Category:

Say Cheese!

10/10/2014

By Guest Blogger Cheryl van Varseveld

While out for a springtime meander in May of 2013, I spotted flags beckoning on the breeze, announcing the opening of the new Hooked Rug Museum of North America. I had to go in and snoop. Twenty-five years ago a friend and I found a beautiful hooked rug with purple pansies in an antique shop -- she bought it and I've been looking for another one ever since!

On entering, the walls were a riot of colours and subjects, crammed floor to ceiling with amazing examples of hooking. As I tried to take it all in something on the back wall caught my eye. By the time I walked over for a closer look I was "hooked"! The staff told me a little about the museum and I told them I have wanted a purple pansy rug for a long time. What caught my eye had nothing to do with pansies, but there was a bit of purple in it! This rug is a maze of cats in every size, shape, and demeanor imaginable. A few birds are perched cheekily on heads and tails. The colours are chaotic and happy.

My friend could not believe I was drooling over it! You need to understand that I have worked hard for a very long time NOT to become "A Crazy Cat Lady" -- I live with a few of the real things so all my friends and family know I do not accept "cat gifts". As I agonized over if I could buy it and how to justify this major breech in my "No Cat Presents" rule, one lady very kindly mentioned the lay-away plan the museum offers people who fall in love with something after arriving without sufficient funding! That convinced me I could work out the financial angle and I decided I'd figure out how to deal with all the people who know me while I paid for my rug. I emptied my wallet to give them a down payment and promised to return in a few weeks.

The staff knew the rug was hooked in Ontario, but they thought the design was the inspiration of a Nova Scotia woman. I went home to see what the internet could tell me. It turns out rug hooking in Nova Scotia is alive and well. There are a few prominent designers and hookers mentioned often on Google search.

Back at the museum (armed with more money to top up my deposit), the ladies were really excited to show me the book they had found detailing when this treasure was created and who did the work. There were also patterns, a colour photo and notes from the artists who had named some of the cats they hooked. Apparently it's rare for rugs to arrive with information detailing their creation. How lucky am I!

The people who have seen "Say Cheese" hanging in my home have all leaned in for a closer look at the design and they seem just as fascinated with the details in the book as I am. When I went to work in Mexico last year, the rolled up rug came with me and the people there loved the colours. Before leaving for Mexico, further internet study lead me to the rug's original creator -- Christine Little and Encompassing Designs in Mahone Bay. I e-mailed her, she e-mailed back and I promised to bring the rug down to her shop and show her. Last weekend I finally got there. It was wonderful to meet her and her husband and see some of her beautiful work on display. I'll never be a rug designer or a hooker, but I do love colour and I've done enough other handcrafts to recognize quality work when I see it. Her store is brimming with quality, unique designs and beautiful colours. I will be stopping in whenever I'm in the area to see what new treasures she is creating.

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Personalizing a design.....

4/3/2013

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Over the years I’ve been asked to adapt and personalize already existing designs with university logos, family crests and all manner of emblems that mean something to the recipient. Here are two examples of adapted designs that blend a bit of tradition with a personal touch.

Jean Wentzell hooked both of these pieces for relatives. Both have to do with education/graduation. The backgrounds are the traditional part that appear to lie beneath and frame the symbol.   This particular pattern is called Backroads. Almost any pattern can be changed to accommodate an emblem or an advertisement. This rug sports the Pharmacy Caduceus symbol, RX symbol for prescriptions, and a mortar and pestle.

The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed with the pestle. Sometimes referred to as an "Apothecary Grinder" by individuals unfamiliar with its use, the proper historical name is "mortar and pestle". The mortar and pestle is usually utilized when cooking and when crushing ingredients for a certain drug in pharmacy.

The background of this particular piece is a very traditional geometric series of repeating shapes. I called the design Backroads because it reminded me of unpaved country roads, twisty and winding. I felt the symbols and background suited one another for the perfect marriage for what Jean had in mind. The colours differ but blend the two themes together and clearly tell two separate stories.   It appears that Angela, graduated in 2007 is lucky on two counts; a bright future ahead and the gift of this very special rug that will accompany her on the journey.

Katie Morrison graduated from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2009. The gift of this rug is such a great way to commemorate all her hard work and I'll bet it caught attention well before the framed degree on the wall.

This pattern is one of my designs called Tip Toe Thru the Tulips, a play on words inspired of course by the choice of flower and Tiny Tim, a singer from the 50's until his death in 1996, who delightfully entertained us with a high falsetto and a soprano ukulele.

This design was a great choice for an adaptation. With permission of the University, we applied the crest in a central position and then added the wording just inside the border. The center circle was a perfect nest for the Dalhousie crest, leaving the intricate floral border intact. The background is interesting with abrashed grey and charcoal squiggles and then black for the border. This rug is striking. Another great marriage of a rich blend of colour coupled with a very balanced design, makes me believe that if perfection did exist, this rug would be a candidate.

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Pillow talk....

3/9/2013

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Nerissa 16" x 16"

Zale 16" x 16"

Cordelia 16" x 16"

To view patterns click the link - http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/sue-cunningham.html

So here are three seafaring pillows hooked by Sue Cunningham. Done in beautiful marine colours these rug toppers are the perfect compliment to a nautical themed décor for home or yacht! Rich navy backgrounds hint of deep sea and pop the mythical characters into full focus. Curly mermaid manes flow in the ocean’s current and the whimsical circles add to the feel of movement.

