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!

Buttons!

I know I'm not alone in blogland, inasmuch as I have a love affair with buttons! One of my favorite yard sale finds a few years ago, was a tin full of buttons - the best part was that there was a big fat needle in the tin that was strung with heavy thread and buttons - I could just imagine a small child being entertained at Grandma's house by making a button string! So cute! I have quite a few buttons of my own and most of them are color sorted and stored in these little jars I found at the thrift store once. I love to look at them! Others are still attached to the cards they came on and are placed in an old pickle jar.



Yesterday I was visiting a lady in my neighborhood when I noticed this old trunk that she had full of buttons - like a pirate's treasure chest for button lovers! She said her grandchildren love to run their hands through the pile - sometimes they'll sort them by color - or size - or by sparkle - she had lots of novelty buttons included that the kids especially loved to play with. I wish I'd taken a close-up shot of them so you could see the huge variety better. How do you have your button collection displayed?


I bought this book last week that has a zillion different projects and they all use buttons! Fun stuff. The author has an interesting blog - she's really into buttons!

Loving It!

Yesterday I stopped by my local Hancock's Fabric store to see if there was anything on their Columbus Day Sale that I had to have. I bought a love seat at the thrift store a few months ago, and have been planning to recover it. Their decorator fabrics were 50% off, so I took a look there and was so tickled when I found this fabric - the colors are perfect for my living room - and the design looked just like a penny rug to me! (Or perhaps a cats paw rug hooking design)

This is the fabric I used when I recovered the couch several years ago - I think they'll look GREAT together! Can't wait to get started.

Junk In My Trunk

First, a short story to explain the title of my post - and show my newest 'treasure'. Probably 99% of the wool I use for my hooked rugs, comes from thrift store clothing. I store it in the trunk of my car until I have a nice day where I can sit outside and dismantle it prior to throwing it in the washing machine. During the cold winter months, the stash of wool in my trunk can get quite expansive. Several years ago hubby was driving my car - at night - in a snowstorm - on the freeway - wearing a business suit - when he got a flat tire. Needless to say, he was really upset to find all the stuff that had to be unloaded before he could get to the jack & the spare tire in the trunk. I'm lucky he didn't leave all my wool by the side of the road when he was done replacing the flat. Boy did I get a talking to when he got home that night! However, my habits have not changed since then - my trunk is still usually full of wool clothing and other thrift store treasures. I saw this necklace offered on Gia's blog Decorator to the Stars. The spoon necklace is etched with the words "I always have junk in my trunk" - so you can see why I had to have it, right? LOL

Big Sky Country

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to visit my friend Jean in Montana. Although we have been friends for about 8 years, this was our first time to meet face to face. We became acquainted when we were both members of an online message board (Primitive & Rustic on Delphi) because it seemed like we had a lot in common with our children & crafting & decorating interests. During those 8 years she moved from Alaska, to Georgia, to Maryland, and we kept in touch the whole time. She & her husband have finally settled down in Montana and I decided with only a 5-1/2 hour drive separating us it was time to visit. She was gracious enough to extend an invitation so I took her up on it, and I'm so glad that I did. I felt very comfortable and at ease with her the 4 days I was there, and her hubby David is so nice too! He's a gourmet cook and spoiled me with some delicious meals - I envy Jean being able to eat his cooking on a regular basis! LOL

Jean's main crafting focus is doll making - which she excels at - but I'm going to show you the two hooked rugs she made a few years ago - all self-taught and wonderful - I love that she actually uses them on the floor - they look old and worn. This rabbit rug was made from a kit:


And she designed this star rug herself:



She has a large collection of vintage quilts that are displayed beautifully throughout her wonderful home so I snapped a few pictures of them to share here:









We spent one whole day shopping antique stores, then spent a day crafting. I showed her how to dismantle the wool clothing she bought for hooked rugs, and she taught me how to use paper clay, and helped me make a doll. I'll share pictures of my projects when I get them totally finished. Till then, you'll enjoy touring Jean's entire home in her Webshots photo album. I'm in awe of her decorating talents - she knows exactly what she likes and how to make it happen. Her home has a soothing flow to it because everything goes together - unlike mine that seems so chopped up - sigh! I want to be just like her when I 'grow up'! LOL