Finished!

Project finished.  There are some advantages to spending a lot of time sitting with dad while he is in rehab!

It is supposed to be sold but have not heard from the lady that custom ordered it in quite awhile.  Soooo....I just may have a new rug!

Frito and Rugs

Sooooo.....the bathroom rugs have been put back in place and the toys have all been put away.  The toilet paper is back on the hanger, the waste basket has been brought back out, my shoes are just where I took them off, not hiding behind a closet door.   

 

But boy it's boring around here without Frito!!

I probably won't hear anything about how she's doing until next Friday when I get my next foster dog.  

 

 

In the meantime, I've had more time for rug hooking.

Here's where I'm at so far.  

 

This is the first time I've ever done a custom order for someone and I'm a bit nervous about it.  Will I get the colors just right?   Will the customer like the finished product?   Oh me, oh my! 

One Resolution Under Way!

It's been a while since I've done any rug hooking.  In fact, not since last winter have I picked up a hook and pulled.  One of my New Years resolution was to 'get hooking' again!

And so....today I pulled out some linen backing and decided to draw something to hook.  I've always used purchased patterns and kits so drawing this design myself is something quite new!  

I started drawing the border making sure to keep the lines straight on the grain.  I think I did ok but we shall see when I start hooking.


 
I drew this cute primitive sheep in the middle.  Mostly freehand but traced the main part of the body.  Not too bad I guess.  

I stopped there for now but will most likely add a beauty line, a vine or something like that to soften the edges.  Was feeling pretty good that I got this far and didn't mess up!! 

Phew....one resolution I haven't broken yet!!

A Hooking We Will go!

Woo Hoo!!!  I got a night out last night and guess what I did!?!  I went hooking!  Of course, Mr. Fix It had to be a smarty pants and ask me what corner I was going to be on, hmpffff!

My sister-in-law, Jeanine, came and picked me up and off we went!  Here she is checking out wool possibilities for the background of her newest project.  Look at that beautiful rug she is standing on.  It was made by her BF of thirty some years, Lori.  Lori got Jeanine into hooking and Jeanine got me into hooking!

This is Lori and the Hook-in was at her lovely home in the country.  Look at all that gorgeous wool for sale behind her!

More yummy goodies.  Lori dyes as well as teaches.  

Isn't this prim doll adorable!

 I'm a horse lover and I LOVE this rug that Lori did!!  Each horse is different.  I don't think I could ever take on a challenge like that!

 I don't know this lady's name but the rug she was working on is beautiful!

I think I saved the best picture for last!  Look at that Bundt cake!  I was good and didn't blow my diet though.  What I loved the best is the Happy Kitchen rug framed in barnwood!!   If only I could have figured how to sneak it out of the house under my jacket!!  Thanks Jeanine for getting me out, your the best.

The Motivational Hooker!

One nice thing about dad having a new place to live is that most of my immediate family, (brother's and their kids) live within 10 minutes of here.  That's not to say they come by as often as I think they should given the fact that dad and I spend about 8 months of the year in Arizona but....that's just my opinion.

We did get a visit from my sister-in-law this past week however.  And though she and my brother (the had a mid-life crisis brother!) are divorced and have been for a number of years, Jeanine is, has been and will always be, ever part of the family.  

 Jeanine introduced me to my life of crime as a hooker.  Shame on you....I know what your are thinking!!  I meant to say, as a rug hooker!  Because of her I have a huge tub of my stash wool, two cutters, patterns, yarn for whipping and various as-sundry items that I drag back and forth from Indiana to Arizona every year.  

 She brought her rug hooking with her so we could compare our winter projects!

This is her primitive flag that she is finishing.  She is having sort of a conniption fit because her stars are all whopper jawed even though they are primitive and meant to be that way!  Can we all say, OCD?? 

 This is a big rug that she has started.  It has log cabins on two sides and pine trees on the opposite sides.  Jeanine is going to hook each cabin with a different color door and chimney.  

Here is the full view laid out on the floor.

I've yet to do a project this large.  I'll get around to something one of these days.  In the meantime, her visit has motivated (yep I said motivated!) me to whip the last project I finished in Arizona before coming home for the summer. 


It seems I may be coming out of my motivational funk somewhat.  I can only hope!!!!

