That’s It!

I’m amazed at how much difference the binding makes. So I’m finished. 24th  May 2015 until 29th July 2020. You won’t have to look at my incessant progress reports anymore!

220cm long x 112 cm wide.
Is binding the absolute worst part or what!

I’ve placed it forward f my last try out. Looks better but I think it will be for  my bedroom or front hallway, when we get one?
Thanks to my rug hooking friends comments too. Much appreciated!

Right, The Chaise Rug Saga... What Next?

Jo Franco asked me to show how much I'd done and it's at a good point to regroup anyway. 

Right, well, firstly... This rug is to go underneath an old chaise, hence the 3D effect on the dots. The legs go in the middle of the space in each corner, so the 3 outside 'flowers' surround them.

I can see I need to actually lay it out under the chaise, sigh. Boring! (Update. I did and I'm very happy with everything as it is. Phew!).

Question to myself (and to you): I'm not sure about the green anymore. There's a clear green in the ancient Bulgarian rug which will be in the same room, but the green blanket I've used is very clean and crisp. It might need to be removed. While I'm at it, I'm not sure about the apricot either! But I'll wait on that one. And the larger flowers' centres.
Answer: The green glows and picks up on the shine of the French hand-loomed silk upholstering. There's a story behind this chaise too...

This is the first rug I did, which inspired the newby. I love these dirty greys, but made the new one  more duck egg blue. Nice. Very happy about that. But I'm noticing how earthy that one is and I like that. This one is getting too candified. Buggrit! Bit depressed but I'll push on through!The dirty pink works nicely so maybe I need to replicate that mood. I already said buggrit!

These dotted lines are more subtle.

You can't see well with these photo's, but all is well, it looks good. I made coffee so I could sit and problem-solve, putting my big person pants on in case I really needed to pull a lot out and do it again. But no.. I'll just plug on.

I think the ends can be oval. The chaise may end up anywhere after the renovations and the rug neds to be a frame for it plus fit against a wall or in the open. Plus, I might replicate the leafy swathes as on the frst Uzbekistan inspired rig and as drawn on the fabric. Not sure what colour yet.
Thanks Jo! If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have gone through this experimant and may have sunk into depression!

Melbourne Show 2019w

We did it. The Melbourne Show for one day. It sounds simple, pack a case, go to show, demonstrate rug making...
There is always a lot of interest in rug making. We didn’t have our big proddy frames and it’s these proggy/clippy/peggy/proddy rugs that the children like to try. However Anne had a standing hoop frame for quilting so managed to let folk have a bit of a go... and lots of people watched or tried hooking too. Plus I got along with my Uzbekistan style rug #2.

It still surprises me that Rug Hooking is so little known in Australia, considering how it parallels quilting in the USA and always has.
But, we did meet Lee, who plans to come on Sunday, so slowly the group is expanding! And we have Veronica as well so that’s two more.

On the way in I bought a coffee at Belgrave’s Blacksmith Cafe and the lovely Alex was wearing this amazing cowl. Her grandfather had spun the wool and she had crocheted it herself. It is done in Crocodile stitch. It was so gorgeous and unusual I asked if I could photograph and post it. Thanks Alex.

I keep meaning to say that another old friend Jennifer Walton, who lives in Far North Queensland, is now a long distance member of our group. Jennie went crazy on tugging after a visit down to mine a little while back. I gave her Miriam’s excellent book and that’s the end of her!

Jen is onto her second rug, this time a hooked rug. She has a good eye as you will see. Pics to follow.

(Too lazy to come and bring a plate, obviously).

27th & 28th September at the Melbourne Show

I promised to put some links to various rug hooking and prodding information. So here 'tis:
The Yarra Valley Rugmakers (some of the Victorian Rugmakers) has a load of good links down the left side of the blog. Links to tutorials, suppliers and so on. Also, wander through the blog to see what the group is up to. There is quite a variety of styles among the few members. Anyone is welcome! We're a friendly lot!
Also, please follow the link to my Flickr page, to see more of my work. Any of the links here on the right with 'Bobby' are mine.

It's always nice to see interest in the craft. I heard some great stories. One fellow told me about his granny from up Numurka way, born around 1890? The floorboards had rotten away in their house and she spent every spare moment with a rug on her knee, covering the floors then making more for all the family. Right up until her death at a great age she made rugs. He still had her tools, but none of the rugs survived.

My inspiration for the Footy Rug. From a drawing by Paul Constance, an enigmatic fellow at my work. He doodles sport cartoons the whole time and I've collected quite a few over time. This had always seemed a good rug design, so I blew up the drawing and we fooled around with the back character, minutely. 
Now, I'm hooking it with Dad and Grandma's clothes. Which is funny because they'd not really want to mingle (in-law's you see). I'm forcing reconciliation with their clothes.
Cutting up Grandma's old shirts, I saw her 'short-cut' hemming technique. She did a tiny back stitch from the right side, then took a bite of  4mm or so, which looks like a running stitch on the inside. I showed a lady after we talked about ... stuff... and said only I in the world would recognise my Grandma's hand. I got a bit teary (but I think I got away with it. I'm good at hiding tears, it's my Anglo heritage).

If you look to the bottom right, you can see my outline drawing for the Footy Rug. 

Here's the old Proddy Rug on the go, still. One on the go and one on the floor

And this is some old lady that has absconded with my youth. 
Little secret? The white stripes on the footy players jumper is Dad's jocks.

Bound Edges Complete The Task

I used my excess fabric to cut strips and bind the edges of the rug. I love it. It's a tiny weenie bit tedious but fits right in with the colour and texture. I tucked the ends under the top at the start, then the back for the finish of each worm.

