Prepped for Binding ~

 

Yellow Bird is finally prepped for binding.  She is trimmed, zig zagged (I don't have a serger) and finally steamed.  Have a ever mentioned that I hate steaming as much as I hate binding?  It is amazing how a steaming evens out the loops.  She is being bound with wool using one of the wools used in the background.  One of these days I hope to get a picture showing her true colors!  

I rarely hook during the day, but for the last week have been a hooking fool.  I will share soon 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

How do you bind a rug?

 

The same way you eat an elephant . . . a little at a time.

Two more of my little mats are bound . . . and two to go.  

Hopefully soon I will finish hooking the two remaining class rugs from 2022 before I head to my Kris Miller class next month . . .  and Cathy Stephan the following month 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

And Now There Are Four ~

 

Gypsy has been bound.  It was bound in one of the wools used in the background.  One down, four to go 😁  The four have been trimmed, steamed and the edges zigzagged (I don't have a serger).  Thankfully they are smaller than Gypsy.

In October I am vending at a show that is not a hook in.  I am determined not to wait until the last minute to make non-hooking related items.  (Or did I already tell you that?)  I did make 15 wool wreaths.  All that's left is to add a bow.  It's a start!

Did you know that black dogs are usually the last to be adopted from a shelter?

And speaking of black dogs, Molly is still seizure free, but is having great difficulty walking.  It is just heartbreaking to see her dragging herself across the floor.  That gray face just melts my heart.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

And Then There Were Five ~

I suddenly went from having no rugs to bind to FIVE.  Argh.  The two pumpkins . . . 

. . . and two small hit and miss mats.  The mat to the right was also hooked with worms except for the black. 

Gypsy.  

Plus soon Fierce Lion will need binding, too.  I suppose it is a terrible problem to have 😁  My goal is to bind for at least 1/2 hour every day, and even doing that will take quite some time to finish them.

Thank you for all your comments on the cluster in East Palestine.  Several of you are no-reply bloggers, so I was unable to personally respond, but please know I appreciate the comments.  I am just gobsmacked that our president could fly to the Ukraine and give them another half billion dollars in aid, but do nothing for the citizens of our country.  Shouldn't they come first?

Molly is still doing good . . . fingers crossed, though yesterday she was having much difficulty walking.  I took her antiquing Saturday, so she got to be a diva in her pink stroller.  Let me tell you.  It absolutely wore her out.  It is hard being that cute.  We got to DSO's about 6:15 pm and the only time she moved a muscle was to swallow her meds and go potty.

SSHHHH!  Today I took her to the hooking guild meeting at the library.  Overall she was good but if I left her sight, she started yipping.  She was once again the belle of the ball.  She rarely laid down but just happened to be prone when I snapped this picture.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Piddly Stuff ~

As usual, a whole lottta nuthin' 😁

I have finished labeling my rugs from 2021.  Thankfully I have my blog to check what year I hooked a rug.  

I have started binding The Poser . . .

Even though we had snow at the beginning of the week, we did not go in to a deep freeze so the daffodils and hyacinth survived.  I mowed the yard today with a winter coat and gloves.  Tomorrow we will be in the 70's!

I am heading to rug camp in West (by God) Virginia in a couple of weeks.  I hope to make contact with one of my college roommates who lives just a couple hours away.  It will be wonderful if we can meet somewhere in the middle.  It has been far too long since I have seen her.  I need to quickly put something on the frame to gift her.  I have gone to my stash and think I have chosen a small mat that I should be able to finish.  Time will tell . . . sigh.  Leave it to me to wait until the last minute.  Hopefully I will have something to share soon.

Remember last month I reminded all my female readers to get their mammogram?  Well, my mammos have come back fine since 2010 (when I had my last biopsy).  This time, they wanted a recheck and possible ultrasound, on the right boob instead of the left.  The waiting is always stressful.  I had my appointments this week, and all appears good though they want to recheck in six months.  I can breathe again.

Now I hope this is a joke, but not sure if it is.  WTH???  The caption said it was men's fashion that was presented in Paris.

Sadly, that's all I have 😞

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Nada ~

Nada whole lot going on.  As usual, busy all the time but just on piddly stuff.  Nothing really share worthy.

