Bordering on Brilliant

That's the name of my class at Loyalist College next July. And it is inspired by the many incredibly brilliant borders I have seen on rugs done by friends, strangers and many talented people in the rug hooking community.

I received a pdf of the Rug Hooking School flyer from Loyalist college today. And this is the image that was used with the description of my class. I would love to say this was my creation, but it is NOT. And so far, I have been unable to locate the person whose it is, which is why there is not a credit with the image.

As I said at the top, I think this piece borders on brilliant!! It appears to break all the "rules" that one would normally follow when choosing a border, but in fact, it is the border that "makes" the piece unique and memorable. And is my favourite border reference piece - for many reasons.

If anyone knows who created this piece, would you kindly let me know - so that I can give the credit, and congratulations that are due.

In the meantime, I will use this piece as a teaching example and give credit as "artist unknown", which is what I should have done when I submitted it as an image with the class description.

As a person who truly respects copyright, I sincerely apologize for using an image without giving credit. I will continue to try to find the creator.

Hook a Doodle Do!

In preparation for my upcoming 2016 class at Trent - Zen and the Art of Doodling - I have upped my game on not only "doodling", but hooking what I doodle. Certainly hooking and doodling are a match made in heaven and, since both are so relaxing, I should be in a full on state of bliss by the time my class comes around.

Here is my latest sample mat which, like all doodles, underwent a huge transformation when colour was added. In fact, seeing how the motifs translated, I know that I will be adjusting the background colour on the right side of the mat. It is too close to the colours in the motif and I need to find something else that bounces the colours a bit more - I will try to post the 'after'.

This mat was designed and hooked on the heels of my William Morris fox stocking project, one that required me to follow some rules and "colour inside the lines". So this was just a light and fun mat to hook.  And isn't that what doodling is all about - whether you follow the Zentangle discipline, or just go out there on your own?  I am pretty sure that this will be the tone of the class as well as the rest of the samples that I create in advance - fun, that is.

And getting back to my William Morris stocking for the favourite (only) grandson, I don't think I shared the finished version. Here it is - and I have to say that it is very, very large. What the heck do you put in a stocking of someone who is not yet two and doesn't yet understand the value of chocolate? Hmmmmmm......

Again, I salute Christine Little at Encompassing Designs for this great pattern. Have to remember to send her a copy of it hooked as well.

Here's to all the stockings that will be hung and stuffed in the next while. Hard to believe that we are just 9 days away.

Happy getting ready, everyone.

Another Loyalist Student Rug

This morning, while sipping coffee and knitting, I received an email from Greg with a second rug that he colour planned while in class at the Loyalist
 Summer Arts Program last summer.

It is hooked all in yarn and I think it is a lovely mat. It has a nice, simple colour plan. And the Eaton Edge which he added is the perfect finish for the oval shape.

My favourite part is the little buds that appear in the centre as well as the outside.
Nicely done Greg. And thanks for sharing.

I will be back at Loyalist next summer, teaching a class on Borders. New material for me, so I am having fun finding out what I want to include in that class.

A Student Rug to Share

Just when I think I am becoming a horrible blogger because I take so long between posts, I get rescued by a student. And end up doing a second post right after the long-overdue one.

This is Judy's rug from the OHCG School in Ancaster. It was a free pattern in Rug Hooking Magazine - June/July/August 2014.  She got a good start on it over the weekend and sent me a picture of it finished. I love how much texture and movement are in the background. And I love the single line of red around the outside.

This rug serves as a nice reminder of how many wonderful free resources are out there. Each issue of RHM offers a free pattern, together with a materials list and instructions.  And when they turn out as well as this one, why not go for it.

Nice job Judy!

What does the fox say?

I have been having a lot of fun working away on the William Morris Fox stocking pattern that I got from Encompassing Designs.  It is going to be a "forever" stocking for my grandson Jackson who is not yet two.

There is a story behind the choice of the design, and it is all around the video "What does the fox say?" by Ylvis, which if you haven't seen yet, you should go and watch.  From the time Jackson was very tiny, whenever I saw him, I would sing the different sounds from the video, and he thought his Grandma was hilarious.  Even over the phone, I could evoke giggles galore by just singing the song.

So when deciding to hook him a stocking, I settled on this design. For now, it will still evoke the video and funny sounds, but when he is grown, it will just be a beautiful William Morris classic design that will hopefully be appropriate at any age.

There has been a lot of learning in this project. The thing I have always loved about William Morris designs is how they seem to glow. The dark background and the lightest value around the leaves is lovely, even when you use textured wool, which is what I chose to do.

When the body of the stocking was done and I had the top part left to do, I tried a number of different combinations for the backgrounds behind the crown. I had worried that the candy cane stripe might be too bold for the design, but I really want to line the stocking with candy cane stripe cotton. Turns out the proportion is ok and the red does appear in the flowers below the fox.

The first attempts at the colour behind the gold crowns were too bright and they didn't relate to anything else in the design, but I think I am happy with where I have netted out. I will look for some navy velveteen for the back of the stocking and possibly some cording/piping as well.

