Blue Birds Primitive Hooked Rug

I've been working away on my Blue Birds rug and its finally finished. I had a lot of fun with this one--especially the background which was dyed with onion skins. I just took a class with Peg Kauffmann--she introduced us to proddy and I had a lot of fun adding proddy flowers and leaves to the rug. It meaures about 30" by 19" The design is taken from my collection of Blue Bird China.

I finished just in time! The back yard blue birds came and ate today. Its the same pair that we've had for several years. I was on the deck filling the feeders when I saw them on the blue bird house. I called them and they flew right over so I ran in and got them their first mealworms of the season. This morning they were sharing with the titmice-and it didn't seem to bother them. In the summer they have to share with the catbirds and they don't get along too well. They are callling for a winter mix tonight--nice way to start off the month of March. I guess it will be another in like a lion and hopefully out like a lamb year! Anyway-at least its on its way.

It feels like Spring!!

Check out the website for Primitive hooked rugs.
If you are looking for a great new venue to sell your things, check out This great new Foxberry Folk Art Online Mall

The temp soared to 61 today and what a welcome reprieve it was. I know its not Spring and I know it won't last but it sure beats the single digit and teens stuff we've been having over the last few weeks. It definitely has me thinking spring. Feb. is usually when I start getting in supplies for the backyard Bluebirds. By supplies I mean Meal Worms! Most people don't know (or care)that there has been a nationwide shortage of these since last Summer. Some of the online sources say they have them and I checked with the feed store and they finally have them again. I placed my order for the first 1000 today. I'm sure the Blue Birds will be thrilled. All I have to do is walk out onto the deck with my tin pie pan and a strainer of about 50 mealworms....put the pie pan on the railing and empty the strainer of mealworms into it---call the Bluebirds (yes, thats right--call them!) and tap the strainer on the pan a few times for good measure. They fly down from where I can't even see them and while I stand inches away, stuff themselves with mealworms. Its loads of fun for me to watch---Bandit, my conure watches too--but I think he's a little jealous. I've done this for several years. Its the most fun in the summer when they have nestlings and it is the biggest thrill when they finally bring the babies to the pie pan for the first time.
Anyway--this all got me thinking of blue birds today. I have a small collection of Blue Bird china--sometimes called Grandmothers China and I love the design that is on the china. I've decided to do a hooked rug for my back hallway where I have the Bluebird China displayed along with other things Blue Bird.
Shown above are some of the portions of the design I'm working on. The background for the rug will be light and I'm planning on finally using the yellow onion skins I've been collecting for my dye pot (they must think I'm crazy at Shady Maple).
I'll show you my progress as soon as I can. Happy Hooking! Spring is on the Way!
Dianne

Free Design for you!

Hi All and Happy Holidays!
Hopefully everyone is done their last minute preparations and ready to enjoy the season?
The weather here has been like winter for several weeks already --though the official arrival is today. We just got rid of the snow from last week with Friday's rain and this morning we awoke to a layer of snow and 1/2 inch of ice. We finally managed to get it chipped off the driveway.
Its not my favorite season-that's for sure but it can certainly contribute some beautiful imagery.
This image greeted me out of the back kitchen window this morning. The snow on the ground with ice on the trees surrounding the now frozen pond. The tracks of the doe who regularly visits the bird feeder let me know all was well with her as deer season is drawing to a close--hopefully she'll make it through another year.
My gift to you is this free design. You can click on the picture to see the larger image which you can then print and enlarge to whatever size you like. This is called Window on Winter





Feel free to use it in any way-rug hooking, needlepunch--whatever suits your fancy. Please do not sell the design, or mass produce it. Please give credit where credit is due.
Have a wonderful holiday--We'll talk again before the New Year I hope!!
Dianne

Red SaltBox and Willows...Primitive Hooked Rug

Here is Anita's second rug that she commissioned---finally done and in plenty of time for Christmas. The picture is a little yellower than this really is--I took the pic at night under incandescent light. I enjoyed hooking this one but I especially liked the background color that I dyed for the center background. At first I did a golden color somewhere between golden yellow and autumn gold in two values, but I felt it was still too yellow and bright. I had already cut it when I made the decision--in fact had hooked about 1/6 of the background using the two shades. So I took it all out and overdyed my worms with my own recipe to achieve a wonderful "yellowware bowl" which really set off the details and borders of the rug. I really loved the color and I hope that Anita does too.