A pillow is a fun item to hook. You can do so much with a pillow sized rug. Make a chair seat, hang it on the wall, rest it on a trunk, coffee table or use it as a chair cushion for your home. It's rewarding to treat yourself with a smaller project after completing a larger rug, and if you are into selling your hooked items, small trumps large any day. A tourist with limited room in their suitcase will happily pay for a smaller piece, not just for the cost but also its packability. A set of coasters, a trivet, chair pad or pillow will fit nicely among folded clothing without creating a lot of extra weight.

The airlines haven’t done much to help the retailer in this country. Placing strict weight limitations on luggage can prevent supporting local businesses. I hear it all the time…"I'm packed to capacity, I really want this but I can’t go over the 50 kg limit!"

So unfortunately, tourism dollars aren’t what they used to be.   A word of advice, if you want to go into the retail business find smaller, lighter items to sell, something that fits in the pocket, purse or carry on.   Larger items are often bypassed for the smaller keepsake. Only a few of your customers will opt to have the item shipped home, 95% of them will just walk away. Years ago, you sold more items during the tourist season than all year long, helping you to get over the slump of the leaner months. It’s not like that anymore. Between recessions and paying for extra baggage, the traveler is less about consuming and more about window shopping.

So back to the pillows. Who doesn’t love a good pillow. Beautiful to look at and comfort for the head. They hook quickly, in two or three days to a week so there’s instant gratification for your toil. And as for gift giving, it’s much easier to give a project away when it worked up quickly.

Finishing the pillow can be as easy as hooking it. Apparently the idea first came from Linda Ruth and Pam Haughn shared it with our group. This clever idea sure changed the groan factor to WOW when sewing a back on a pillow.   There aren’t any buttons to fuss with or button holes to create, because they’re already there! It’s ‘sew’ easy and another way to recycle those fabulous Pendleton shirts.

Easy Steps to the Perfect Pillow Back

Step 1 – When hooking the border on your pillow, Sue suggests hooking one extra row of loops all around the outside...use a #6 or larger cut. This is the row you will sew the backing to.

Step 2 - Find a complimentary coloured Pendleton shirt (maybe even use a bit of it in the front of the pillow for a custom appearance or you can dye the shirt to match the existing wools), button it up and cut out the square you need for the size pillow you have. If the shirt has a pocket on it you can leave it on or carefully remove it with a seam ripper. If you are making a 16" x 16" pillow you would cut 17”x 17” square out of the shirt to back it.

Step 3 – Assuming you have already steamed and ziz-zagged 3/4”- 1” out all around your hooked pillow top cut it out, place the right size of the hooking with the right side of the placket and pin together.   Usually the buttons will run horizontally across the middle of the pillow so make sure it’s in the right position.

Step 4 - Now work from the hooked side and run the pillow through the sewing machine staying in the center of that last row of loops.  The two pieces will be thicker than what you normally sew through so make sure the tension is set properly so there isn’t any bunching and pulling on the shirt placket underneath as it goes through the machine. Hooking directly on the loop will prevent gaps when you turn the pillow inside out and no backing will show on the edge.

Step 5 – After you have sewn around the entire pillow cut each corner off, leaving at least 1/2" so you don’t have a lot of bulk when you turn the pillow right side out.   Unbutton the placket, turn the pillow right side out, steam press and bulkiness out, insert your pillow form and voila you have the easiest pillow imaginable. No sewing the usual gap shut that you forced the pillow form into. No sewing on buttons or making those dreaded button holes. You have a pillow that opens easily and it is very attractive to view. Your pillow will look professionally put together if you are selling in a boutique or impressing a loved one.

Tip – If backing shows anywhere around the edge use a coloured marker and rub it along the exposed burlap or linen. Markers come in all sorts of colours so you can match pretty much any shade. Especially if the border was hooked in dark colours a bit of burlap or linen peeking through can be off putting.

Also, don’t turn your nose up at a linen or cotton placket; this is a way to recycle any shirt front. Just because the rug is hooked in wool doesn’t mean it has to be wool everywhere. As long as the colour is a match, any material can be used.

Beautifully tailored back!

It's so easy to get to the pillow form!

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Linda Ruth's 'Beck' Completed!

2/14/2013

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......'Beck' floating contentedly on a sun soaked sea.
A perfect fit with the black and white tiles and golden
walls of my studio.......hmm....

Linda Ruth (left) and Lorraine Burch (right) holding 'Beck'

At our last hook-in, Linda Ruth presented us with a completed ‘Beck’, a work-in-progress previously featured in a January blog.   She has a keen eye for detail and executes nothing short of perfection in her rug hooking. This design was borrowed with permission, from a painting on a greeting card and its essence was captured in wool with a stunning likeness.

Linda Ruth is definitely the border queen, proving once again that more is more! Multiple borders serve to showcase the star of this rug, funneling the eye into the center where 'Beck' floats on a golden sea. Yellow, a non-traditional, yet highly artistic way to present water, makes you believe the sun is high in the sky.

