Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Heavens to Betsy :)


Betsy, of Heavens to Betsy wool fame, is a master at wide cut hooking.  I'm talking about 1/2" hand torn strips.  I'm guessing this pumpkin is about 13" across.  


I love her patchwork back.  Very primitive looking but also very neat.  The back looks as good as the front!


Here's a large rug she is working on.


I never would have thought you could hook such a small rug with such a wide cut.  I didn't measure it, but I bet it's no bigger than 14" x 18".


 These are even smaller.




Betsy has some wonderful finishing techniques that she shared with us.  




I really do like the patchwork backs.  Looks great and will use up some of those small pieces of wool we all have.


I am so bad at names, that I am not even going to attempt telling you who hooked what unless I am totally certain.  There were 24 of us and we had 3 Kathys, a Trish, a Trishia, 2 Jans . . . argh!  Plus it was Betsy and Bev running the camp with Becky running the camp store.
Anyway, this fun rug was being hooked mostly in torn strips except for the leaves, I believe.



Eric, aka Mr. Heavens to Betsy, drew out this HUGE rug for one of the hookers.  Can you believe this is only her third rug?  She is doing a marvelous job!  What fun colors in the fish.





I haven't had hook in hand since Saturday, but I am off to tear a few strips and give hand torn strips a try!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren
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19 comments:

  1. Farm GirlJuly 25, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    Those are just great. I do love looking at the different styles of rugs and that amazes me to see it done with torn strips. It sounds like you had fun.

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  2. WoolenSailsJuly 25, 2012 at 9:59 PM

    I really like the look of the wider cuts and the hand torn look, really nice idea of a stocking to give it that rougher prim look.

    Debbie

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  3. newburyartsJuly 25, 2012 at 10:57 PM

    *****her loops are too tightly hooked together and therefore they
    are bending in the middle. this is NOT theproper way for a wide cut to look...and your wide cut hooking is excellent. please don't adapt this awful style in place of what you already accomplish. go over to homespunprims and look at
    lori's hooking...her spacing is
    excellent and the loops do not fold in the middle. glad you enjoyed your camp experience...keep up your good hooking technique!!!

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  4. Cherry's Prairie PrimitivesJuly 25, 2012 at 10:59 PM

    They all look so beautiful!!

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  5. Michelle~Sugar House CreationsJuly 26, 2012 at 1:07 AM

    Thanks for sharing! Hope you are having fun. :-)

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  6. Larkrise garden girlJuly 26, 2012 at 2:24 AM

    Oh How fun! Thanks for sharing,Cheri

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  7. BumbleBeeLaneJuly 26, 2012 at 5:57 AM

    So many pretties! Loving the cabin with the beeskep.Warm Blessings!~Amy

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  8. moosecraftJuly 26, 2012 at 6:31 AM

    Wow! I reeeeally love that pumpkin! And, the patchwork backs are amazing! I hope to be hooking again soon, and will definitely give the hand torn strips a try. Thanks for sharing with us! :-)

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  9. Primitive StarsJuly 26, 2012 at 7:39 AM

    Hello Lauren, oh I loved seeing all the hooked pieces, wow!!!! The pumpkin is so sweet, the patched back is charming, all the gals do wonderful work. Enjoyed the post, makes me want to go hook something. Blessings Francine.

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  10. Mugwump WooliesJuly 26, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    Wonderful stuff! I love the hit and miss rugs! You must have had a ball!
    Robyn

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  11. JacquelineJuly 26, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    Thanks for sharing the pic's.. love seeing other's work. Not sure how those binding techniques work tho.

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  12. My Colonial HomeJuly 26, 2012 at 9:06 AM

    Interesting size of the pieces of wool to work with...I have enough trouble with the little ones, I'd probably make a mess out of the large pieces.
    Beautiful work!!!
    Karen

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  13. Cathy G.July 26, 2012 at 9:43 AM

    Lauren,
    Thank-you so much for sharing the things you've learned from Betsy! It must have been so much fun being there! I've hooked a larger rug with hand-torn strips but want to try a smaller one now! Looking forward to hearing more of your great adventure!
    Cathy G

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  14. AnnJuly 26, 2012 at 10:06 AM

    Lauren,

    Love the scrappy back - it's a great idea and I love the make-do look of it. Can't wait to see what you try with the wider hand torn pieces. ~Ann

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  15. GayleJuly 26, 2012 at 11:08 AM

    Wow Lauren. I've never seen a backing done like these that you've shown - guess there is always something new, huh? I'm surprises that Betsy doesn't share more of this stuff on her blog..... Anyway, thanks for all the pictures - sounds like you had a wonderful time!

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  16. old crowJuly 26, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    Lauren, sounds like you had a wonderful time, love the pumpkin and the primitive backing...beautiful! Are the wide strips hard to pull? Can't wait to see your next project!! Have a sweet day!!
    Pug Hugs,
    Mona

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  17. woolwomanJuly 27, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    what an awesome experience you've been having at your first "away" rug camp. Looks like loads of fun and learning lots too. What could be better - hope you have a good weekend - Mel

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  18. TheCrankyCrowJuly 28, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    Fun rugs! I love that little pumpkin!! And the patchwork backgrounds are adorable!! Hmmmm...hand-torn strips? I've thought about it, but that's it. I know my hooker designer friend keeps "upping" the width of her strips....I remember when she went to a 10-cut and I was amazed...but she always does HUGE rugs, so it worked....then she did some hand-torns - again with HUGE rugs....Never thought they could work on smaller pieces....Can't wait to see what you do.....Happy Weekend! Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

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  19. BeckyjeanAugust 2, 2012 at 9:53 PM

    All the rugs look great, but I really love that pumpkin.

    Have a great night~Becky

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