Penny Rugs

While traveling this summer I found myself in a place I have never been. Without a project to work on. All the projects I brought with me were finished in record time and I was panic stricken at the thought on my hands sitting in my lap, empty, without needle or fabric.

The next day I made plans to find a fabric store with wool. Luckily, the owner waited for me to get there and I bought a project and some small pieces of wool for a penny rug.  The project hasn't been touched yet but I had so much fun with the pennies. I found objects in the 5th wheel in three sizes and proceeded to draw circles.  I then found the Valdani Pearl Cotton I had purchased at the Woolen Needle and started stitching.  I never knew sewing circles could be so enjoyable. I'm quite certain it won't be my last penny rug.

This cute little pattern from Reets Rags to Stitches was my latest set of projects. One I made for Traci Marvel, and one for myself. I reversed the pattern pieces quite by accident but it certainly didn't deter from the design. These adorable little shephardesses were so fun to make.

This adorable little basket mat was made from a pattern by Primitive Gathering. It is one I finished while on vacation. I didn't put the stars on the baskets like the pattern.

My Summer Vacation

My husband Alan and I have been on our one month vacation for about two weeks now. Before I left home I made a list of all the places I HAD to stop to see. One of my "must see" places was The Woolen Needle in Williamsburg Iowa.  http://thewoolenneedle.com  During my planning stage I used MapQuest to get the location, then I used the satellite version so I could actually see what it looked like and found parking around the corner for our 5th wheel.

While I was still in the planning stage of our trip, I had already chosen The Woolen Needle as a destination when I was looking at a pattern for a wool quilt that had been given to me by Traci Marvel thinking I might get it prepared to work on while traveling. The pattern is For Every Season. I noticed the background had an amazing dip dyed piece of wool that went from white to green to fall colors for the seasons so I looked to see who made the pattern and guess what! It was The Woolen Needle!!! Now I not only knew I had to stop there but I had something I knew I had to buy!

I was so excited the closer we got to Williamsburg Iowa. I just knew this shop was going to be wonderful and I wasn't disappointed. My husband graciously sat on the husband chair while I walked around in a daze. Even though the shop is small, it was perfectly filled with the most beautiful hand dyed wool, unique projects and stunning quilts and kits.

After soaking in everything, I finally remembered my specific piece of wool I needed. I found that piece and a few more I couldn't go home without, picked out some Valdani Perle Cotton, and I even got a free t-shirt!

Summers End Quilt and My Rug

So far I have two projects done form my bedroom redecorating. The rug, as I posted earlier, is my first rug and an original design.  The quilt pattern is called Summer's End by Primitive Gatherings. I purchased the pattern last summer at Quilt Market in Minneapolis. Wool was, of course, the choice for the applique but it is also the background and backing. My love of wool grows with every project I use it in.  The quilt really isn't misshaped, but since I am vertically challenged it seems that way when I take the photo from a lower angle.  The rug isn't misshaped either. I just stood at the end and snapped the picture. I've never claimed to be a photographer.

The quilt that is going on my bed has been a years work also. It too is wool applique but with a cotton background. My husband chose the pattern Applique Affair by Laundry Basket Quilts but after completing all the blocks I realized it wasn't near big enough for the bed so I added 11 more blocks from the book by the same company called Hop To It. With only 3 blocks left and a few of the border blocks to applique I am very close to being finished. This has been a quilt that even though I am excited to see it finished, the process has been the real pleasure.

Big Black Dog Rug

 

The Big Dog Rug is my next rug project. It is an original design by Joan Strausbaugh. I spotted it one day while reading my blog favorites at http://woolfind.blogspot.com/ . I sent an email to Kathy, the blog owner, to see if it was a commercial pattern or an original. Kathy lead me to Joan. I simply HAD to have this design! It was just so perfect and it reminded me so much of my son's black lab Buck. Joan had made this rug of her nephew's dog for his wedding gift. What a special gift!

Joan immediately emailed me that it was her own design and she did not sell her designs commercially but she graciously offered to copy the design on linen for me purchase. When the rug arrived I was a little surprised at the size.It is HUGE! Hence the name Big Black Dog. It didn't seem quite as big in the pictures. It is however, the perfect fit for the foot of my bed, which is exactly where I wanted it to go.