This was Linda Ruth’s first attempt at hooked rope. Done very simply with three values, the shading is quite realistic. Linda maximized its effectiveness by duplicating the yellow hues of the water with the rope for a custom fit.  This nautical influence serves to enhance the overall feel of the ocean and its magnificent indigenous bird.   Seagulls are resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent and 'Beck' is so lifelike, one can almost expect to hear its harsh wailing and unique squawking call.

The charcoal grey behind the rope gives you a sense of weather worn boards, sun baked to a silver grey.   If you look closely, you will see the different plaids used in the outer periphery to create even more levels of interest, making this triple border the ultimate frame for ‘Beck’.  All in all, this piece is worthy of a gallery.

'Beck' floating contentedly on a sun soaked sea.

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A Passion for the Compass Rose

2/4/2013

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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.

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.

Commodore's Cuff

Mexicali Rose

Gothic Revival

Magellan's Way

Red Sky At Night

Sunny Day

Compass Chair Pad

This nautical runner sports mermaids at each end.

Celtic style, very sassy!

Americana Rose

Crowning Touch

Marjorie Eileen, named after my mother.

This nautical runner has sea monsters on the two ends.

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When rug hooking friends pass away.....

2/3/2013

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Left to right: Mary, me and Heather with Stepping Stones

Warning: Keep you rug hooking organized because someday your friends will offer to finish your last project as a gift to your beloved family. Sad but true, none of us are going to make it out of this world alive and we can’t take our hooking with us!

The hooking flock is close and someone in our group or groups will volunteer to finish our last, uncompleted project, maybe several friends will share the lovely deed, pass it around so they all put their sentimental mark on the piece. A fitting farewell and something to keep us occupied while we grieve for the loss of our dear friend. We all feel helpless after the death of a loved one and this is the way we can contribute, feel like we are doing something to manage the helplessness while the work guarantees carrying on our friend’s legacy.

I’ve done it twice. First for my dear friend Susan Leslie. I lucked out on that project because there was only about one half hour worth of hooking and then the whipping. It was a commission and the woman was greatly appreciative of having Susan’s last hooked rug completed. Susan worked on one project at a time so there wasn’t a mountain of unfinished rugs to sort through. And then she left a rug hooker’s will for us to converge on her house where we shared her stash, all walking away with a bag full of her precious wool. A fitting farewell to a rug hooking friend.

On the other hand, when Jean Morse passed away she had a monster rug in progress and had only completed less than a quarter of it. Her rug hooking group offered to finish her work but admitted they were currently working on another diseased friend’s rug so wouldn’t get at it for about six months to a year, so I happily intervened, considering I had colour planned and dyed the wool for her in the first place and it was one of my patterns. There wasn’t enough material to complete the rug and I knew how to colour match the choices so I felt that I was the best hooker for the job. I was told at the memorial service that the rug would go to one of her sons, was given a phone number to call when I completed it and I said a tearful thank-you for the honour of the task.

I actually loved Jean. She was the gentlest person I’d ever met, with never a harsh word for anyone. She loved life and I think she had a fondness for me that made me feel special in her presence. During the last years of her life she relied on me for the many custom designed patterns she hooked for her family and we colour planned and I dyed any wools that were needed to complete each project. She had an enthusiasm that was unprecedented. She would hook a day or so and then drop by the shop to show me her progress, bursting to share the excitement of the evolving rug. It was always a pleasure to see her walk through the shop door, knowing my day was about to be uplifted with her visit.

So when Jean passed away it was a terrible loss for me personally and I wanted to do something to honour her. It was something I just had to do, as if finishing this rug would keep her spirit close to me because I wasn’t ready to let her go. Her group had offered to do the rug but were happy to let me take over as it was a sizable piece that would take upwards of a year to complete. When people offer to finish a rug it means months of your life, putting their own projects on the backburner. It is a great honour for someone to do this and it should be appreciated for the sacrifice.  Anyone who knows anything about rug hooking will understand how dedicating a year of your life to a rug that isn’t your style or maybe colour choice is a huge undertaking. We all know hooking a design that we aren’t excited about is a tough pill to swallow, most who start projects that we aren’t emotionally invested in tend to roll them up and store them in the closet unfinished.  Maybe you have to be a rug hooker to appreciate this kind of offer, know the time and effort it takes. Jean hooked rugs for years so her family should have known what it meant, the time it would take, the materials and cost to finish. Surely a thank-you could have been easily offered but in this case, not.

Two of my hooking friends, Mary and Heather offered to help so the three of us contributed to the hooking and finishing of this sizable piece. I did the bulk of the hooking and it took me several months to chew through to the finish and then Heather whipped it. The pattern was a design from an antique rug I purchased at an auction. Jean loved it so I drew up the design and dyed some wool to get her started. It was a sweet pattern that looked like garden stepping stones (thence the name Stepping Stones) with brick geometric intervals to separate them.

I can truthfully say that hooking the rug brought me pleasure. I was doing a good deed even though it was getting tiring toward the end. All those bricks! Treasuring Jean’s friendship fueled me on, even when the enthusiasm waned, but I always felt good about the process, that I was helping to make sure this gift of Jean’s would go to her son. As I hooked it I remembered all the time we spent together. She liked to laugh and I’m a bit of a clown so we shared some fun times
that brought a smile to my lips, but also I shed tears knowing she was gone. I can truthfully say my heart was in the right place.