Happy Dance

Yep I'm doin the happy dance.  Happy, happy, happy!   Oh wait......I can't do the happy dance, I'm still on crutches!  Oh well, I'm doin the happy dance in my head. 

I sold one of my rug hookings!!

 

 Can you tell I'm excited?!

Current and Future

Still no clue what dad and I will do for the summer.  Just doesn't seem to be any quick answers.  I do appreciate the suggestions my readers gave and I thank you all for listening to my rant.  Trust me when I say....you did not hear all of it!  But I don't need to be broadcasting or complaining about my problems anyway.  They are small compared to others. 

Instead, I thought I would share what is currently on my hooking frame.

Notice that the kitty doesn't have any eyes yet.  I am thinking I will use tiny buttons or maybe even a couple of small beads.  Not sure yet.  

 

And for my future project......

 

I'm sooo excited about this one!  I purchased this spring time mat from Cathy G at Orange Sink......  http://orangesink.blogspot.com/   If you've been following Cathy's blog you will know she is teaching a hooking class and this is the pattern her students are working on.  I wrote and told her I would love to purchase this pattern if she had a chance to draw one for me.   She did....and I did!!!!


And....she also sent wonderful piece of wool that is a yummy green.  I'm sure she dyed it herself!   If you haven't checked out Cathy's blog, you really should.  I love the artistic eye she has for flowers and color.   I'm really hoping as time goes by that she will draw more patterns and offer them for sale!!  


Thanks again Cathy....I LOVE it!


Hook on everyone!

Dottie on Rug Hooking

Dottie at the keyboard.  Mom says she is trying to get something called a Migraine so she said it was ok if I got on her blog!

Mom's been awfully busy lately with lots of dogs coming and going.  Some for grooming, some for day board and some for long-term boarding like my friend George.

George is adopted like I hope to be one day.  His forever parents went on a two-week cruise to Hawaii.  George misses them and is anxious for them to come home.  I heard mom say they will be back in six days so I told George and he was happy!


I am feeling so much better since my bad teeth got pulled.  Mom says I still need to work a little bit harder on my house training issues so I can have full run of the house.   

This is my favorite place...mom's bed.  She wanted me to get up so she could make it but I asked if I could stay in bed just a little longer and she let me!

Now that I have settled in a bit more, mom has been working on her rug hooking again.  

 She finished this one last night and I heard her say all she has to do is bind the edges.

 

 I think it looks like a nice comfy thing to cuddle up on don't you!   

But mom said no!

She hardly ever says no to me!!

What's up with that!?

I'm going to snuggle with mom in bed.

Dottie out! 

 

Frame Works?

Here is a picture of my rug hooking current project.  As you can see, I'm still working in the wrong season!

I am planning to do the border in a primitive black to complement the crow.  Not sure how I will finish it but most likely will whip it.  That seems to be my finishing of choice.  This rug will be approximately 18" by 24"
when done.

I've always used a large quilting hoop but recently purchased my first real frame and thought this would be a good time to talk about it. 

  

It seems that I have pros and cons about this frame.  I LOVE how tight the grippers hold the rug in place compared to the quilting hoop.  However, I don't seem to have the flexibility I had with a hoop.  First let me say, this frame turns every which way, 360 degrees, however, I just have a lot of trouble making good circles with it.  I can't seem to turn it as easily as the hoop.  

Additionally, I am starting to think the frame is too large for my lap.  Perhaps, I should have bought the floor stand along with it.  I don't have the best chair to sit in here in Arizona, it's a small RV type recliner/rocker with an unattached footstool.  Rolling up a throw blanket and placing it in the small of my back in the chair seems to help me sit up straighter and sometimes seems to help the angle of the frame.  

I have also noticed that there is a lot of rug on the frame in an area that really can't be reached easily, hence I'm thinking smaller!  Not sure if I am going to invest in another frame yet, but am thinking that maybe......less is more?

Hope you had a beautiful Sunday!

Karen

Whew.....so I seem to be re-aligned with the universe.  Nothing funky has happened since my last post.  Good sign right!

Thought I would share what I am currently hooking.

 

As you can tell....I'm still in the wrong season!

I've always finished a rug before moving on to the next but this time I didn't.

I can't decide if I want to finish it as a pillow or a wall hanging.  It's not very big, only about 8" x 10".   ( I know, still wrong season!)