I will share a finished picture when all is said and done. He will never know how long his Grand spent on this crazy project, but hopefully he will always smile when he looks at it and remembers "What does the fox say."

OH, OHCG school was great!

A week ago (already) I left to teach a wide cut open class in Ancaster at the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild School. It was my fourth time teaching there, but every time, I am reminded of what a beautiful spot it is. A quiet little retreat (literally) in the middle of Ancaster, which is a quaint little village. Beautiful heritage buildings and all kinds of interesting shops and restaurants. A fun destination, even without the hooking.

I got to see another side of the village when we went to see the Blue Jays game on the Friday night. A lovely restaurant/bar played host to the Jays 'faithful'. We hung in until the rain delay and then made our way back to the school, finding out their fate in the morning.

My class was filled with 14 women with different experiences and just-as-different subjects.. The chemistry in the room was wonderful and we had a fun-filled time together with lots of laughter, learning and a fair amount of shopping in the rug store down the hall.

The mat topics ranged from a few kinds of flowers to primitive houses, a snow scape, a fruit study with beautiful grapes that changed from purple to green, a photo-to-mat of an extraordinary sunset/sunrise (I can't tell them apart), an exploration in plaid, a wonderful interpretation of a tile, a couple of fall leaf mats, a large bunny mat, and a brave geometric journey on the diagonal.

Here are a couple of pics taken by one of the students on the weekend.

On the Sunday morning, all the classes gather in the gymnasium and show their progress over the weekend. We were such a large class that Pat took the picture from the balcony to fit us all in. 

This is me working with Betty on her giant tulip mat. You can see all her yummy colours in the foreground. And if you look over her left shoulder, you will see a somewhat unusual poster. No surprise that there is a lot of religious symbolism in the old convent school, but somehow the Wanted poster seems a little strange to me. 

I look forward to sharing some finished projects with you as students send them to me. I think that is always the sign of a great class is that people actually do finish what they worked on with you. 

TWAS (The Wearable Art Show) Here I come!

I just finished my first sewing project in my new studio. And I am very happy - even if I have not-so-great photos of the outcome. I will be wearing this to a reception tomorrow night in Toronto for The Wearable Art Show. (Tickets still available for the show on Saturday - two for one if you purchase online - link here.) You will find details re venue and artisans on the site too.

I had no clue what to wear to something like this. I only knew that it didn't exist in my closet, so I decided to make something a little different. Not that mingling with talented artisans will be intimidating.

Last post, I showed you the pattern and talked a bit about my odd choice of fabric.  Here's the pattern:

And here's a picture of the fabric remnants, so you get some context for the photo of the finished tunic. It is a windbreaker fabric with a definite shinier side that I used for the 'good' side. The net result is that it definitely has the body I was hoping for. In fact, it almost looks like leather (faux that is). But windbreaker weight.

So here is a picture of the front - yes, the hanger is the model for now. Will try to get some shots when I wear it.

And here is a picture of the back. You have to love it when you look as good 'going' as you do 'coming'.

Which gets me to the real reason for this post. I have written before about the fabulous Tilton Sisters in Oregon - Marcy and Katherine. They are both pattern designers and Marcy designs for Vogue while Katherine designs for Butterick. They are awesome and I think if I lived closer, they would be my friends!! They have a knack for designing exciting clothing for women of a certain age and I love just about everything they do. So do a lot of other women who sew much better than I do - you can see a few of their followers on their sites.

This pattern truly represents the experience of sewing one of their garments. A little daunting at the beginning, cutting out all 19 pieces, but the journey was worth it. This was like a great movie or an engrossing novel that you just don't want to ever end. Every step delivered a great result and the step-by-step pattern instructions finished with a garment that looks just like the one in the picture. 

Truth be told, you have to have time to spend with these patterns. This is NOT instant gratification - which is usually my favourite fare. This is "slow sewing". And so worth it! I have had the same satisfaction with all their other patterns I have made as well - have even made some of them more than once (a true testament to a great pattern).

Now that my tunic is done, I am even happier with my fabric choice, because I think on milder fall days, I will wear it as a outer layer vest with a long-sleeved tee under it. Though it could be worn without a tee under it and look very funky and evening-ish with some awesome earrings.

Tomorrow night I will wear it with cropped leggings and flats - more like the picture on the left. I may opt for a body tee underneath, just because. But I will go through my earrings or perhaps model some for one of the artisans. 

And I will feel like I am wearing a truly "wearable art" piece that I created myself. 

The Studio Drought is Over.

Not sure if it is the cooler temperatures, or just feeling a bit more settled, but October and I are very very busy. The studio is firing on all cylinders - hooking, knitting, sewing. And we are both feeling very good about it.

A new Marcy Tilton pattern is my current sewing project, with an unusual fabric choice. Here's the pattern. A fun and functional vest pattern that I figured I could wear with or without something under it. But when it came to choosing fabric, I wanted something a bit different and that's what I picked. A light weight fabric that almost feels like windbreaker fabric. My rationale is that it has the body to reflect the construction of the 19 pieces in the pattern. Yikes. We shall see.

