Heirloom Workshop

We just finished a terrific 3 days of rug hooking with a great group of ladies.  This was my Heirloom Rug Workshop and these brave souls came together to make their truly 'ugly bug rugs'.

We have all been hooking some really beautiful projects.  Detailed faces and landscapes, 3 cuts for detailed minutia  have become common place for this group of former 'primitive' rug hookers.

The point of this class is to hook like a prairie hooker.  I wrote a book outlining 15 different techniques you can use to make your rug look 100 years old.  This year we took it a step farther.
These ladies had all taken the class before, a time or two….or many times.  So this year I raised the bar.  Now they could't just make a lovely primitive rug, using their 15 techniques.  NO…..now they had to make it down right homely.  I told them to hook like their children's feet were cold.  Hook high, hook low, hook like you are 9 yrs old or 90 years old, just get it done.   Commit to a decision, don't pull it out.  That prairie hooker made mistakes, ran out of wool and didn't have time to fuss with every loop.  EMBRACE IMPERFECTION was our mantra.

Well guess what?  They are awesome.  The look old and homely and used.  Each of these fabulous rug hookers did the seemingly impossible and made a wonderfully ugly bug rug.

I will show some partially done projects in my next post, but had to include one more picture.  Blue gets to attend class too, although he slows down progress by insisting every hooker take a turn throwing his toy.  This was one of the best moments of the 3 day class.  Pat Shafer, who is a highly regarded rug hooker, Celebration finalist and teacher of a dynamo face class here in January and February, made a rug for her dog Tucker.  Now, it would not be out of line  for me to tell you that Pat is a beautiful rug hooker.  I mean….her rugs are BEAUTIFUL (and she is beautiful her own self).  This homely rug concept kind of makes her cringe.  She is a game gal, tho, and hooked a great whale rug in last year's class and really grew to like it.  This year she chose the Woolley Fox pattern RAGS and decided to hook it for a rug for her beloved Golden Retriever Tucker to sleep on.  It is a great rug, full of rusts and plums and it was a difficult challenge for Pat to make it homely.  But she kept on course and this rug has many of the elements we attempted to include in the rugs, with great textured wools, no shading, no details, just simple shapes.

At the end of the day, Pat threw her rug down and we all came round to admire it.  Pat said, "My only concern is that Tucker will not know it is for him, how will I convince him it is his to sleep on?'  With that, the big Poodlie Blue dog came and plopped down on the rug.  He snuggled, he curled up into as tiny a ball as his extra large self could accomplish.  He laid out flat, he arranged himself in every possible direction on this rug.  He knew he had an audience of course, we were all laughing at him, which just egged him on further.  It was as if her was going to show Pat that THIS was exactly how her dog was going to like this rug.  Thanks Blue and Pat and Tucker.  It was a great way to end the day.

Soon…
Janice

Fantastic Weekend

We just spent a fantastic 2 days with a great bunch of rug hookers at our 'Hook-in Weekend' event.  We hooked all day yesterday and today, just for the fun of it!  We had perfect fall weather, cool and sunshiny.  Kathleen Salak taught us how to crochet a binding on a rug and Sandy Weller taught us how to make a pillow from our favorite hooked project.  Pillows….ok…sure.  Crocheting, YIKES, that was hard, but Kathleen was a great teacher and with a little practice, I might be able to do it.  Sandy gave us a great hand out with all the details to make our pillows.  Thanks to both Sandy and Kathleen for the classes.

Shown is Hidden House, a pattern I hooked in a Maggie Bonanomi class.  I know I have shown it before, but it is just a nice fall rug, I had to use for my blog tonight!

Oh…and just so you know…..the winner of the $100 gift certificate (all you had to do is make a purchase this weekend to be put in the drawing) was JANICE NAVRATIL.  Congratulations Janice!

Next time I will show you my NEBRASKA rug and tell you all about that project.  Can't wait.

Janice

More Holiday Patterns

 Here they are…the last of the hook-in event HOLIDAY PATTERNS.  On top is CHRISTMAS HOUSE and below is FEATHER TREE.  Both of these patterns will be available at our hook-in weekend event.  You can order ahead to make sure your pattern (or patterns) will be ready for you on Friday Oct 2 after the Omaha hook-in or Saturday Oct 3 for our all day hooking party.  We will hook until 10pm on Friday night and open bright and early at 9am on Saturday and hook until 6;pm.

You can now order:

Long Lean Jack
Bad Ass Jack
I'm Melting
4 Pumpkins 4 Sale
Sunflower
Christmas House
Feather Tree

Each pattern is $48.  Check out the last few blogs to see all the finished projects.  Here comes the fun part…..at our hooking weekend party on Oct 2 and 3, I will have 1/2 yards of every imaginable color needed for the projects.  Then we can tear off just what you need.  These will make wonderful gifts or holiday projects for your own decorating.

AND…..on Saturday Oct 3, Kathleen Salak will teach us how to crochet the edge of your project, instead of our usual binding.  Kathleen's class will be at 11am.  At 2pm Sandy Weller will teach how to turn these projects into a pillow.  Both classes are free!

Hope to see you at our weekend event Oct 2 and 3.  It is free and fun for all.

Soon….
Janice

Bad Ass Jack

3 Days in a row, blogging!!!!  Beate will be so proud of me.
Here is another in the fall event pattern series.  This guy is one I drew a few years ago.  I call him BAD ASS JACK (can I get in trouble for blogging that word?)  if so, we can just call him BAD JACK.

