This 'n That ~

Happy Sunday to you.  Another week has flown by and we are almost to the middle of February.  Only 37 days until spring :)

 

I tried snow cleaning a vintage rug the other day.  I do think it is not quite as dingy as it was.  (It looks better in the picture than in person.)  I know some people swear by it.  It's easy to find the how to by doing an internet search.

 

My Maggie Bonanomi rug is finished.  I do love how it came out.  I changed the round flower on the right just a bit.  Put the paisley in the center instead of a circle of it.  Much better, me thinks.  This was started January 12 in a class with Kris Miller at Off the Ocean Rug Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  Now to steam and bind :(  Not my favorite things but I am going to git 'er done :)

 

A few people inquired as to how I make my rug labels shown in my last post.  Click here to see how I do it.

 

I love my Fitbit, but does yours ever cheat you?  Occasionally mine will not register a flight of stairs, but it REALLY ticks me off when it does not register my morning exercise.  Same treadmill, same settings, but every once in a while it does not track it and I just feel so cheated . . . lol.  I am so fortunate to have that as my main complaint today.  I really am blessed and every morning when I am in my hot shower, I am thankful.  By the luck of the draw I was born in the United States ~ this great Land of ours ~ and there is no where else I would rather be.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Finis x 3 ~

 

Three little mats hooked.  Three little mats bound :)  I hooked another version of Red House Wool Studio's Key to my Olde Heart.  You can find the pattern here.

 

Two of the mats even have labels!  I hate when I sew them on crooked (even though I carefully pin them on straight), so after taking this picture, I redid it.  This mat was bound with the wool I used for the background.

 

This mat was whipped with #8 cut worms, the colors used in the background.  It was hard to get a good picture.  I like the look, but find it hard on the hands to do.

 

 

 

New England Gravestone Urn by Old Scotties Primitives was whipped with wool yarn.  Another finish I like and much easier on the hands.

 

I'm very close to finishing my Tulip & Peony rug, pattern by Maggie Bonanomi.  Hopefully I will show that finish in my next post.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

New Family Members ~

 

Antique bear #4 has come to live on King Ave.  He is the MUCH loved guy sitting in the front.

 

 

Don't you just love that face?

 

I also found this paper mache jack o'lantern a couple weeks ago, complete with the paper insert.  He will join the rest of my mache jacks next Halloween season.  He's a bit sinister looking, don't you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I have a few finishes to show you in my next post.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sauder Hook In ~

 

As always, the Sauder hook in was great fun and passed all too quickly.  I neglected to take many pictures, but here are a few works in progress I snapped.  (Does one "snap" pictures with an iPhone?)

 

 

Cindy Gay working on her room sized rug that she has been hooking on for MANY years.  So beautiful.

Partner in hooking crime Melissa working on a challenge rug for our guild.

 

Bobbie hooking such perfect letters.  Pattern by Cammie Bruce.

 

Dawn of Indiana was hooking Primitive Horse and Birds (an antique reproduction) by The Wool'n Gardener.  The pattern is offered in three sizes and Dawn was hooking the largest.  I believe it is 48" x 60".  I have the medium size which I hope to hook soon.

 

Bobbie gifted both me and Melissa a beautiful punch needle piece, punched and finished to perfection.  THANK YOU, Bobbie.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

 

WIPs

I normally work on only one project at a time, and 99% of the time it is a hooking project.  I started New England Gravestone Urn (Old Scotties Primitives) before heading to Off the Ocean Rug Conference and only had background left to hook.  It went to camp with me to work on until I got to meet one on one with Kris Miller and begin color planning my rug.  So that made two projects in process.  I have since completed the gravestone urn . . .

 

 

. . . and made progress on my Maggie Bonanomi rug, Tulip & Peony.

 

 

Then I took an applique class with Rebekah L. Smith and have been working daily on it.  I am almost ready to start the making of the bag.  UGH!  Not my forte :(

 

 

Also wanted to hook a couple Valentine gifts, so I pulled my Red House Wool Studio heart pattern.  One done.  Except for the reds and bits of paisley, I used wool I dyed before I left for rug camp.  I've started another but don't have enough hooked to bother with a picture.

 

 

I am heading to Sauder Village tomorrow to hook for a couple days.  The gravestone urn and one of the heart mats are prepped for binding.  Instead of my normal binding with wool, I am going to whip them, one with #8 cut strips and the other with some chunky wool yarn.  Hopefully I will get those done and lots of hooking on my Maggie B rug, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

The End of the (Camp) Story ~

Finally!  The last of Off the Ocean Rug Conference. 

 

In addition to Kris Miller and Sheila Arbogast, there were three more teachers at camp.

 

Katie Allman ~ an Ohio teacher ~ is always great fun.  You never know what she is up to.  These are a few of the rugs being worked on in her class.

 

Sue (my personal Uber driver . . . grin . . . thank you again Sue) was working on Magdalena's Goat, drawn by Saundra of Woodland Junction.  Sue is a super fast hooker and had even more done by the end of camp even though she did not hook a couple of the afternoons.

 

Diane Stoffel of Massachusetts is a very admired teacher who teaches throughout the country.

 

Melody aka Woolwoman and I have been reading each others' blogs and corresponding for years.  She is how I found out about Off the Ocean.  She started this rug in Diane's class.

Here she is hard at work :)

 

A few more rugs from Diane's class.

 

Last but not least, another Ohio teacher, Sibyl Osicka.  She is an incredible fine cut hooker who has authored a number of books.  This is the rug she brought with her.  She truly paints with wool.

Shirley, my delightful roomie will soon be 80 years young.  About 50 years ago she learned to hook and just a couple years ago started hooking again.

 

Shirley's progress.

 

Can you believe this is what each student was working from in Sibyl's class (tailored to the rug she was working on)?  I was told you work with swatches up to 11 values and this is how placement is determined.  Impressive but not for me.

 

If you've never been to a rug camp and get the opportunity, I strongly suggest you go.  It is a wonderful experience and so inspiring.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren