Sunday, October 24, 2010

Almost Finished my Halloween Hooked Rug

Hello my Ghoulish Fiends...I mean friends...thought I would show you what I do when I am not busy making wee fuzzies. One of my favorite activities is sit quietly in the morning...coffee by my side, hook in hand, my rug set up in front of me. This is my magic hour, especially on those cold days when the wind & snow go howling past my window & I can sit cozy & warm and hook for an hour.
Spring, summer, sunshine & warm days have come & gone...once the weather changes & the leaves have fallen to the ground...this is my time to hunker down & begin my winter projects.
I started this piece at rug camp this year and am now in the process of figuring out how I want to finish the edges. I would like to do a braided border...probably about three rows...I think this would be a really nice look for this rug. I haven't attempted to do any rug braiding yet but am sure I can learn from my girlfriends book & DVD on this subject. The strips for this rug were all cut by hand with a rotary cutter on a mat...I used all sorts of different widths of cuts...never measuring but just incorporating what I thought would look best.  I love the look of strips cut this way...to my eyes it gives the rug instant age and a bit of character. Primitive Folk Art style rugs are my passion & I don't think I would be happy hooking anything else. This rug was designed by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm...I adore her patterns & am actually in the process of completing one of her Christmas rugs. You can purchase this Bittersweet Pumpkin pattern from Spruce Ridge Studios.

Almost forgot...you are welcome to visit the TDIPT Blog...there is a new posting about our November Open House & the special Give-Away we are hosting.
Thanks for stopping by.
Susan

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh! This is absolutely beautiful! :-)

~ Deb

Brynwood Needleworks said...

Oh, Goodness! What a beautiful rug! Thanks for sharing what you work on other than your sweet figurines. I can't wait to see the Christmas rug, too!
Hope you have a wonderful week.
xoxo
Donna

hee hee...the word verification is "Salem" for my comment! How appropriate with Halloween just around the corner!

WoolenSails said...

You are doing a beautiful job on that rug, love the colors in it.

Debbie

Kattywhompus Primitives said...

You're doing an absolutely beautiful job hooking this...and great color choices too. Look forward to seeing more! :)

Rhonda

Nan ~ Threadwork Primitives said...

Wow. I didn't know you hooked. Fantastic. Love this design and the colors are beautiful. You are so talented!
Smiles,
~Nan

Unknown said...

Una alfombra muy bien terminada. Los colores muy alegres.
Me encanta.
Besos Clara

Cheryl said...

Your spooky fellow is very fetching! Thank you for the info on the pattern. I want to learn to hook so badly and seeing this makes me want to take action.

Mosaic Magpie said...

I have had an itch to do some rug hooking for some time now. I made a small Santa a few years ago and even though it was my first project, he turned out quite nice. I looked in to buying the frames, wool cutters and thought it was more money than I want to spend on another hobby. I was pleasently surprised you cut your strips with a rotary cutter! Do you use a frame? Maybe this is something I can do after all.
Debbie

Mouse Droppings Folk Art said...

Hi Debbie...this was my conundrum as well...didn’t want to spend money on a strip cutter so I experimented with my mat & rotary cutter & I haven’t looked back since. Most professional hookers frown on cutting strips this way but I have stuck with it & have been quite happy with how the rugs have turned out. If you don’t mind your rugs/strips looking a little thready & scrappy...then by all means give this technique a shot...it saves time & money which is a good thing in my opinion and it really suits the look/style of Primitive folk-art rug patterns. As I mentioned before incorporating strips cut this way will give your rug instant age & a real cozy feel. You should try your best to cut the strips on a self healing mat with a long (a least as long as you want your strips to be) & wide quilting ruler as this will lessen the chances of cutting the tops of your fingers ...I know this from experience LOL. Let me know how it goes & feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
Cheers, Susan

Marguerite (Tina) Smith Hart said...

That is beautiful and it does sound relaxing to work on in the winter. I have always wanted to make a rug, my mother always had one to work on and sadly I didn't pay attention to her process. Do you get the wool from old clothes or purchase it by the yard? It seems to me my mother bought old coats from thrift stores then washed it in hot water and shrunk it before cutting.
Have fun creating this lovely!
Tina xo

Theresa said...

Just beautiful!!! I have my hook and a book....but no wool and no pattern as of yet. I've been wanting to try rug hooking for a long time now... just need to find the time.

Kelly said...

That is absolutely wonderful...oh I mean um...terrifying and scary. ;}

Hugs, Kelly

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

It's just beautiful. I was thinking about you cutting all those strips with a rotary cutter and mat and using different widths. I love how it looks. What a fun thing to do on a cold morning.
Have a great week my friend!
xx, shell

Brenda said...

I just love this rug, Susan!!

Mouse Droppings Folk Art said...

I want to thank all who took the time to leave a comment about my rug. Your feedback regarding it means a lot to me as I live in an area of Canada that doesn't have a lot Primitive Folk Art Hooked rug fans. They are quite conservative here...so hearing what you think of my rug has given me the confidence to carry on. Cheers, Susan

Phyllis said...

It's fantastic! My grandmother taught me how to hook rugs when I was little. One day I want to get back into it!

blueberries in the fields said...

hi ! i am totally in love with your little mice, they are adorable !i see you were also featured in Prims ?! that is so great, congrats ! ichecked rapidly, what page are you featured ? i am on the gallery section, the article about Alfred snowman. :)
happy to discover your blog !
monique

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