Prim but Not Proper

I am still unpacking from my Primitive Class at Loyalist last week. It was 4 wonderful days with a class of exceptional students. They truly made the experience for me, and I thank them once again for making me feel so welcome and so special.

My take on this Primitive Class (hence the clever title) was Primitives with a Technology Twist. We shared all the wonderful resources that are out there on the internet to help create a one-of-a-kind primitive rug. Since rug hooking has evolved, as have the fabrics we would "up-cycle" today, these have their own distinct personalities, adapting the primitive style.

I took pictures of each of the students and their project. The pictures are not the best quality of the rugs. For better ones, please go and visit Christine's blog. Hers are taken with a really good camera and totally highlight the rug, not the creator.

Here are my stellar students:

Cindy with her little Irish cottage with mossy roof.

Carol with her moose runner, close to my heart.

Deborah with her Maude Lewis design.

Christine with her not-so-primitive "selfie" in contemporary "as is" fibers.

Mary Anne with "Iggy" the adorable piggy.

Jane with her bird with the amazing background.

Maribeth with her gorgeous goldfish.

Harley with his moose. This was his first class.

Nancy with her husband as a boy being chased by a goose and rescued by a pig.

During the 4 days, we also did some "onion skin dyeing" and some "marrying and marbleizing", so I decided to create a little mat out of all the wool that we created. That is where I came up with the title
'Prim but not Proper' and put it in the design. I also have included a motif from the 9 projects that were under way.

Here is the pattern, for which I will share progress shots.

I can't wait to share pictures of these student projects completed as well. It was fun designing and studying the Primitive Rug fundamentals - and then adapting them where we saw fit. I am sure a few of the purists might think it is not good to "stray from the basics".  But we sure had fun doing it.