Vintage Runner

Doesn't seem like I've had too much to blog about lately, but here is a runner that I bought about five years ago. I got it off of ebay from one of those businesses who will sell your stuff FOR you if you're not computer savvy, or don't want to bother. Unfortunately that means that I don't know the history of it because I didn't get it from the maker. Believe it or not no one else bid on it so I paid a whopping $10 for it! And I drove one hour south to pick it up in person so I didn't even have to pay shipping! WooHoo! It measures 18" x 72" and I have it on the floor next to my bed. I've seen this same design in one of Deanne Fitzpatrick's books, but don't know if she's the designer or not.


I'm pretty sure all the wool is as-is - probably from recycled clothing.

Projects

Here are a couple pictures from our rug hooking gathering this morning. Tonia just finished this cute squirrel rug that she made as a gift for her new DIL. It's a pattern that's in the most recent issue of RHM.

Since finishing the squirrel rug, she started this floral - she is one fast hooker!


Angela showed us her latest punch needle design for her pattern-of-the-month club available on her website. Such a cute bee skep - love the colors on this.
I just finished up this sunflower pinkeep - the free pattern and instructions are available at Mary Flanagan Woolens.

A Rug and a Purse

I made this rug several years ago - it was a great way to use up some of the worms that I had been accumulating and I was very pleased with the way it turned out. It measures 24" x 46" - a good size!

A few months ago, my friend Janet came to our quilt meeting carrying this purse that was a perfect match to my rug. It's made of leather and I might have to try and make one just like it. I have a huge collection of leather & suede skirts that I've bought at the thrift stores through the years and have never used them for anything yet. Fun design, huh?

Stair Rugs Finished!

I got my stair rugs all finished a couple days ago - they still need to be properly installed with carpet tack strips, but I propped them up to snap a couple pictures so I could share them here. There are a few things I wish I had done differently, but for the most part I'm really pleased with the way they turned out! This stairway leads from our living room up into my studio. Please notice that I didn't let you glimpse even a sneak peak of the studio itself - if you did, you'd run screaming and never come back to visit my blog again! LOL


Here's a close-up shot of one so you can see the variations of color I got when I dyed wool for the black background. I used Emma Lou's Hook Book Black. Love how there is some movement, but it's not distracting or overpowering to the design itself.


I almost changed the design of the rug at the top of this picture, thinking that it might look dumb to have a single motif on it when all the other rugs had multiples, but now that it's done I think it's my favorite one.

And one last shot where you can see all six of them together.


I spent some time in the dye pots today dyeing blues and oranges - YUM! Mister Sister will be glad to find out when he gets home that I used citric acid instead of vinegar - the smell isn't bad at all!

Freebie Finish

Years ago I was a cross-stitching fool like lots of people who are crafty. Unfortunately, all the designs I stitched were trendy, like geese & country hearts - so needless to say, none of it is displayed in my home anymore. I recently started doing a little more stitching when I discovered designers like Stacy Nash & Primitive Betty. Betty has a wonderful blog and often shares small simple designs with her fans. Earlier this week she had a Thanksgiving turkey posted that I liked, so I just finished stitching it up, putting my own slant on it by splitting the design into two projects.

Great Giveaway

Brenda over at Pumpkin Patch Primitive Quilt Shoppe is having a most generous giveaway. Check it out! Aren't those fat quarters beautiful?

Three Rugs Finished

At our rug hooking meeting on Wednesday there were three finished rugs shown to the group. YAY! Isn't that always the best feeling? This first one was hooked by Myra - it includes the first wools that she ever dyed and it reminds me of a design made on a Spirograph - remember those?


Arline did this fun Halloween rug designed by a local gal - the way she outlined the cat & the witch's boots and hat makes them just POP! This rug isn't a rectangle - it's a trapezoid, with the top wider than the bottom - you probably thought it looked like that just because of the camera angle, huh?


And Marliss finished whipping the edges of her star mat while we were there. This is her very first project and she did a great job. She already has her next design drawn on the linen and all the wool cut for it - I know it's going to be spectacular!