What left a strange taste in my mouth was her son. It wasn’t that I needed a slap on the back for my effort, a simple thank-you would have sufficed but when he and his wife drove to the shop to pick up the finished rug he couldn’t even be bothered to get out of the car, sending his wife in for a quick pick up. Later we received a card, once again from the wife, saying thank-you but it wasn’t the same as chatting with or hearing from a part of Jean. No matter what might have been going on in his life, he could have taken one minute to show his face and say thank-you. I just know that Jean would have been a bit embarrassed at the lack of thoughtlessness from her son, that wasn’t who she was at all. I was a bit shocked for a moment, but I shook my head and felt proud in the fact of what we had done, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I will admit it took the shine off of offering to do it again.   I’m gonna have to love the bones of ya to offer to finish your rug!

This wasn’t the first time I heard of this happening. A friend, one of my Main Street Hooker rug pals, finished a rug for a dear friend (let’s call her Betty because I don’t have permission to use real names) who had passed and was later told by the husband, “You’re no Betty” meaning she hadn't hooked to the standard of his wife. The woman was crushed. Finishing that piece wasn’t done for any accolade, it was an offer given from her heart and considering the rug was all done in a painfull #3, fine shaded with finite detail she had gone well out of her way to do a wonderful deed. Offerings of the heart really need no praise, but to be told the work didn’t quite meet the standard of his dead wife’s work, the comment was ungratefully mean.

So my point is, make sure you are offering to finish someone’s work altruistically because you may walk away from the experience dismayed or disappointed. Hopefully these two cases are rare, but knowing that a selfish, thoughtless and dark side of humanity exists, maybe there are other stories out there. If it should ever happen to you, find solace in the fact that not all the world is warm and fuzzy, you did the right thing for the right reason and move on, being the wiser for the experience.

I would like to take this time to say to the one who steps up to finish my last project, be assured you are a true friend and will be forever in my heart, so big sloppy kisses and hugs for your time and effort. I just hope I’m not working on that room size rug I dream about starting!

Jean...still missed and never forgotten.

Jean Morse 1923 - 2007

Jean's organizational ability was demonstrated as president of the Nova Scotia Rug Hooking Guild (honorary lifetime member). Her rugs achieved public acclaims and are private family treasures as they depict the life stories of her family and love of the natural world. She is remembered for her empathy, fierce devotion, spunk and determination. She never let an obstacle get in her way and as she said, always "got on with it." She was a firm friend who held many dear to her heart especially her rug hooking friends and her neighbours.

An exerpt taken from her obituary.

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Heart of the Mat-ter

1/24/2013

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Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I dug out my old faithful “Heart of the Mat-ter” to adorn the shop window once again. This rug is custom designed for romance. With all of its delicate hearts, this monochromatic jewel couldn’t be a better fit for the day. Although the hearts are indisputably the focal point of the rug, I believe the border sets it off. This simple lace design, with just a few dots of border peeking through gives you the feel of cotton eyelet.   The lace was created with a very light application of Red Violet dye, about 1/128 over one yard of Natural, tinting it to a pale pink to blend with the interior of the rug. The border was the only wool I didn’t over-dye. A deep burgundy plaid, Pendleton housecoat was already a perfect match for the dyed wools and provided a frame to pop the rug's interior.

I had a lot of fun dyeing, colour planning and hooking this piece. I over-dyed about 12 different Pendleton shirts and skirts with Majic Carpet’s, Red Violet. Some of the plaids were darker so the result was a deliciously intense, deep pinkish purples and reds.   Some were softer so they took on varying hues of dainty pinks and mauves. Depending on the base colour of the wool, each piece came out with its own personality, providing a large selection of light to dark stash to give the rug the contrast it would need to pull off monochromatic hooking.

I basically threw each piece of wool into a pot and added dye with abandon. I didn’t keep records or think much about the outcome, just measured out different amounts of dye and dumped it in the dye bath.  For one application, a lighter wool got ¼ tsp and then maybe 1/64 for another. Sometimes I dumped in almost a full tsp for a deep colour on top of a darker based wool. Every pot and wool got a different shot of dye and each rewarded me with a perfect colour. Some of the wools were predicable while some were wildly exciting.   Pink was never a big favorite, but after this experiment I held it in higher regard.   After the wool was spun and dried, I threw all the colours on the floor, sat in the middle and paired up the ones that most complimented each other but had enough contrast to stand out, separated them into piles and grabbed my cutter.

The trick with a monochromatic colour plan is to make sure that when two or more colours touch, they need to stand out from one another but still blend.   If they are too close in tone they become muddied into a blob. I think I effectively achieved the goal and found the exercise a great learning experience. This rug held my enthusiasm from start to finish, maybe the little girl in me remembered a secret crush on a cute boy and the wish to be his Valentine. I used to love cutting out paper Valentines back in the days of elementary school and I remember decorating my brown paper bag that we all lined up along the wall and waited to see how many I would receive.

The cuts were all #5 for the lace and hearts, except for the background and border in #6. The housecoat I used for the border was a bit on the thin side, so I cut it in wider strips to fill in better. Borders being what they are, straight lines of one colour , I say "go wider or go home".   Why put a lot of work into a dark border? You hardly see the cut width with darker colours anyway so pick it up a notch, finish it quickly and get on to the next project that’s probably already percolating in your mind.