On the needles: I just finished a minion hat and mittens set for Jackson's first Hallowe'en. I figured he is too young for a costume, so a hat and mitts that make him look like a minion but keep head and hands warm all winter is probably a good idea.

And on the rug hooking front, I am happy to report that there is a newly formed rug hooking group here in Peterborough that will meet once a month at "Activity Haven", a re-purposed public school that is filled with, as the name suggests, activity. Line dancing, tai chi, rug hooking. A busy place. And a great turnout for our first day yesterday.

In anticipation of going to that, I ordered the William Morris "fox" Christmas Stocking for Jackson and spent a bit of time colour planning on the weekend. I have been wanting to do a William Morris design for some time and this is my change - albeit with a few liberties taken, such as mostly textured wool. It is an excellent pattern, so a big shout out to Christine Little at Encompassing Designs. 

I will share a picture when I get a little further along.

But it sure feels great to be back "making" again.

September the what?

Moving is a black hole. You disappear in there for months and when you emerge, your brain is not quite what it was when you began. I think that is because everything is different. Nothing is in the same place as it used to be and, at least in my case, my poor addled brain is trying to set up a new planogram for my life.

Most of the house is coming together and the hanging of our artwork certainly makes it feel like it is ours versus just us squatting in someone else's place. And our beloved painter, Ian, is done - at least until he comes back for the next project.

So, how goes the studio in this scenario? Slow and steady. Which is how it got to be September 16th.

I ordered three Kallax bookshelves from Ikea which were delivered to my door and assembled with a little help from my Ikea-loving son. Three 6' cases with 25 cubbies each!  Here is what they looked like empty:

And here is what has been put in there so far:

I know!!! Pretty amazing.  However, so far, there are no books, Rug Hooking Magazines or sewing fabric in here. And I suspect that there is still another big box of wool hiding in the garage. So there will not be any empty cubbies when I am done.

As to the actual hooking, I have pulled a few more loops - at a gathering in Campbellford on Monday afternoon, but all my spare time seems to be not-so-spare right now. That too will come.

I did receive a nice email from another Loyalist student who gave me permission to show her finished project. Thanks Pauline, it is beautiful. You must be very proud.

More Loyalist Bragging Rights.

I just love it when students share their finished projects!! It is rewarding to see that the momentum held and that they finished. Too often a class project gets put aside - I think I vie to lead that parade - so it takes dedication to go home and finish.

This little Van Gogh study was done by Susan in the class, who is relatively new rug hooker, but for whom I reserve the term "rabid". She is hungry to learn, to try, to experiment. And she arrived at class with two projects to work on.

This one is finished. I think it has lots of amazing movement, but still leaves the tree as hero. And the colours are wonderful. Post impressionism lends itself so well to rug hooking that the brush strokes create quite a plan for hooking. Susan is not the first person to take on Van Gogh, but I think her rendition is very pleasing and true to the artist.

First Loops Pulled in Peterborough.

As the weeks tick by, little by little we are starting to feel like we aren't living in someone else's house. More boxes get unpacked. More rooms emerge from their new paint makeover. Art work gets chosen for locations (though not committed yet with picture hangers). Furniture and bookshelves ordered and carpet on the front stairway. Yep - starting to feel like home.

Last Wednesday, I was invited to join a group of local rug hookers for their regular get together. They are a small group, since they take turns hosting at their houses.  It took me a while to find all my supplies, and I needed to break through some of the plasticized rooms that were barricaded for spraying, but I found something to take with me. I am still a few weeks from being able to take my turn, but hope to do that as soon as the studio is set up - and the Ikea shelves are ordered for delivery on the 26th.

How great it felt to be in the company of this group. And to pull the first loops that I have done in months (well, if you don't call a few demos in class at Loyalist, that is). Just one motif got done, but it was still a lovely re-entry and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is the project that was started two years ago at Loyalist and contains a motif from each and every student who was in the class. I believe the little school house was inspired by Deborah's mat.

Speaking of Loyalist, one of this year's students already completed his rug and sent me a picture with permission to share. He is taking part in a challenge with his group to create mats based on quilt designs. Since he is not a quilter, he created a rug pattern based on 6 blocks of "lures" that he designed himself. PLUS, he made his own hoop and hook. A ton of bonus points for that, right???

One more rug to share, but not one that anyone hooked. One that Rick and I found at our favourite second hand store in Toronto: "Of Things Past".  It is located near Yorkdale on Bridgeland Avenue and has a wonderful variety of previously-loved treasures. We have had great luck finding all our Oriental rugs there. This was exactly the size and colour we were looking for.

Hopefully the hooking will continue - even if just a little bit each week. And I will have to get busy making some sample mats for the Zentangle-inspired mat class that  I have been asked to teach at Trent School of Rug Hooking next year. Lots of fun exploration to do for that course, for sure.

Looking forward to my Wide Cut Class at the OHCG School in October. There are still a couple of spaces left - in my class and some of the others. It's a wonderful longer-than-usual weekend. - Thursday night to Sunday at noon.  And Mount St. Mary Retreat is a beautiful place to stay.