It's Over. I did it.

At last! Bound edges, on the floor, underfoot, in situ, all done. The binding may be a little full and therefore ever so not flat, but it seems to be settling. I'll photograph the edge in the daylight.

I am happy with it. It reminds me of Grandma's carpet, although it's nothing like it. Just like the carpet left over from the 50's or even 40's. Nice. Grandmaesque, like me.

The shape's a bit weird though. Maybe good for in front of a hearth (during summer), but it's way too small for my original thought of in front of the couch. Never mind. I have it on my side of the bed.

At least the One True likes it now. He loves the effects you get with hooking. Mosaic like.  If only I could drag him away from his watercolours to design his rug. Lazy.

Just to add... I bound the edges with more of the same strips. Fold the hem over twice as if you were hemming, but to the front, then round and round and round. Tucking the start and finish in under the previous wraps. The start, under the front or top and the ends into the back bit. Long and tedious but lovlier than I'd thought previously.

So, onto the next now!

Uzbeki Revamp

What can I say? It's completely changed and I've learnt heaps about planning. Now I'm having it at my bedside as it looks too small for the position I'd originally made it for. Even though it's quite large really, 150 x 60cm (59 x 24"). I do love it more with the blue, it feels French. The bedroom will suit the colours too and so it's not a demotion, but will be a gorgeous, colourful, luscious treat for me every night when I go to bed.
Now I need to dye some more cloth, just to finish the background and the foliage.
The One True doesn't really like it! But I do so I'm sure he'll come around. There is something about it that I'm not sure about, but I can't put my finger on it.

Grrr!!!

Lucky the husband is being nice. Although if he says one more time that I ought to have done a few preliminary drawings, I may have to frighten HIM. Boys always have a solution that would be helpful IF I WAS ASKING FOR ONE!
With all of my vast experience in colour and tone, and with years of teaching how to find your pleasing group of colours and SO ON... EVERY time I delve into a new medium I don't immediately take the knowledge with me.
So, rather than build a pile of colours that look lovely together at the outset, I have followed wrong thinking and ended up with a big pile of... Mud!
I love each and every colour. The tans are just completely gorgeous, and so I enjoy every stitch/hook. I'm immersed in the beauty of the textile and the joy of fibre. Likewise the greens. Yeeuum!
I could go on.
So, note from every class I have taught in 18 years: Begin with the colours (fabrics) you simply MUST use. Then add others to the pile that make these colours look happy. You might want to have a limited palette... or not, but in everything, these colours must be happy together.

I have just removed the whole of the foliage. I haven't liked it ever but didn't listen.
Starting again. At least the background (a must have) and the flowers are almost completed.

Just About To Remove The Greens

Well, I may have intended the greens to become a bit obscure and 'hinted at', but it just looks too muddy. So, I'm taking almost all of the green out and redoing it in a stronger shade.

Then, who knows, maybe the tan will look wrong? I think I like the tan.

Definitely obscure, but there... my initials.

It's worth the bother to undo. If this is going to be around forever, then I'll be annoyed forever and I'll cringe when my great-great-grand-daughter's admire my work. Best to fix it now. After all, no-one s making me do this and what's the hurry?

Uzbekistan Rug On The Move

The Uzbekistan source has become quite obscured with my colour choices. I can see that the central leafy motif is well asymmetrical, but as the foliage continues all the way around, it should be ok. I have an avoidance issue with symmetry.

As the background goes in around the foliage, it blends into it and become more of a hue than a distinct leaf. Which is what I want.

I'm so in love with the blue of the blobs. Peas? Just scrumptious. Dyeing is fun!

   

Not sure if I'll leave the darker outside bit. We'll see. There are a few different shades for the outside. I don't want it to be static. Oh, and I didn't dye enough of anything.

Can't Wait To Work On This Every Day

I've since taken out the greens and am dyeing more (and more) fabric to try and find the right shade.

The floral motifs look like islands here, but are blending in as the background is filled in. I don't have enough of any one shade for the background... Note to self: Take notes! I think I've cracked it now...? Today's batch, that is. I had some gorgeous grass green tones, but have knocked them back a bit with the 'Quarry', which is the slate-ish colour all of the background colours have in varying degrees.

It's difficult to get the right shade in my photo's, but it's a warm, cheerful, greeny, bluey grey. Egg-shell-esque. I've started to blend the next background colour in, by working higgledy-piggledy rows of the first, and coming in with the second so as to avoid a stark break between (as I'd done elsewhere and had to pull it out). Der! I've left the green in so far, but it won't stay there. It's such a pretty shade, but had too little contrast to the slate. 

Uzbekistan Rug

The orange was too much as a solid row, so, using an idea Joy showed me for making circles and fitting concentric rows into each other, I thought I could do two spaced rows. The next row, below, is worked quite close to the first. When you add the third row, it pushes the first two together nicely. I've since done more, and the orange is more 'hinted at' than dominant. Happy La! Just the ticket.

 Below is my leather Gripper Strip guard. A friend's Mum gave me a roll of soft hide and I couldn't pass it up, but didn't know what to do with it. Some nasty abrasions from rampant hooking soon gave me the idea! We now all have one in our little group. Great to use it up. It's not a colour I'd put in the house and I couldn't be bothered making a jacket... Hmmm... Nah, too bust with the rugs and the knitting and the paper-cuts and the garden and the family.

Uzbekistan Rug

Started the new rug. It's quite long, maybe close to 2 metres? Based on a Uzbekistan historic embroidery (from a book I've had for years).
Below are the wools I've been dyeing lately. It's as much fun doing it and rolling it up as it is using it. Yummy!