Bad Jack is 14x14 and hooks up in a skinny instant.  I used Sweet Potato Pie for the pumpkin, Spunky Monkey for the background and  one of my favorites, Moose on the Loose for the tree.  The green were just pulled from my noodles bin.

I think this would make a great pillow and Sandy and I are going to try that tomorrow.  Did I mention that Sandy has agreed to give a little tutorial on making a rug into a pillow at the hook-in event.  She will do a demo at 2pm on Saturday.  Thank you Sandy.  I know how much you hate public speaking.  But you do such a beautiful job we will all appreciate it soooooooo much.

Maybe I will have another done for tomorrow.  Who knows.  I think it is time for a Christmas pillow!

Janice

More fall patterns

As promised, here are two more of the patterns for the fall Hook-In event here at The Rug Hooking Store on Oct 2 and 3.  These patterns are $48 each and all you need to do is call or write me, to reserve your pattern.  janicelee@me.com  or 402-359-2699

On top is I"M MELTING.  As you can see The Wicked Witch of the West pushed Dorothy too far.  Splashed with water, all that is left is her hat and her own green self melting out underneath  You can see her castle with the rising pumpkin moon, all for Halloween fun.  This pattern is 15 x 17.

Below is 4 PUMPKINS 4 SALE.  Please note 2 ghosts floating thru the sky.  Leave off the little faces and you have 2 clouds, if you prefer.  This pattern is 14X14 and the perfect size for a little mat or holiday pillow.

Want to see more?  Check back tomorrow.  I am on a blogging roll…2 days in a row.

Janice

Hook- In Weekend

The Omaha Hook-In will be coming up Friday October 2 from 9-4 at St Robert Bellarmine Church, 120 and Pacific.  As you know, I no longer 'do' hook-ins, but this should be a fun one to attend.  After the hook-in, you are all invited to the store for a fun weekend of hooking.  We will hook until 10pm on Friday night and then start up again on Saturday from 9 to 6.  There will be food, a drawing for $100 Gift Certificate from The Rug Hooking Store and much more.

I have been drawing up fun fall patterns that will be available at our special hook-in weekend.  I will show the first two today and will show more tomorrow.  There will be about 8 of these small, easy to complete patterns.  I have hooked up 5 of them, so far, and they go quickly.

The top pattern is called LONG LEAN JACK.  The pattern is 12x15.  I picked a poisony green, mustard gold, violet, orange and black for the striped background.  It went so quickly, I almost completed it during 3 episodes of Breaking Bad, my latest binge watching addiction.  I am thinking I will make him into a pillow, perfect for Halloween decorating.

The bottom pattern is 15x15 and I call it SIMPLY SUNFLOWER.  This was fun to hook!  I used three golds of very different values.  The center on the sunflower was done with a gold that was over dyed over a dark black and white texture.  I alternated that with a rich golden brown, in a higglety pigglety style to get the chunky look of the sunflower center.

These patterns will be $48 each.  I have already started a list for people who want a pattern or patterns.  I will have them all ready by our hook-in  weekend event on Oct 2 and 3.   Call or write to order!  Janice at 402-359-2699 or janicelee@me.com

More soon,
Janice

Hooked Houses

Dear Blog Followers…..
I should be admonished for not blogging more regularly.  And although I have a million different excuses, like there was another pot of wool that needed to be dyed or Blue needed some attention, there really is no excuse.  I could promise to be better about my blogging, but no one would believe it at this time.

However, I have made some nice rugs lately and thought you might like to see them.  The top photo shows a Lori Brechlin design from Kris Miller's Spruce Ridge Studio.  Kris was here teaching a class in June and this was my class project.   I love the sunflowers and outhouse and the bright blue door.  All of Kris' patterns are great and I have a zillion of them here in the store to choose from .

The bottom rug is the second of the rugs I color planned with Maggie Bonanomi when she was here in May.  The first was the floral with the bunting shown in my last blog.  This HIDDEN HOUSE pattern is a charmer.  We strayed from my usual color palette and went with chrysanthemum and pink mums, persimmon and sittin' pretty.  The greens were blue greens, yellow greens, poisony greens all mixed together.  I used Maggie's method of tearing each strip wide, then hand cutting it in half.  It gives such a uniquely primative look and I actually find the hand cutting sort of relaxing.  Who KNEW?  I whined and complained about it enough when we first started, but grew to LOVE it.

It has been pointed out to me that I do whine and complain a lot when doing something new or difficult.  This became most immediately apparent during the July Diane Stoffel class.  I did the hardest rug I have ever tackled.  And….according to all who attended, whined thru most of the first two days.  Was that me?  Yes, I guess it was.  I will try to blog soon to show you the difficult little devil of a rug.  It is all done now, and looking at it, I think….what was so hard.   With Diane Stoffel standing next to you, everything seems doable.

Did you hear we are having a 3 day hooking weekend starting tomorrow.  This is FREE to all, we will potluck lunch and finish our unfinished projects, to get ready for more of the wonderful classes we have coming up this fall.

Pris Buttler is here for the annual MASTER CLASS this September.  Then I will do my yearly HEIRLOOM RUG CLASS in October.  The Hook-In Weekend will be Oct 3 and 4, with lots of great hooking here at the store after the Omaha hook-in is over.   Then Oct 31 Nov 1 and 2, Diane Stoffel will be here to teach, along with Pris Buttler for the RETREAT, then Nov 13,14,15 Donna Hrkman and Ali Strebel will be here for their RETREAT weekend.  Contact me if you are interested in signing up for any classes.  We bring in fantastic teachers every month.

All for now.  There is wool on the stove, better go.
Janice