FINALLY ~ Being the master procrastinator, with the IRS deadline looming, I should finish my taxes and get them filed today.  They are pretty basic, but I just always wait . . . and wait . . . to get them started.  Then it feels so wonderful to be done and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I am finishing up one more small Halloween mat.  I really like how this medium value wool is hooking up.  I will probably just be working on a few small pieces and not start anything big until I head to rug camp in West Virginia on Mother's Day.

I am also working on rug labels.  I got way behind and had about a dozen mats/rugs needing one.  I am not yet halfway done but one more thing I will be able to cross off the list.

That's about it.  Pretty pathetic 😢

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Measure Twice ~ Cut Once

 

I measured only once and cut the wool to bind Wonky Love Hearts.  

Ugh, I cut it all just a bit too short which caused problems in the corners.  When I realized what I had done, I should have started over but did not.  BIG mistake.  I am not happy, but unless I want to take it out and begin again (which I really don't), I will have to live with the ugly corners.

I started hooking the background of Peter Rabbit with the top wool.  It just seemed too light so I was happy to find the wool on the bottom in my stash.  I think it may be called "seeded blue" or some such thing.  I like it much better and I think I will be able to mix in some of the lighter wool.

Here is just a little sneak peak of my challenge rug.  You will have to hop on over to Saundra's blog to see all the rugs being hooked in her challenge.  I am not very far along and have already learned two things.  When I came to the realization that cotton was not going to form nice loops like wool, things hooked up a little more quickly.  The other thing I learned?  I PREFER WOOL!!!

This about sums me up 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

A Token of Friendship ~

 

Shamrocks are not falling from the sky here in northern Ohio, but more of the white stuff.  I must admit it is very pretty, but I could do without ⛄  My son brought his BIG snowblower over the other day to do my drive and walks.  DSO would have had much difficulty with his smaller snowblower.  Thanks son 💙

I am ready to begin binding Wonky Love Heart.  Hopefully I will have a finish to share soon.

I have started to hook Cammie Bruce's Peter Rabbit.

Saundra posted a hooking challenge on her blog for anyone wishing to join in.  She has chosen 6 antique/vintage rugs and will provide the line drawing to anyone wishing to participate.  We are to hook it using alternative fibers, what we have on hand as our foremothers would have done.  There is still time to join in on the fun . . . but let her know by tomorrow (Friday).  There are no rules (my kind of challenge) and it will be fun seeing all the different adaptations.  Here is the piece I will be hooking.

I finished stitching a Token of Friendship, a free pattern by Notforgotten Farm that can be found here.  I will simply turn back the linen and primitively stitch it down.  It has been too long since I have had a little give-away, so I will be gifting this to one of my blog friends.  As always, the rules are simple . . . but there are a couple.  Leave a comment on this post only or send me an email with give-away in the subject line.  Please no sharing on any social media.  I will choose the winner on February 24 and the winner must CONTACT ME within three days.  {{Sorry, my Canadian friends.  Even though this is very flat, I worry that USPS would charge me a parcel rate.}}

A page a day calendar I received at the Millersburg retreat last fall is just a pithy saying each day.  A few of my favorites so far ~

Never miss a chance to just shut up.

I came . . . I saw . . . and I forgot what I'm here for . . .

Sometimes . . . it's not about the destination . . . it's about everything that happens along the way.

Some days you need to just suck it up . . . smile . . . and be on your way . . .

And these last two are so apropos in today's world.

There is always hope .

Remember to laugh . . . it's all temporary.  (So I hope and pray!)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Happy Fall, Y'all ~

 

Welcome Fall???  I am loving our current weather, but I just don't like what will be coming soon.  A light winter coat and gloves are now the morning attire for my walk.

I always receive comments on the antique postcards.  I do not own them.  They are on a CD I bought many years ago on eBay, but I enjoying posting them for all the holidays.

Today I thought I would give you a quick "how-to" do the edge on Scaredy Cat.

First I trimmed the linen to 1 1/4" and zig sagged to prevent fraying.  (I do not have a serger.)  Next time I would trim the linen to 1".  Fold the linen to the front and press.

I tore a strip of wool to cover the exposed linen.  The strip needs to be wide enough to cover both the front and the back.  Position the wool on the front as close to the loops as possible to avoid seeing the linen.  I pinned in place but you could also baste it down to avoid pin pricks.  

I used one strand of #12 Valdani floss I happened to have.  You could also use DMC or any other floss in your stash.  The four sides are done individually.

The back is not pretty, but oh, well.