Opinions???

ALL MESSED UP!

See.....I not only can't find my Christmas Spirit, I'm in the wrong season!!!

This is what I am working on now!

ANOTHER PROJECT COMPLETE

It was a windy, gloomy and cold day here in Gold Canyon.  Okay..... cold to dad and me because we are used to 80's and 90's!  I don't know if it even made it to 70 today.  

The weather however, gave me an opportunity to finish my second rug hooking project of this season.  

I turned this 8" x 10" pattern by Sharon Perry, into a pillow.  The backing and front border material are denim.  I wasn't sure about using denim at first but, wow, I love it.  It goes so well with the monochromatic blues I used.  


I will list if for sale in my Etsy shoppe in the next couple of days!

HOOKIN' ON

This is a Sharon Perry pattern measuring 8X10.

Think I'm going to make this one into a pillow also!

PROJECT COMPLETE!

TA DA!!!!

This is the first time I've ever turned one of my hookings into a pillow!!  

Can't believe I did it.

Ok, well.....to be honest........I had help.

 

This is my friend and neighbor Judy!

There are so many talented quilters and sewers here in our winter community but I am lucky to have one that is my buddy and lives next door.  She really made me do most of the pillow so I would learn but I was able to catch her at the machine getting me started.   

Judy is mostly a quilter and has this really neat cutting board and rotary cutter that I've never used before.

 

The ruler in the above picture latches onto the side of the board and the rotary cutter slides down the edge of the ruler giving an accurate straight edge.  

 

I think I might have to buy these goodies for myself!

PROGRESS REPORT

I am so close to having the background around the sunflower done.

Yikes......don't know if I am going to make it or not!  The strips on the left-hand side of the photo are all I have left!

 

And of course....I don't have anymore of this wool.  

I love the background color.  It's called Faded Ivory from Sun and Wind Farm,

www.sunandwindfarm.com 

The piece I used started out lighter on one edge going to darker so I started by cutting and hooking the light color around the sunflower to give it more distinction.  I love how the background gets darker farther away from the flower.   

Hope I make it!!

 

RUG HOOKING PROJECT UPDATE

 

Here's where I'm at with my sunflower.  I am starting to get excited about it after I hooked some of the background last night.  I think it really makes the flower 'pop'. 

I wish this was a better picture but my camera phone was all I had at the moment.  The background is not as 'white' as it appears.  Actually it is a faded ivory color.   

BACK AT IT

Finally!  

I have started rug hooking again and it feels great.  I picked out one of my patterns to start with, for those of you wondering which one......the sunflower.

 

 Am trying to get used to hooking on my new frame and it seems to be some what of a challenge.  Overall, I like it.  I like how the canvas stretches and holds in place better than in a quilting frame.  I like how it sits on my lap and I have both hands free.  

A couple of things I think I don't like.  The grippers do scratch your arms and the frame is a bit more clumsy than the quilt hoop.  I can turn a hoop around much easier than the frame.

I may be doing some reverse hooking with the color I lined the sunflower petals in and go all yellow.  Not sure yet.

What do you think?

OH ME, OH MY!

Now that I have opened my new hooking frame and am anxious to try it out, I seem to have a problem!

I brought several patterns with me to Arizona to work on this winter.

That's a good thing right?

Only problem is........now I don't know which one to do first!!

None are very large projects, just small mats really.   I will probably end up doing them all this winter, but Oh Me, Oh My.....which one first?!?!?!?

Hmmmmm......eeney, meeney, miney, moe..............

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER

I'm like a kid at Christmas when I get a package in the mail!  

I just want to rip it open and see what's inside.

 

Silly me.....I already know what it is because I ordered it!

But it's exciting none-the-less.

 
Oh goody, goody....gotta get it out.....can't wait....yeah, yeah, hurry up girl!

And there it is....my new rug hooking frame.

 Well sort of.....it's in pieces and there's no 'destructions' but I'm sure I can figure it out.

Pretty sure this piece fits on the ball thingy.

 

Now to screw it down.

Voila...and there it is!  

My first ever, 360* rotating, gripper lap frame.

This should be an experience as I've only hooked with a quilt hoop.  

Now.....what to hook?

Hmmm.....that may be my next blog, stay tuned!