Encompassing Designs
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Kits
    • Patterns >
      • Christine Little >
        • Signature Designs
        • New Designs
        • Seasonal Designs
      • Deborah Sweet
      • Susan Leslie
      • Patricia Perry
      • William Morris
    • Supplies >
      • Backings
      • Frames
      • Hooks
      • Books
      • Extra
    • Wool >
      • Abrashed
      • Antique JQ Colors
      • Custom Dyeing
      • Dyed Bundles
      • Dyed Curly Mohair
      • Dyed Spots
      • Dyed Values
      • Dyed Yarn
      • Natural & Colours
      • Plaids & Textures
      • Dye Books & Swatches
  • Ordering
  • Blog
  • Workshops
  • Our Story
  • Contact Us

Morris Tapestry Lion by Susan Leslie (In her own words)

4/18/2013

3 Comments

 
Photos by Kent Nason
Picture
“Forest Tapestry Lion”, designed by William Morris, pattern adapted by Christine Little, Encompassing Designs, Rug Hooking Studio, Mahone Bay, hooked by Susan Leslie....... 30” x 41” Hooked with #4, 5 & 6 recycled wool.

After many years of admiring and lusting after the beautiful hooked rugs produced by our Maritime artisans, I finally took a beginner course in 1995.  Instantly hooked, it has been a wonderful obsession for over the past ten years. I joined the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia that same year and have attended their Rug School six times. I work almost exclusively in recycled wool, most of it purchased at “Frenchy’s”, our famous Maritime used clothing outlets. This is one of the aspects of rug hooking I enjoy the most: turning cast offs into functional and decorative “works of art”!

In 2003 at the annual Rug School put on by the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, teacher Doris Norman gave a presentation on the William Morris Class she would be teaching at the next Rug School in 2004.  When the application forms came out I signed up and was lucky enough to get my first choice. I briefly considered designing my own pattern, but my friend Christine Little, who owns Encompassing Designs Rug Hooking Studio in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, was in the process of designing several William Morris rug patterns.  She convinced me to hook the “Forest Tapestry Lion” and she also supplied me with the Majic Carpet Dye formula for the lion: “Max Brown” from her then unpublished dye book, “SkyBluePink With A Green Smell”.

Several years ago I attended a class at Rug School on hooking scrolls and another one on fine leaf shading at Spruce Top Rug Hooking Studio, so I was familiar with the concept of “turnovers” on leaves… and painfully aware of how many there were on this pattern!  I had learned that the easiest way to achieve the definition required for a good turnover is to use two different swatches.  In this case I used Majic Carpet Dyes, 6 values each of the “Sage Green” and “Spruce Green” from Susan Logue’s Past & Present Antique Colours & Spots”dye book.  I dyed each formula over two pieces of white, two chartreuse, one light beige and a light beige tweed. The resulting six values of each colour gave me more than enough wool to work with, a good separation of values and just the right definition for the turnovers.

The navy background came from several different medium and dark navy skirts married together and set in the dye pot.  The flowers and the lion’s mane were all hooked with wool left over from
various projects and the border was hooked in one of the “Max Brown” values left over from the lion.    

During class I referred to all the visual aids our teacher, Doris Norman, had on display.  With her help and encouragement I started hooking the acanthus leaves although I spent the bulk of class time working on the lion’s face.  Never having taken a “fine cut animals” class, it was serendipity to have just such a course being taught down the hall, and I visited it to look at their visual aids and to pick the teacher’s brain a little.

Over the next two months I finished the rug at home and I was very pleased with the way the lion’s face turned out.  After gaining confidence hooking the many leaves, I decided to “un-hook” the first few I did and give them another try.  The finished rug hangs in a place of honour in my den where I hook every day.


By Guest Blogger Susan Leslie

Picture













Susan R. Leslie
1957 - 2007


3 Comments
Kelly
4/18/2013 05:29:07 pm

Morris would be proud! It's breath taking.

Reply
Mary Doig
4/27/2013 10:41:45 am

Susan, we miss you still.

Reply
Charlene
4/22/2025 02:16:47 am

EFFECTIVE LOVE SPELL TO GET EX HUSBAND/BOYFRIEND OR EX WIFE/GIRLFRIEND AND CURE HERPES AND INFERTILITY THAT WORKS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

Contact Great Odunga at [email protected] OR Whats App/CALL +2348167159012

I got my ex husband back to me and also got fertile and gave birth to twin girls after 12 years of marriage.
When I came online last year, I saw a testimony about Great Odunga and how he has been helping people with marriage issues and I decided to contact him. We spoke on email at [email protected] and later he gave me his Whats-App number which is +2348167159012. He assured me he would help me get my ex husband back after 3 years of no contact. Great Odunga is the best spell caster I must say. My husband called me after 24 hours of contact. The third day, I received natural herbs for fertility and after using it, I became fertile and conceived. My husband and I reconnected, had sex and I was pregnant. Presently I am happy to say I am the mother of twin girls and this is ALL THANKS TO GREAT ODUNGA. I came online to say this: If you need help, I believe you are saved with this man.

Contact his email at [email protected] OR [email protected]

Whats App/Call +2348167159012 and you too will give a testimony too to help others

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Christine Little has been ranked #5​ out of the 60 top rug hooking bloggers by Rug Hooking Magazine!

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

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    August 2024
    January 2024
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Picture
    Picture
    Gift Certificates are available for that special rug hooker in your life!  Any denomination, no expiry date! 

    Categories
    (Click on the categories for past blogs)

    All
    Announcements
    Beginner Class
    Christmas
    Colour Planning
    Contests
    Copyright
    Coupon
    Customer Rugs
    Cutter Servicing
    Dyeing
    Equipment
    Featured Hooker
    Giveaway Draw
    Guest Blogger
    Guest Blogger
    Health & Fitness
    Home & Heart
    Hooked Rugs
    Hooking Groups
    Hook In Talk
    Initially Yours
    Jibber Jabber
    Just A Bit Of Fun!
    Life's Experiences
    Life's Experiences
    New Design
    New Ideas
    Pattern Of The Week
    Patterns Hooked
    Pets
    Rants
    Recipes
    Rememberingfbe7326ff7
    Rug Schools
    Show & Tell
    Show-tell
    The Rant
    Tips Technique
    Tips Techniquef0cd117ab4
    Visitors
    Workshops

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture





















    Picture
    We have a pot to "Fiz" in!

Shop Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 
Saturdays 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
We are closed during ice and snow storms
​so please call ahead.  If school is cancelled we probably are closed as well.  

Toll Free: 1-855-624-0370
Local:  902-624-0370​
[email protected]

498 Main Street
P.O. Box 437
Mahone Bay, N.S.
Canada B0J 2E0

​Follow us and keep up to date
on our specials, new products
​and events!
Picture
Picture
Picture


Home
Shop
Ordering
Blog
Our Story
Workshops

Contact Us




​​​© Copyright 2023 Encompassing Designs. Website by SKYSAIL