I hope I haven't missed any of the steps.  Very easy.  Please don't hesitate to ask if my directions aren't clear as mud.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Monday Update ~ Part 3

 

Last week was not a very productive week.  I was gone more than usual.  That's my story . . . and I'm sticking to it 😁

Nary a loop was pulled . . . sigh.  Santa's face is not hooked.  Acorns are just a vision in my head.  Pumpkins do not have a patchwork back.  The RLS pumpkin kit is still MIA.

Primitive Gobbler - bind - label

Jack's Crow - bind - label

Santa - hook - bind - label

Scaredy Cat - pattern to linen - hook - bind - label

Pumpkin for wood box - pattern to linen - hook - bind - label

Acorns - pattern to linen - hook - sew on backing and lightly stuff

Hand torn pumpkins - pattern to linen - hook - patchwork back

Horse mat - applique

5" pumpkin - applique

RLS pumpkin - find kit (!) - applique

 

Friend Belinda has a 5" cast iron skillet.  I don't know if it was really meant to be used for cooking (one egg?) or just decoration.  I have been hooking or appliqueing her seasonal mats.  This very simple fall mat was done this past week.

The binding is finally done on Jack's Crow.  I had a hard time deciding what wool to use (I didn't have enough of the wool left over from the rug to use) but finally found a wool that was close.

I would describe his shirt as a dirty textured oatmeal.

I tried a new to me binding technique for Scaredy Cat.  Terri Leamer had shown an edge finished with Xs.  Friend Melissa took it a step further by wrapping the edge in wool before stitching the Xs.  Next time I think I would do a bit narrower edge, but I have to say I just love the way it turned out, wonky Xs and all.  (I tried taking the picture outside because inside it was washed out . . . well, still not a true picture, but you can see the cat is hooked with gray, black, dark blue and even some very dark red.  The color variations are much more subtle in person).

Only one week left to finish the list!  I don't think it will all be done . . . but it should be close.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Baby Steps ~

I am getting things done, but nothing major.  Lots of little accomplishments, but little is better than nothing, right?

I joined Saundra in hooking a cat's paw mat.  Mine is small, just 13" x 14".

Before returning from Florida in March, older brother Bill stopped in Mobile, AL, to visit our sister.  My grandma's rocker no longer lives in Alabama, but now in Ohio.  Sadly her daughter is very minimalistic and has no desire to hang on to this family piece.  I fear it will mean nothing to my boys, either.  It makes me sad.

I've also finished binding two of the three door prize mats for this October's hook in.  Fingers crossed that we can hold it.  I (along with many others) need a hooking fix :)  These are bound with wool, my binding of choice.

I need to make labels as I have a half dozen things needing one.  Michaels has not had a 40% off coupon for a couple months and I'm hoping they will have one soon now that the stores are open.  The printable fabric they carry that I prefer, not cheap to begin with, has jumped in price.  Better the cash in my pocket than theirs :)

The lilac bush is so fragrant.  Too bad it doesn't flower all summer.

The poppies I have are very invasive, but worth the show.  I love how the buds droop.

The flowers, so very delicate.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Another Binding Technique ~

Jennie was asking how I finished a rug using 4 separate pieces of wool.  I don't know if this is a "proper" binding technique.  I am not good at easing around corners if using one long strip of wool, so this works better for me.  This is how it looks from the front.  The strips were just sewn on in the usual way. 

 

Sometimes I whip stitch the corners before sewing down the binding.  I think it makes is it a bit easier.

 

I then whip stitch two opposite sides.

 

I then sew the other sides.  You can just fold over flat if you wish.

 

Sometimes I create a "fake" miter.

 

 

All done ~ except for the label.  This will be displayed at Sauder Village during rug week, the first time I will have a rug in the show.  Oh, the colors are so much better in person!

 

 

After my California trip, I posted pictures of this plant.  Several of you wondered what it was.  After a Google search and consulting with someone from California, I found it is called an Echium Candidan.  Very cool and most unusual.

 

 

I went to an antique show yesterday.  Nothing special came home with me (frowny face), but this was one of the coolest things I've ever seen at a show.  In 30+ years of antiquing, this was a first.  It is a wooden dog crate.  I absolutely fell in love with it.  Thankfully it was sold when I went back to look because I was so tempted to bring it home with me, but it was WAY MORE than I was willing to pay.  What a conversation piece!

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren