By Guest Blogger Laurie Cassie
Bonnie's Posies You will likely not remember, but in 2006 we were back east on a cross Canada tour. We stopped into your shop and … wham! I was hooked - no pun intended. You let me try a few stitches on a project you had set up in the back of the shop,
I bought the pattern to Bonnie's Posies, a hoop and a hook and away I went. I design my own now and really love it. Thank you for the introduction. Hours and hours of pleasure. Thank you for being my inspiration!
Bonnie's Posies - My first rug project! I couldn't afford the rug I really wanted hanging on the wall in Encompassing Designs and then Christine said, "You can hook your own." Hmmm…. Christine's 20 min. intro lesson in the back of the shop, bought a pattern, a hook and a hoop and away I went - back to Vancouver, BC. Got home and didn't have a clue how to start. Signed up for a Tues. night course here at home and got the basics down. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6. Bonnie's Posie's - a lot of tearing out and re-hooking, but I do love the colours. Thank you Christine, for taking the time with me that day. Your generosity has led to hours and hours of enjoyment since that summer day in 2006.
Hallway Runner - This was my first 'design my own' project. I was terrified of hooking open space. I had no idea of what to do if there wasn't a patterned line to follow so I knew I needed something with a clear pattern throughout. I also wanted to visually elongate my hallway. So I decided on 7 flowers, each got repeated 3 times with a grid of 21. The higgly-piggly border gave me a chance to use up some spare wool. The walls in the hallway are pale blue so the rug just brightens up the whole space. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6.
Dining Room Chairs - If you had seen my old fabric on the dining room chairs you would know in a heartbeat that this was a necessary project! A set of paper napkins bought at Costco was the inspiration for the design. The dining room walls are a deep red so I wanted the yellow to help liven up the space. A 'hooker' friend, Michelle, guided me to realizing I had to hook the seat much smaller than the actual chair so that the hooking doesn't have to bend around the edge of the chair. The loops would open up and the backing would show. So then came my problem of what to do about fabric around the border. I used an old, OLD wool blanket and over dyed it with 'Dijon' dye recipe. It was another 'hooker' friend, Mae, who helped me figure out the sewing together. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6. You know the expression "It takes a village to raise a child"? Well, apparently it applies to my hooking as well! Thank you Michelle and Mae!
Rachel's Purple Rug - My daughter loves all things purple. This was my time to try and conquer open space - well, a little open space. Threw the burlap on the floor, got out the Sharpie and just started drawing kooky florals. Wanted a traditional border to balance the wackiness inside so I went with egg & dart for the border. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6.
I bought the pattern to Bonnie's Posies, a hoop and a hook and away I went. I design my own now and really love it. Thank you for the introduction. Hours and hours of pleasure. Thank you for being my inspiration!
Bonnie's Posies - My first rug project! I couldn't afford the rug I really wanted hanging on the wall in Encompassing Designs and then Christine said, "You can hook your own." Hmmm…. Christine's 20 min. intro lesson in the back of the shop, bought a pattern, a hook and a hoop and away I went - back to Vancouver, BC. Got home and didn't have a clue how to start. Signed up for a Tues. night course here at home and got the basics down. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6. Bonnie's Posie's - a lot of tearing out and re-hooking, but I do love the colours. Thank you Christine, for taking the time with me that day. Your generosity has led to hours and hours of enjoyment since that summer day in 2006.
Hallway Runner - This was my first 'design my own' project. I was terrified of hooking open space. I had no idea of what to do if there wasn't a patterned line to follow so I knew I needed something with a clear pattern throughout. I also wanted to visually elongate my hallway. So I decided on 7 flowers, each got repeated 3 times with a grid of 21. The higgly-piggly border gave me a chance to use up some spare wool. The walls in the hallway are pale blue so the rug just brightens up the whole space. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6.
Dining Room Chairs - If you had seen my old fabric on the dining room chairs you would know in a heartbeat that this was a necessary project! A set of paper napkins bought at Costco was the inspiration for the design. The dining room walls are a deep red so I wanted the yellow to help liven up the space. A 'hooker' friend, Michelle, guided me to realizing I had to hook the seat much smaller than the actual chair so that the hooking doesn't have to bend around the edge of the chair. The loops would open up and the backing would show. So then came my problem of what to do about fabric around the border. I used an old, OLD wool blanket and over dyed it with 'Dijon' dye recipe. It was another 'hooker' friend, Mae, who helped me figure out the sewing together. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6. You know the expression "It takes a village to raise a child"? Well, apparently it applies to my hooking as well! Thank you Michelle and Mae!
Rachel's Purple Rug - My daughter loves all things purple. This was my time to try and conquer open space - well, a little open space. Threw the burlap on the floor, got out the Sharpie and just started drawing kooky florals. Wanted a traditional border to balance the wackiness inside so I went with egg & dart for the border. Dorr wool hand-dyed with Majic carpet dyes. Hooked in a 6.
 Rachel's Purple Rug |  Hallway Runner |
Dining Room Chairs
Scroll down for two more posts of show and tell rugs!
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