With rug hooking, I am finding that the craft is filled with wonderful, gracious, giving people who are so willing to help one another. Quilting is the same way. I believe it is women sharing and caring, just as they have been doing for centuries. We need each other for companionship, and what better way to get together than through our arts and crafts.

A am so grateful to Joan for this design. I'm almost afraid to start hooking. I think I have enough wool to start so I guess  I should get with it.

First Rug Hooking Finished

The border I chose for my rug is a very simple one. The first row is a pinkish tone from my very own hand dyed wool. The second row is one of the "as is" wools I used in the rug and the rest is mainly solid black with hints of 3 different tones used in the background of the rug.  I chose to go simple because I felt everything else I thought of was very distracting to the center of the rug.

One of the things I changed in the original hooking was that I added some of my hand dyed green to the centers of the leaves. I felt there needed to be more contrast and there needed to be a darker green in there. A lesson I learned from this is that the rug is viewed from at least 5 feet away so the colors really need to show up at a distance. I also wish I had done the center flower in opposite order with the dark on the inside. I'm going to leave it the way it is however.

The next step is to steam the rug. Steaming the rug will make it more even. With the rug laying back side up, I will get a wet towel and hot iron and steam the rug in small sections a few seconds at a time. After I am finished steaming I will let it rest for 24 hours.

To finish the edge of the rug I decided on a whipped edge. There a three types I chose from. My choice to whip the edge with wool yard is based on the fact that wool yarn is readily available where I live. Cindy Gay has exceptional directions for this on her blog as well as the steaming. When the edge is complete I will steam the rug once again.

I am so happy with this rug. It's been a dream of mine to hook a rug for so long. I'm especially happy that the first design was an original of mine. 

 
My only problem now is that my husband wants a rug for his side of the bed. I am trying to decide what to make for him. I'm thinking something from his childhood on Lake Michigan, or a geometric.

My First Time Dyeing Wool

After collecting all the tools, dyes, and recipes I needed to dye wool, I was finally able to dye my first batches last night.  I decided on some greens since I need to add 11 more wool applique blocks to my Applique Affair quilt to make it large enough for our bed.  I had pretty much depleted my green stash so I chose colors to match the greens I had used in the blocks I already finished. 
The first stack on the left are the original wools I used. There was a great sale on wool on an Internet site so I bought one yard each of some of the greens. I wasn't quite sure how great the wool was so I didn't want to get to much and with my antique monitor I wasn't sure exactly what color of green they really were. The second from the bottom is very yellow. The original colors weren't exactly what I wanted but the over-dyed fabric sure is.
I have all three of the color ways I dyed in the same order of fabric as the first stack.  There is one more green I need to dye which is a camouflage green. Then I'm moving on to other colors, especially in the red family.
Dyeing wool is so much fun. When I first found out the wool had to be dyed on the stove I decided that was just too much work and too hard. In all the rug hooking books I bought they talked about dyeing wool. Once I saw how easy and fast it was I couldn't wait to try it. I prefer dyeing wool over cotton dyeing now. Much faster results!
Now I need a gas line put in my garage for my old stove, which isn't very old, so that I can dye the wool there. It is right next to the laundry room and utility sink so that will really make it easy for me.
I am SO hooked on WOOL!!!

Rug Hooking Progress

As you can see I haven't made a lot of progress on my rug, but it's progress all the same. I still haven't decided on a design for the outside border yet but it will come eventually.
The black background makes the colors of the floral show up so much better than a cream or tan would have, which was my original idea.
It's amazing how one rug can have such a ripple effect. About a year ago we put in wood flooring in the living/dining room and hall way. Now, we have purchased the wood flooring for all the bedrooms. Originally, my husband insisted on new carpet for the bedrooms but once I promised him a rug for his side of the bed he has graciously agreed to the wood. In all honesty, he probably knew he didn't have much choice. I am thinking a geometric designed rug for his side. Humm, I should probably paint the walls too....