The background is Dorr Oatmeal with a very light dusting of Red Violet. The oatmeal wool is light beige in colour so it came out a bit warmer than some of the cooler pinks but it worked. The oatmeal had a light texture that doesn’t show so much in the pictures but is very effective in
the actual rug.  The only non pink is the few hits of two tone Shamrock Green for the leaves.

The dyed wools showing in the picture below are not the same pieces used for the rug. Today Shane over-dyed yardage for me to add to the rug display in the window. I selected various new plaids, a herringbone and solids to duplicate what I initially dyed for the rug.   The colours are yummy! Maybe these colours don’t fit in with the red, blues and yellows of my home, but I have a new appreciation for them.

Customers are always asking what plaids look like when hooked and this rug is definitely a great teaching tool. Considering the shop sells wool, we need to strut a bit of our stuff in the window so I’ll figure out a way to drape the various pinks around the rug for a dramatic sea of colour. Until February 14th comes and goes, we will remind people how these beautiful colours are synonymous with romance and love!

These are the wools we over-dyed with Red Violet. The back row is the wool before the dye bath and the bottom row is the result. The natural was over-dyed twice with different amounts of dye for a light and medium solid.

I always knew this rug would be lovely hooked in a blend of colours and Pat Pringle proved me right. Great job!

Believe it or not, this is the original pink version changed into a yellow palette by using the computer. A hue and saturation function that will change the colours with a click of a button. You would never guess that it wasn't colour planned and hooked this way.

When my friend Susan Leslie passed away I was frantic with grief. I needed to do something for her and for lack of a better idea I became obsessed with hooking this small token to have at her memorial service. I don't know what possessed me, I just knew I had to do it. I used leftovers from the Heart of the Mat-ter piece above. After the service, Susan's mother asked if she could have it and I was so happy to say "yes". Thinking back it now seems kind of weird that I worked so feverishly over this tiny piece but somehow it made me feel better, held me together, kept me focused so I wouldn't run into the street screaming.

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Rose Of Thorns Compass Rose

1/23/2013

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Someone asked on Facebook to see a finished version of 'Rose Of Thorns' featured in yesterday's posting. The work in progress green version is the one I am working on since 2001. I had intentions of sending it to Martha Stewart so I dyed colours she gravitates towards and hoped it might spark an article in her magazine about the compass rose patterns and rugs t I design. Lofty ideas when you are new in business, trying to make a name for yourself. Being mentioned by Martha, Oprah or land a spot on CBC TV or radio ensures a bit of traffic to your website. I don't know why I lost steam. Maybe it was because I'm not a big fan of green or maybe the shop responsibilities got in the way. Who knows but it's been stored in a safe place for over a decade. Shame on me. Maybe seeing it again will be the incentive to finish it.

The second version of this beautiful pattern was hooked by Vera Sollows. Earthy colours seem to suit this designs and she did a very nice job in her selections. I saw the rug in the flesh and it was spectacular. Unfortunately, back then, my camera skills weren't to be desired so it's cropped badly and too small to blow up for any detail so it appears blurry. Maybe there's a bit of camera shake in there as well. Vera used our spot dyes for the Celtic design. All in all it was fabulous. I liked it more than the version I was working on. The chocolate background makes the Celtic Knot pop whereas in my version there is less contrast. I really love the delicate Fleur-de-lis.

I took the rounded Celtic Knot's on the outer edge and used them in the border to tie the design together. It looks like Egg & Dart moldings.

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A Frenchys' Find

1/6/2013

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You never know what you'll discover at Guys Frenchys. Over the years, I’ve heard tales of exquisite finds; of a diamond tennis bracelet, a ruby pendant and diamond rings found in the pockets of jackets or linings of purses. Sterling pill boxes and real ivory pieces, thrown in with plastic household items and discarded apparel, waiting for someone to discover them and
breathe life back into their existence. For those of you unfamiliar with Frenchys, it’s a chain of second hand clothing outlets where you can buy, new to you, brand name clothing for mere pocket change and more importantly, a place for Nova Scotian rug hookers to buy recycled wool garments.

I can’t recall a name, but a rug hooker discovered this unfinished mat in a bin and brought it to a NS Rug School to put in the silent auction; an annual fundraiser put on by the guild to raise money for charity. I was drawn to it immediately and muscled in to take the prize at any cost. I might add, there was some pretty serious competitive bidding as we all saw the beauty and merit in this piece. I don’t know what the others intended to do with it, but I was entertaining serious thoughts of finishing it.

The two things that appealed to me were the Emperor’s incredible right hand and his pantaloons.
Eerily clawish, the hand models realistic fingers and long nails that drip down into dagger like points and the pants, of numerous colours, were done in values, at least six for each colour used needing a huge stash of dyed wool to draw from. When looking at the finite details of this piece you get the feeling you are witnessing true hooking mastery.

The person who designed and hooked this rug was an artist in every sense of the word. Not only were the subjects stunning but the pattern was drawn directly on the backing, a feat few would attempt unless you held the confidence of a steady hand and the ability to transfer an idea of the mind to paper with minimal effort. There were very few corrected lines which impacted on me greatly because I know how difficult interpreting a thought to paper can be without wearing down an eraser!

