New Side Rails for my Cheticamp

For those of you who don't recognize this image, it is a Cheticamp frame, which is ideal for big rug projects.

This is Deanne Fitzpatrick's frame of choice (in fact this is her image) - and if you go to her website, you can see a demo of her working away on one. She is able to put her wool, scissors and other hooking supplies on the mat she is working on - great for not losing scissors, etc.

My hubby bought me this frame for Christmas a couple of years ago and it stays set up at the cottage. I used it to hook the Totem 40 rug and it was great to be able to roll to the section I was working on without taking it off the frame.

I wanted to put the large Kilim rug that I bought at a silent auction on the frame and leave it set up. But, because it is a 4' x 6' rug, I couldn't figure out how to put it on the frame, without folding it or only being able to work on a small section at a time. So, I decided to see about getting some 4' side rails for it.

Deanne said her supplier could make a set, but I realized that if I could find someone closer to home, my rails wouldn't have to ride the bus from Nova Scotia. I was lucky enough to find a friend who has taken on the task. My friend Harry has an incredible workshop - dust-free I might add - near Owen Sound. When he retired, quite recently, he started turning wood bowls from the trees on his proerty there. They were (and still are) incredible works of art.

From bowls, he graduated to simple projects like candle holders and trays, and within a blink of an eye, he is now making amazing pieces of heirloom furniture. On the weekend, he showed me a queen size bed that he made for his daughter as a wedding gift. And he did this "without a pattern". Till now, he's been following plans. This one he designed himself, with a little inspiration from Crate & Barrel. What a wonderful accomplishment.

When I asked him if he would do my rails for me, he was kind enough to say yes. So when we looked at the rail I brought him as a template, he quickly figured out exactly what was required and how he would approach it.

I think we have a kinship, he and I. He is someone who truly appreciates the time and effort that goes into creating something. And I think that is why he agreed to do this for me.

I'm still trying to find out a way to say thanks to him. And I think I may just hook him a small mat of a measuring tape for his workshop space.

After all, what is more useful to a master carpenter than a tape measure????