This evening I have been learning to card wool. I bought the card on ebay--not bad but not as good condition as they said-but okay to learn with. I've had the fleeces of emmy and Lucy since June when Emanual sheared the girls. I spent quite a while washing the fleeces but have had them stored since then-- till I found cards. I watched the demonstration of wool carding at the Haycreek Festival in September and then I've watched alot of online videos since then so tonight I dug in and have been teaching myself how to card. I also have learned that the locks should be picked before carding. There are special long toothed combs for this but I don't have any and some of the videos show the picking simply done by hand so that's what I've been doing---gently separating each lock and then using the picked wool to load the card. Despite all the washing and drying and fluffing I did in June, I'm amazed at how much debris I still found within the locks. I don't know how long it will take to finish carding the fleece but I certainly enjoyed this evening and made a nice dent in the first fleece. This is Lucy's fleece and she spends alot of her time sleeping under the trees and bushes --which is apparently the debris I am picking out of the wool.

Hooking Away!! Barn Stars and Red Salt Boxes...

Happy Holidays everyone! The time is just racing by and I have so much to do--but what am I doing? Hooking, of course! I just finished a commission for Anita--it turned out nice! It's the Barn Star shown above. I am finishing up another for Anita of a red salt box and willows for the same room as the star--hopefully by next week.

I missed the monthly hookin yesterday--just too much going on. I think I will make it next month though. Things should calm down by then. I will be adding tons more patterns to the website soon-I've been designing up a storm! An Added plus will be a FREE PATTERN offered on this blog so keep an eye out!

Talk to you soon and Happy Holidays.

Tag-you're it!

Well -what do you know--I'm tagged! Thank you Ginger . Not sure I'm doing this right-I've never been tagged before but here goes.

~ For the game

the rules are as follows:

Rule #1 ~ Link to the person that tagged you.

Rule #2 ~ Post the rules on your Blog.

Rule #3 ~ Write 6 random things about yourself.

Rule #4 ~ Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

Rule #5 ~ Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.

Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up.



Six random things about myself.....hmmm

1. 5 more months 'til Social Security!! Hooorray!!

2. I can't leave the house without mascara

3. I never wear socks.

4. My favorite travel mode is cruising.

5. Among other things I'm a sea glass fanatic.

6. If I'm anywhere near water, I'll be walking on the beach--even in the rain.



Tag --you're it!!

1. Kim - Thistledew Mercantile

2. Robin- Robin's Rest

3. Jan-The Halloween Herald

4. Tammy- Skip To My Ewe

5. Lisl-Out of the Blue


6. Julie-Plum Run Creek

Primitive Stool with a Star Santa Penny Rug......

Here we are--just in time for gift giving or decorating! My latest wooly goodie! This began with a cute little green vintage stool with three legs that I found at the Cambridge Auction. The Star Santa Penny Rug is designed to lay on top--it is not attached but of course, you could attach it if you wanted. The stool and the penny rug are 10 inches across. The stool is 8 1/2 inches high. The top of the stool is 1 1/2 inches thick and I have added a band of pennies to the rim--a penny garland which is sewn in a ring but not attached to the stool. I have used all recycled wools in this-so the project is just a "green" as the stool-the penny mat is done on a black background and the mat is lined with dark green. The penny garland alternates black pennies with green backing and green pennies with black backing. All is hand sewn with tiny blanket stitching. His eyes are painted blue. The mat is signed and dated. This stool with penny rug and penny garland is available for 35.00 plus 8.95 shipping ----Check out PrimitivePairs on my website.

Thanks for stopping by!