The Emperor’s face is amazing. Hooked with high contrasting detail it appears hard, old, weather beaten and a little bit scary, exactly as a fearless, brutal, warrior's face would.  Unfortunately the Geisha’s face was never done but you can imagine the pale white skin, a mask like backdrop to
bright, red ruby lips.

The shading of their costumes was also well done, not using as many values, but enough to make the folds of cloth appear draped and flowing. This artist/rug hooker knew how to manipulate colour to maximize a realistic approach.

There are unhooked Chinese stylistic bats around the Emperor’s head (one has a completed face) and swirls of smoke indicative of Chinese dragon designs. The lotus flowers and butterflies are cleverly shaded, sometimes very simply but done in such a manner that creates maximum effect. This person knew what they were doing when applying colour to captivate interest from an audience.

There are so many details, I wish you could see them all but the pictures are blurry when enlarged and the drawn lines are faded. These pictures were taken when I first bought the rug, before I packed it away for a later time. But if anyone is interested I could take it out for measurements and close-ups. I often pondered why it ended up in a bin and sold for a pittance when it was destined to become a showpiece. The obvious conclusion, someone must have died and their family didn’t realize the treasure they uncovered.

Unfortunately, the rug reeked of moth balls, indicating it was probably stored in a trunk for some time. You can imagine it rolled up, waiting patiently to be taken out, unfurled and finished; but alas, life’s circumstance intervened, cheating it from being fulfilled as the great piece of hooked art it was meant to be and then discarded like yesterday's trash.  I aired it out in the back storage room for weeks until I could tolerate it in the shop and then packed it away for another time. Back in the day I was young and foolish and filled with romantic notions of finishing it, but now with so many relevant pieces to hook I don’t have the time or inclination to do anything with it. Besides, the burlap had sprouted a few holes along the way and looked sun baked and brittle, not a project to waste time on unless you want your heart broken. I once pondered separating it into into sections, (the designer actually sewed the panels together as if adding each of the two figures was an afterthought) finish the Geisha’s face and then frame the two figures but I hated to destroy the creator’s vision, ruin the story they were trying to tell. If anyone has an idea or suggestion of what I might do, let me know!   If anyone would like to hook this design I could even make it into a pattern.

Or even better, maybe someone out there knows the history of this piece. To land in a Frenchys' bin it had to arrive from the United States as the clothing bales come from south of the border, but initially, it could have originated from further afield. The mystery is very intriguing and it’s fun to surmise the journey that transported this spectacular rug to little ole Mahone Bay.

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No Spring Chicken

1/3/2013

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Here is another delightful hooked version of "No Spring Chicken". I believe it was all done in yarn. The chickens are consistent in their colour but the skies reflect the seasons. What a delightful rug! Thanks for sharing Sandra Sampson!

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Heather Gordon

12/31/2012

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Although the plan was to stay inside by the fire and hook on Sunday, I remembered it was Heather Gordon's annual open house, mentioned it to hubby and he said "Well, let's go!" Typically I would have groaned and opted to stay inside on such a miserable day but hubby shoveled out the car while I shed my jammies and we hit the road.

Heather has a beautiful house that inspires comfort. The original cape style was built in 1760 and then additions were put on either end, making for quite a large dwelling.  Heather is no stranger to renovating, making this her third project and by far the most extensive overhaul. She'd previously completed two full renovations in Mahone Bay; stepping stones to this current home outside of Lunenburg that spoke to her when she began searching for a new project. Actually, it was probably screaming at her…help, help! I saw the place before her carpenters started work and being very familiar with renovating myself, I could see the potential as she talked me through her vision, but really, most would have run crying from that broken-down state of affairs. You would never know today that this beautiful home had been so sadly neglected and in desperate need of repair.

Heather's is certainly brave to take on such extensive renovations, because I’m not talking about taking out a few carpets and changing out the cupboards. She had them gutted to the bone and then built back up so you would never guess they weren't always captivating. Her current home is very cozy with its inviting fireplace, in-floor heating and room after room of architectural character and personal touches.

Heather’s home is the perfect backdrop for her fiber art. She has an enviable, spacious studio on the second floor with  a large dye sink and cupboards lining the walls that hold an eye popping
stash of wool all colour coordinated and ready to be called to service.  She loves to work in her sunny studio and look out over the panoramic vista of the Lunenburg harbour entrance.

Heather began rug hooking in 1976 when she took a class with Ontario’s Jeanne Field, of whom she refers to as a “wonderful, wonderful rug hooking teacher”. Unfortunately, life got in the way so she packed it all up for another time and in 2002, she retired to Mahone Bay and settled into small town life. She didn’t know anyone in the area and rediscovering her love of rug hooking opened doors and developed friendships, providing a very rich social life and creative outlet.

Heather is currently the Director of the South Shore Region of the Nova Scotia Rug Guild, and is an accredited rug hooking teacher of the Newfoundland & Labrador Guild. She hooks with several local groups and is a regular at our Main Street Hooker’s Wednesday evening hook-ins.
Heather likes mixed media, working with all kinds of fibers and textures. She has a very keen eye
for colour, a natural talent that has served her well as a Colour Consultant and Paint Effects Specialist. Whether Heather is tackling a renovation or creating a new rug, she puts her entire soul into the process and the result truly speaks for itself.

