles of binding but I'm not entering a contest or qualifying for a magazine (unless it was True Confessions), and the rug will live with me.

This is a photo of the original antique from which this was adapted.  I drew my pattern to measure 29 x 32.5.

Enjoy your weekend.

Saundra