Sharon Smith Workshop

I sure enjoyed my workshop last weekend with Sharon Smith from Off The Hook Wool Rugs - she drove to Utah from California hauling a trailer FULL of supplies behind her vehicle - LOTS of eye candy and shopping opportunities! A lot of her rugs reflect the places she has traveled - she definitely has her own style. Amazingly, she has only been hooking for five years - and has hooked over 70 rugs - can you believe it?

I was one of just a handful of students who didn't work on one of her designs - but still learned a lot and definitely enjoyed spending three days in the company of good friends. This is the geometric/mosaic that I drew for the class - it's pretty big and will take me awhile to get it finished. It will be totally scrappy, with no two blocks having the same color combinations - I'm still trying to decide what to put in the center of the diamonds...

Each day we received a special treat from the class organizers. First was a kit with all the fixins to make this darling sunflower pincushion on a rusty bed spring.

Then we got birds - with instructions to fly - filled with candy.

And on the last day a fun paper mache box with inspiring words and treats inside.

You can see class projects on the Guild's blog HERE. I sat near the four gals who were hooking the poppy rugs and it was so fun to watch them each develop their own style - with their own slightly different colorway!

Sharon told us how she dyes some of her splotchy wool, so when I got home I pulled out some pastel yellow fat quarters that I won as a door prize years and years ago - b.o.r.i.n.g.!

This is what I ended up with after spending an afternoon in the dye pots - not exactly like hers - but definitely more usable than they were before I started.

I have started another new rug - it will be a table runner. Lots of antique blacks for the backgrounds - and various golds for the stars.

My sister's birthday is next week so I made a postcard quilt with a bouquet of flowers to send to her - lots more fun that a card from the store, huh? (Jeanette - this is some of the crocheted trim that I bought at the yard sale with you)

Heading out for a weekend of camping with hubby - so if you leave a comment and don't hear back from me, I'm not ignoring you - LOL!

Finished Rug

It seems like a long, long time since I've spent much time rug hooking, let alone actually FINISHING a rug - but that day has arrived - YAY! Yesterday I pulled the last loops on this rug that I call Fraktur Paisley. I used a #8 cut and it finished at 20" x 25".

I saw this picture on Pinterest years ago and fell in love with it - I'm pretty sure it is a piece of old painted furniture - a chest perhaps? Anyway, the design & colors just spoke to me so I duplicated them in wool.

Last week at my monthly meeting with the Salt Lake rug group, Myra shared this fun 3D birdhouse that she had made - the inside is hollow so she wants to cut a piece of wood to fill the opening and help it stand up more easily - I love the proddy flowers that she added to it - and the direction she hooked the roof. FUN!

This is not the greatest picture, but Nancy was working on some Christmas stockings for new grandchildren. Notice how she hooked on both sides of the piece of linen to make the best use of it with the shapes... Good idea! And how smart of her to make these during the summer months so they'll be ready for the holidays!

Thursday is the first day of a three day workshop that I'm taking with Sharon Smith of Off The Hook Wool Rugs from California and I'm really looking forward to it. Our Guild is bringing her in - she is the third national teacher that we've had and I still have to pinch myself to think that we're able to do this! I have my project prepared - and my wools are packed - we'll see how it goes....