Below are but a few examples of Heather's diverse body of work.

Jelly Bean Houses, from the St. John’s area was designed by Lillian Dwyer of Fogo Island off the North coast of Newfoundland. The houses are done with a #3 cut. Fancy stitches such as the Basket Weave, Chain Stitch and High-Low were used for the hills. The bushes in front of the houses are pixilated and the clouds are done in natural roving. The border was hooked in a herringbone to self-frame the rug and then it was stretched over an artist canvas. The rocks below the rug came from Newfoundland and were hand painted by a friend.

Heather standing beside, Ripples of Imagination, a multi-medium piece during our 'Art Under Foot' gallery showing in the spring. Behind her to the left are a few of her other pieces. An Oriental, a crewel and two whimsical pieces, also shown to the right and bottom in more detail. "Ripples of Imagination" came about as the result of a September 2011 special showing at Howe's Gallery, Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island to honour Doris Eaton and her contribution to rug hooking. Each of the 15 contributing artists created an original piece to demonstrate the influence that Doris has had on our hooking. By constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries, Doris has shown me that anything goes if it creates the effect you desire. She has freed me to use my imagination and let the images flow through my fingers. Ripples of Imagination represents the inseparable elements of design - colour, texture and imagination.

"The Crows Fly To The Island At Night"

"Heather" When I had a chance to take a Jacobean Crewel workshop, I asked Christine to design a floor mat for me. The special dyed swatches that I had been saving for an Oriental project were perfect for this design so I raided my stash and set them against a dramatic back background.

“Newfoundland Selkie” (mermaid) was designed by Liz Young (Aunt Liz) from Sheaves Cove, Newfoundland. Celtic legend Selkie takes on the form of a beautiful woman that drags men into deep, dark waters and then turns into a seal. This appealed to Heather because of her Celtic background and she enjoyed combining Celtic legend with a Newfoundland connection. This piece is made up of mixed fibers consisting of velour, hand-spun yarn, hand-dyed and recycled wools. The finished piece was then mounted and framed.

So much fun! Proddy really brings this piece to life! A shimmering sun and a cat on the wrong side of the window are framed in a bouquet of proddy flowers. Called Nifty's Garden, Nifty was a real cat. She lived in a house with a spectacular garden but was never allowed to venture outside. I always thought that Nifty day-dreamed and imagined herself in the midst of the beautiful blooms with her bluebird companions sitting beside her on the window sill.

"An Old Salt's Dream". Designed by Susan Leslie. Susan was a great inspiration. I admired her talent, her spirit and her courage. Her designs always make me smile and I always planned to hook this pattern some day. After she passed away and I was moving from Mahone Bay to Lunenburg, the time was right. This rug is a tribute to Susan and incorporates some of her stash in the dark blues of the water in the harbour. (Susan had a rug hooker's will where she left instructions for all her wool to be divided and given to the gals in her hooking groups.

"Mini Sultanana" design by Christine Little. I have always wanted to hook a full size Oriental Mat. There were a few abandoned attempts over the years and then, last January, on a bright sunny, winter day, I got on a dyeing binge and came up with the perfect sapphire blue background. My colour palette was complete. Since rugs from the Sultanabad area are considered rather coarsely woven by Persian standards, I used #4 cut for the fields, with #3 cut for the detail in the motifs.

Heather's business card back

Business card font

3 Comments

No Spring Chicken?

12/19/2012

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Well, it’s official, I’m no spring chicken!  I have the rug to prove it!

I designed this sweet little pattern over a year ago and Bonnie decided to hook it. As you can see she used a delightful coloured palette. Winter has ivory roving snowflakes falling from the sky and the chicken is sporting a scarf and ear muffs. Summer chicken is cool in his shades with a fluttering butterfly, and autumn chicken has pumpkins and falling leaves. Spring, of course, is missing the chicken to complete the fun play on words. The skies are various blue abrashes and the border is done with Blue Rocks spot dye. She surprised me with the finished rug for my birthday on Tuesday.

Last week, there was some whispering around the shop over a skein of Blue Rocks spot dyed yarn that she wanted Shane to dye, but I never clued in that it was for anything other than a customer order. Usually I can smell a secret, they always leave a suspicious pong, but this time I was totally thrown. My secret sensor must be off and I wonder what else I’m missing considering it’s the season of gifts and surprises. Guess I’d better do a sweep of the house as there might be something tucked in a crevice that I need to know about. I’m a peeker from way back, pretty much knew what I was getting for Christmas every year and I’m not much better now. Here is why.

I was gullible and believed in Santa well beyond most of the other kids in grade four… sigh, maybe it was even grade five.   Just two days before I realized the truth, I remember hollering at a classmate who was teasing me about being stupid because I still believed. “There is to a Santa, my parents told me and they don’t lie!” Well, that bubble burst after a trip up the ladder and a look around the attic. The attic access was in my bedroom closet and that was the first time I’d ever seen the ladder in place or the hatch open, an oversight on my mother’s part and too tempting to ignore.

