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A Passion for the Compass Rose 

2/4/2013

4 Comments

 
The compass rose is the catalyst behind my company name and the start of my business.  Encompassing Designs, a clever suggestion by hubby, encompasses all genres of design these days but my humble beginnings were with the Compass Rose.   I looked around and didn't see anyone designing compass patterns so I figured there might be a niche market.  I studied old maps and did research on the internet and found compass roses that were unique, very detailed, magnificent works of art.  I modified these patterns to come up with the line of designs I sell.  Not having to worry about copyright when the designs are from the late 1400's to the 1800's, allowed me to get creative with the patterns and make unique borders to fit.   My hubby is an avid sailor and the love of the sea is reflected in our home and the shop.  All things in and around the ocean are my favourite topics for design.  

Not only does my passion for the compass rose come alive through rug hooking, I also enjoy staining them on the floors in our home and the two buildings that have housed my shop.  The picture on the left is the design from my previous shop and the points of the compass are stylized rug hooks. 

They are so incredibly easy to do.  All you need is a ruler, a protractor and a straight stick for making circles and a compass to find north.    Water based stain is best as it dries quickly and Clean Edge tape prevents bleeding of the stain.  Most of these compass roses took less than two hours to create.  The only difficult part is being on your knees so grab a cushion.    When I first started the business I fully intended to hire myself out to create compasses in client's homes but there was never any time.  I helped a few people get started on their own and don't mind dispensing advice if anyone out there is interested. 

The one on the top right is taken from the pattern Gothic Rose and stained on our kitchen floor and greets visitors as they come in the door.  The one on the bottom is my husband's study before the rest of the floor was stained darker.  Of course these can only be put on the floor with bare wood.  Once sealed with varnish you have to use paint to make the rose, equally beautiful but not has hard wearing as stain.
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The bottom picture is my current shop.  Even though we were in a rush to finish the renovation and move my business in, I took the time to complete this compass rose, my signature of sorts.  There are so many variations of the compass rose, the potential designs would be endless.  The designs have served the shop well over the years, although it takes a certain individual, usually someone nautically inclined to want to hook these seafaring geometric rugs.   Below are a few of the designs we sell at the shop.  Everyone needs to know where north is so they are not only beautiful,  but practical as well.  Square rugs can be displayed  with the Fleur-de-lis always pointing north. 
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Commodore's Cuff
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Mexicali Rose
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Gothic Revival
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Magellan's Way
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Red Sky At Night
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Red Sky At Night
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Sunny Day
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Compass Chair Pad
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This nautical runner sports mermaids at each end.
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Celtic style, very sassy!
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Americana Rose
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Crowning Touch
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Marjorie Eileen, named after my mother.
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This nautical runner has sea monsters on the two ends.
4 Comments
Diane
2/4/2013 06:01:34 pm

What kind of stain did you use on the floor? Love your posts, reading them are part of my morning ritual.
Diane

Reply
Christine link
2/4/2013 09:51:15 pm

I used all Minwax products from Gows Home Hardware but most building centers would carry the brand. I use water based stains as they dry quickly so you can move to the next compass point or mark right away. There are gel stains on the market that are thicker but I've never tried them.

I used one of those sponge brushes, one for each colour. You have to be very careful about drips as the stain is very runny so I had all of the cans in a large plastic container that I kept very close to where I was working. No matter how careful you are the stain runs down the can and the plastic tray keeps the mess off the floor. I must say I was lucky and didn't have an dripping where I didn't want it.

The stain colours I used were, Red Mahogany, Dark Walnut, Special Walnut, Provincial, Ipswich Pine and Cherry. Any parts of the floor that are really light had no stain and when the oil based finish was applied it turned a beautiful colour, like aged pine. Most of the compass roses took less than two hours to stain. The Gothic Revival one on my kitchen floor with the checkerboard took longer as I had to cut the tape to fit around the various motifs. I actually put down the tape over the motif and used an a sharp blade to cut out the pattern. If you are careful you can use the tape twice for another same motif before it looses its stickability and the stain bleeds. If you would like any more information I would gladly write it all down and post it.

Reply
Anna
2/4/2013 10:53:23 pm

I'm curious as to how you use the Clean Edge tape on the round or curved parts of the pattern. Or did you paint these areas carefully by hand?

Your designs are just beautiful. I would love to stain a floor like that, but I fear I would wind up with a mess and would have to stain the whole floor dark to cover it!

Reply
Christine link
2/5/2013 12:59:40 am

First you will have used red dot to put the image of the design on the floor. Use an extra fine tipped sharpie marker. Place the clean edge tape over the image, putting pieces side by side, or with a slight overlap to cover the area you need to make the pattern for. Then you take a sharp X-Acto blade and cut out the image. You will be able to see through the clean edge tape as it is white and the thin line of the extra fine marker will show. Usually compass rose designs are made up of all straight lines, such as the marks and points of the compass. The Gothic Rose design I put on my kitchen floor had a lot of floral type designs that were a bit more tedious but well worth the effort.

I can be a bit of a bull in a china shop at times so if I can use stain without making a mess, anyone can. You just have to be careful. Water based stain when dry can be lightly sanded to remove a spill. I worked over hardwood mostly and the stain doesn't penetrate as much as on soft woods.

Also, if you are doing new construction, the compass rose can be made up ahead of time on the wood flooring and then inserted in the space as the floor is being laid..that way you don't have to worry about ruining the floor.

Reply



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    Max Anderson, Australia, recipient of my Nova Scotia Treasures rug.  An award of excellence for promoting Canada through his writing.  
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