Blackbirds and Berries

I first shared this new rug a few posts back. It's totally finished now and I think it turned out to be one of my all time favorites! I adapted a quilt design from Kim Diehl's book titled Homestyle Quilts. The size is 22" x 25".

Below is a picture of the quilt in the book.

You can see that I totally changed the border and I got the inspiration for that part from a coloring book I received for Christmas. You can see the arrow in this photo pointing out the part that I adapted.

I had a bit of trouble finding wool yarn the right color to whip the edges, but finally tracked down some Paternyan at a local shop - couldn't be better! It cost quite a bit more than I usually spend, but it was totally worth it to me.

Yesterday I stopped at an antique sale and was surprised to find a hooked rug for sale - they don't show up often in this part of the country! It looked like the maker used silky fabrics instead of wool to make this with. I forgot to ask the price - thought that would have been interesting to know....

The back was finished nicely too.

Now I need to figure out what my next rug hooking project will be. Till then, I'll begin making a new lap quilt for DD#2. She needs one to snuggle under while watching TV in the basement where it gets a bit chilly. This one is very modern and it'll be interesting to work on something so far outside my normal color and style. I know she'll love it when it's done so it'll be worth it!