As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I made out a farmhouse that was the exact model wanted in my brother’s letter to Santa. Then I spied the domed hairdryer that Bonnie wanted. Coincidence? I thought not! As I descended the ladder, I was torn between being smug in the discovery and angry at my parents.  Quickly, annoyance turned to curiosity. I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out there must be a present for me somewhere else in the house. It was obvious my siblings were covered, so where was mine? It became my mission to find it.

I frisked the house in every nook and cranny but found nothing. But now that my eyes were open and all observing, three days later a large box arrived from Sears Roebuck. I awaited my chance to see inside. Sure enough, there it was. Under several pairs of flannel pajamas, socks and undershirts, there lay the telltale red box containing the object of this year's desire. Spirograph!
I felt vindicated and every year after that I peeked until I found what would be mine and never felt an ounce of guilt. Move over Shirley Temple, you would have knocked you off your child star throne if a director heard my Oscar winning performances on Christmas morning.

I don’t like lies; I didn’t then or now. I don’t tell them and don’t appreciate them being perpetrated on my person. I’ve always sought the truth in all things I do. As a child I felt I had the right to peek if they were going to deceive me, make a fool of me with such a fairytale. An overweight, white bearded man flying all over the world in one night with only one bundle of toys to satisfy the masses.   We never even had a fireplace, let alone a chimney, so how the heck did he even get in! Really?! Hadn’t I just embarrassed myself in front of my peers as I defended the existence of Santa Claus? How humiliating! They all laughed at me and it hurt. So I believed somehow in my childish brain that I needed to know these things and made a point to never be in the dark again.  So right or wrong, I worked on a need to know basis and once a peeker, always a peeker. If there's a hint of a surprise coming, I’ll rip the house apart looking for it, while pretending to do the spring cleaning early.

Don’t bother wrapping it either as I have an Xacto blade that can make a slice so fine you’d never know the pretty paper was taken apart and put back together. The only person I’ve not been able to outsmart is hubby. He can hide things and keep it secret like no other. He’s onto me and clever, and foils me every time.  But truthfully, I don't need to peek as much as I used to. We don't exchange much now, and when you're older everyday seems to be Christmas so what's the point and if there's a present wrapped under the tree I usually know what's in it because I told him what to buy or I got it myself to save him the trouble.

So the trickster got tricked. I never saw the rug coming. Bonnie said she kept trying to get into the shop this past weekend to get the dried yarn for whipping that hung in the kitchen but every time she drove by the shop the lights were on so she figured I was working after hours. She came by the shop twice on Sunday and the lights were on again but it wasn’t me. It was hubby, moving
out his tools to bring home to the new garage. She finally got in later in the evening and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning whipping it.

Anyway it was very a delightful surprise and the rug hangs in the shop for all to see.
No Spring Chicken? At 54 that’s me, a tough old boiler. Cluck cluck!

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Blog #15 - Pumpkin Grinners

10/21/2012

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Halloween is rapidly approaching. Carved pumpkins with toothless smiles will invite children to knock on doors for candy treats.   In my time it was common for people to hand out homemade snacks like caramel popcorn, peanut brittle and the most delicious candy apples with a hard red coating you could lick or bite to gain access to the juicy apple underneath. Dressed as creatures
of the night, ghostly figures made from old bed sheets or fairy princesses we were rewarded with
brown sugar, chocolate or peanut butter fudge, maybe a rice crispy square, handfuls of candy kisses or an apple. Those were definitely the good old days; a simpler era when mother’s had the time to prepare homemade goodies.   Of course no one will let their kiddies eat homemade Halloween snacks anymore, unless your phone number and name are written on the bag and then only after it's examined with a CSI scrutiny. Apples are just chucked in the garbage to avoid a potential catastrophe, worried that pins and needles or a razor blade might be buried deep inside its flesh. Sadly, we live in a different world now. To protect children, some areas have canceled Trick or Treating altogether. How sad that future generations won’t get to experience All Hollows Eve’s Trick or Treat fun.

One tradition hasn’t changed though; the desire to decorate our homes with fall colours and seasonal frills. Throughout the year we sell a lot of autumn geared designs, with pumpkins
and harvest scenes, witches, skulls and haunted houses. The most popular pattern is called Pumpkin Grinners, weird shaped cat heads sporting Cheshire smiles that crown long necks growing out of pumpkins. I put the design on the rack with trepidation. Bordering on ugly, it seemed too far out there to sell as a pattern. Well, I know nothing! It has become, by
far, the most sought after Halloween design that we sell. People adore the cats with their overzealous grins.   The finished rug, sold to the shop by rug hooker, Ann Durkee, remained on display for several years until a few weeks ago when someone saw it in our window display, fell in love and bought it on the spot. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Now
I miss the darn thing. Those happy faces, curly eyelashes and colourful pumpkins with a rich mottled purple background grew on me and was a great source of fun comments and conversation for the shop.

Pumpkin Grinners hooked by Ann Durkee.

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Say Cheese!

Personalizing a design.....

Pillow talk....

Linda Ruth's 'Beck' Completed!

A Passion for the Compass Rose

When rug hooking friends pass away.....

Heart of the Mat-ter

Rose Of Thorns Compass Rose

A Frenchys' Find

No Spring Chicken

Heather Gordon

No Spring Chicken?

Blog #15 - Pumpkin Grinners

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