Today, I finished my 3-D hooked house! I am so happy with how it came out. This project was started over the winter in a class I take with Julie Smith. Because of the birth of my grandson in March, I was unable to work on it until the spring. The house measures 11.5" x 4" x 6". It was hooked mostly with a four-cut, but there are also some 5- and 6-cuts. A few bits of yarn here and there also. The cat in the upstairs window was glued on. I used a sock weight wool yarn to sew it together. Here are the completed pieces before construction began. I started by sewing the side panels to each s ..read more

In a recent class at Julie Smith's, Julie talked about her experience taking a class with Molly Cosgrove who is well-known for hooking on wire mesh. I've tried to find photos of her work, but didn't have much luck. Julie showed us the project she started and challenged us to try our hand at hooking on wire. Here is a sample of the wire: We started with a rectangular-shaped piece of mesh, and with a few cuts, shaped it into a box. Once that was done, we took crimpers and folded the ragged and sharp edges over to make the top edges of the box smoother. Next, using a tapestry needle, we wove i ..read more

Check out this wonderful link about rare fabrics and textiles in a shop in Vermont. Wish I knew it was there when I was last in Brattleboro. Delectable Mountain Cloth ..read more

WOW! It's been a while! I've been so busy these past few months. Here's an update on what I've been up to. New Grandson! Most of the last few months have been spent enjoying and getting to know my new little grandson, Thomas. Born late in March, he lives a fair distance from us, so I've made quite a few trips to visit. In fact, during our last trip over, we bought a vacation home to be nearer to him and watch him grow up! Rug Hooking I haven't done a lot of hooking lately, but I did manage to finish a small project I started in February. This heart pillow was hooked entirely of yarn and used ..read more

Sitting here at my desk, watching the snow fall. Luckily, I'm surrounded by fun projects. I am finishing up the border on my Seaside Village Rug (designed by Karla Gerard). I love the way this rug turned out. It's funny that you sometimes plan for a rug to look a certain way, and it winds up taking on a life of its own. Here's a photo: You can see several techniques used in this rug: quillies, a roof with a solid fabric (the olive green house) that has been sewn on and stuffed, French knots in the purple flowers, a roof woven with yarn (the rust-colored house), and an attempt at Waldeboro ..read more

I'm nearly finished with my latest rug, Seaside Village by Karla Gerard. I was inspired by Gail DuFresne's book to add some quillies. Here's a photo. You can see in the upper left hand corner a spot where another quillie will go. I do love the effect. The possibilities are endless!! Also, lots of new wool in my Etsy shop: Woolly Mammoth Woolens Etsy Shop ..read more

I have finished the interior of my Woodland scene rug. Just the border remains and some tweaking I want to do to some of the elements in the main body of the rug. I like using dyed roving to accent in small spaces. For instance, I'll probably needle felt in some black/gray lines on the birch trees, add some sparkle to the eyes, etc. Here are two photos. I'll upload a photo of the completed rug once the border is finished and the rug is bound. I need to have this rug completed by the middle of January, so I feel that I'm ahead of schedule. I'd really like to finish this week, so I can concent ..read more

Published by "Rug Hooking Magazine," Gail Dufresne's book Rug Hooking with Fancy Fibers was worth every penny I paid for it. I can't say enough good things about it. I flipped through the book when it first arrived and knew immediately that I wanted to sit down and actually read it. It soon became apparent that I should take notes, mark pages, talk with friends about it, and do a review for my blog. If you are a rug hooker wishing to expand your horizons, then this is the book for you. It focuses on the use of three-dimensional techniques for hooking including weaving, knitting, embroidery ..read more

This past Wednesday, I left my rug hooking group, came home and decided to try "ice dyeing" with wool. Several members of our group had tried ice dyeing with cotton fabric for use in quilting and had incredibly beautiful results. The cotton does not need to be heat set as wool does, so I was unsure how this type dyeing would work with wool. Here, in pictures and words, is my procedure: Using a square stainless steel pan, I placed the wool as shown. I then added synthropol and water to wet the wool. After the wool was sufficiently wet, I drained the water, andscrunched the wool to form nic ..read more

As I've mentioned before, I take class every other week with Jule Marie Smith. She has us push our limits in the rug hooking and fiber art area whenever she can. This month's challenge was to hook a face and create a doll. I was skeptical at first having never made a doll, but I decided to give it a go. I figured if it didn't work out, so be it. The fun part about this project is that we all will be bringing our doll creations to Julie's at the end of the month for a tea party!! We're even having tea sandwiches! I got busy with my doll a few weeks back and finished her up yesterday. I downlo ..read more