By Guest Blogger Brigitte Webb
I saw this pattern when Christine sent me a picture taken of her shop while attending Rug School in 2008. "A Bit Of Egypt" was hung on the wall behind her cashier table and I fell in love with it and asked to purchase it. Christine told me it would be a one off, that she would not be reproducing this pattern again. She does sell a smaller version of the same design but this was the biggy and a one-of-a-kind.
Hearing the size and then actually seeing it was two different things. When I received the parcel in the post I laughed as I really had no idea how large it would be. Until then I had only hooked about three or four small rugs and all of them combined didn't come close to the size of this Goliath.
I only had a small non gripper rug frame that I had been given as a gift and I just looked at the wonderful pattern thinking I am never going to be able to hook this, but of course I did. It took me a long time to decide what colours I would use but when I finally made up my mind I started sending for them from The Dorr Mill Store as I could see the colours on their site and choose the ones I thought might look good together. If memory serves me correctly the background wool alone took about eight yards in total. It turned out to cost a great deal of money to make this rug, to the tune of £2000 but I was still working at the time so did not feel too guilty. It was an absolute joy for me to make.
I hooked it in 4, 5 and 6 cuts using the Bliss machine, a small cutter that had suction with a short arm for cranking so there were a lot of turns of the handle, not a great favourite of mine. I now have two Bolivars which I love. Anyway I started hooking the center of the design from the middle outwards as the book tell you too and really just tried to place and balance the colours in a way that spoke to me of Egypt. I had to hook it across my knees.
It took me about three months from start to finish, which probably does not sound long considering the size of the project but I was absolutely keen and still am doing something so enjoyable. I guess one would say I'm hooked! One of the first things I loved about rug hooking was that you see results of your efforts immediately. I love this design and the finished rug was definitely the wow factor in the exhibition I held in our town. At present it is safely rolled up and protected from light and moths, waiting to go down on the floor in our home extension some day/year!!
I forgot to say, apart from recycled heather wools, most of the materials used were new "as is" wool straight off the bolts. Someone asked if I would sell the rug and I had to say I could not, I would never recoup the time and money it took to complete and I love it too much to part with it.
Hearing the size and then actually seeing it was two different things. When I received the parcel in the post I laughed as I really had no idea how large it would be. Until then I had only hooked about three or four small rugs and all of them combined didn't come close to the size of this Goliath.
I only had a small non gripper rug frame that I had been given as a gift and I just looked at the wonderful pattern thinking I am never going to be able to hook this, but of course I did. It took me a long time to decide what colours I would use but when I finally made up my mind I started sending for them from The Dorr Mill Store as I could see the colours on their site and choose the ones I thought might look good together. If memory serves me correctly the background wool alone took about eight yards in total. It turned out to cost a great deal of money to make this rug, to the tune of £2000 but I was still working at the time so did not feel too guilty. It was an absolute joy for me to make.
I hooked it in 4, 5 and 6 cuts using the Bliss machine, a small cutter that had suction with a short arm for cranking so there were a lot of turns of the handle, not a great favourite of mine. I now have two Bolivars which I love. Anyway I started hooking the center of the design from the middle outwards as the book tell you too and really just tried to place and balance the colours in a way that spoke to me of Egypt. I had to hook it across my knees.
It took me about three months from start to finish, which probably does not sound long considering the size of the project but I was absolutely keen and still am doing something so enjoyable. I guess one would say I'm hooked! One of the first things I loved about rug hooking was that you see results of your efforts immediately. I love this design and the finished rug was definitely the wow factor in the exhibition I held in our town. At present it is safely rolled up and protected from light and moths, waiting to go down on the floor in our home extension some day/year!!
I forgot to say, apart from recycled heather wools, most of the materials used were new "as is" wool straight off the bolts. Someone asked if I would sell the rug and I had to say I could not, I would never recoup the time and money it took to complete and I love it too much to part with it.
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This is the picture I sent to Brigitte of Rug School 2008 where she spied the floor to ceiling "A Bit Of Egypt" hanging on the wall. It took days to draw, a ton of straight lines and large motifs and the reason why it's a one off. Occasionally I do a monster design just for the heck of it but never do the pattern twice. Of course if someone sweet talked me, I might do another one....maybe.
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