Can You Tell I Love Trunks?!

I loved this trunk as soon as I saw it in a local primitives shop, but I had NO idea where I would be able to put it when I got it home. I just knew I had to have it! It has been in several locations since bringing it into the house, but it has finally settled into its current role as lamp table. Shortly after buying it, I was looking through a book on antiques, and suddenly there was my trunk! It wasn't literally "my" trunk featured, but it was exactly like mine, and the article referred to it as a "Civil War Trunk". I wondered if my trunk had been owned by a soldier, and if it had been, what had become of him?
This afternoon I babysat three little angels for a couple of hours! We watched "Alice in Wonderland," and I held Kale pretty much the whole time. He has a cold and was coughing and was a little fussy. He is 11 weeks old and is getting so big! He weighed a little over 5 lbs. when he came home from the hospital, and now is nearly 12 lbs! He has more than doubled! We awoke to about 4" of snow on the ground this morning and the snow was still coming down. Since it was 32 degrees and sunny, nearly all the snow melted during the course of the day. It was beautiful for a few hours, though! I'm working on several new hooking projects, so I will share more about them in a future post. Have a great Monday!

Pear Pillow Finished!

I have finally finished the pear pillow. I decided after all to leave the background as originally planned, and have not made any changes to my original design. I really struggled with this because during the process it seemed so PLAIN. As I stated in the past, sometimes a rug has to grow on me. This one has. I wanted it to be simple, and this does look just that. The different colors in the background are very subtle in person, but for some reason, they stand out much, much more in pictures. I think I need to work on my picture taking skills! The border doesn't show up very well in the pictures either, but it is the same colors as in the rest of the background. The wool is both hand dyed and as found and is in #8 cut. The pillow measures 13 1/2" x 10 1/2". I really like the way it looks in my dining room chair. It is raining today and cool. The forecast is for several inches of snow tomorrow (sigh) but hopefully, it will melt quickly. Have a great weekend!

Antiques and Their Mysteries!

This is my coffee table! (Sorry my pictures aren't clearer.) It is an old immigrant trunk from (we think) mid to late 1800's. The writing on one end is the passenger's name and tells from where he was sailing ("Liverpohl") and what his destination was ("LaSalle, Illinois, Nort Amerika"). I would love to know the story of "Gulfur A. Vreden". I've tried to find information online, but I don't know exactly where to look. It is probably a similar story as my husband's family's journey to America. They came from Ostfriesland, Germany around 1863. His grandfather was a blacksmith and settled in Woodford County, Illinois. Through hard work and thrifty living, he was able to purchase farm land and prospered in his new country. I would love to know what country "our immigrant" came from. I'm guessing Germany, but we aren't sure. We've had the trunk for about 17 years, and it is now filled with pictures, country magazines, and a few seasonal decorations. I really need to go through it and purge some of the stuff in it. I wonder what necessities of life that it brought here for Mr. Vreden years ago...perhaps pictures, china, clothing, Bibles, family treasures? It's interesting to think about whose lives this trunk may have touched since sailing here to America...what the trunk may have been used for...what has been stored inside. I will probably never know much about the original owner, but it is enjoyable to have antiques around the house, especially when they come with a little mystery. Have a great day.

Several Projects in the Works

This rug was completed about 4 years ago. Folk art leaves and primitive colors stand out. I like the acorns in the corners, too. Dimensions are 11" x 22". It is hooked in #8 cut, hand dyed and as found wools. The heart pillow is hooked in #8 cut hand dyed wool and then needle felted with wool roving. It measures 5 1/2" x 4", and is stuffed with fiberfill. The back is hand dyed wool. I love how it turned out! Tonight is the second hook-in of the month, and I hope to go. My pear pillow is coming along and should be finished in the next couple of days. I will post it when I get it all completed. I need to come up with another project and I have a large unusually shaped rug in mind. I'll tell you more about it later. Hope you all have a great day. It is rainy and VERY windy here. My husband is in a one week lay-off from work this week (which is happening about once a month), so he is coming up with all kinds of projects "we" can work on. I have a feeling a spotlessly clean garage is in our future! Woohooo...I'd be more enthusiastic if it were a one-"man" job!!

A Rainy Sunday...

I hope you all got more accomplished today than I did...I still have this cold that has taken ALL my energy and won't let me have any back! I did manage to work on my pear pillow (prior post), but I'm not sure I like the background, so I may do a little "reverse hooking" and try something else.

Here is a little Maxine cartoon that a friend sent via email. I LOVE (most) Maxine cartoons. There are times when I would love to be more like Maxine...you know, just say what you want to say and not worry about what everyone would think. It would be so liberating! I have a feeling that my "peacemaker" personality tendancies would get in the way. I'm always trying to smooth things out or to calm things down...not always saying what I would love to say in life. I wonder what that "thing" is in our personalities that makes some people like Maxine and some people more like me. I have a friend who is more like Maxine. She is sometimes "brutally" honest. At least you know where she stands! I tend to hide my true opinion at times, especially if I think that my opinion may hurt someone's feelings. I suppose that even if I COULD somehow become more like Maxine, I probably would choose not to. I don't think I could be brutally honest if I tried...it's just not in my genes! I would like to give it a try one day...it just might be fun!

One Pattern - Two Rugs!!

This is an older pattern of mine from about six years ago. It's pretty simple, but I like the way the rug looks. The colors are pleasing and I am happy with the way it turned out. My daughter, Rachel, had never done any rug hooking, but one week when she was home from college, she decided to try it. I drew the pattern out for her and gathered all the wool, hook, and frame and sent it back to Alabama (Auburn University) with her. She is amazingly quick at learning things, and had the rug finished (except for hemming) in short order! She brought it the next trip home and I hemmed it for her. I was pleasantly surprised at how well she had done! It looked REALLY nice and it was her first rug!! Even though she liked making the rug, she has never again expressed a desire to hook another. It was the same as with the Ohio Star wall quilt she had made for me (see older post). She never quilted again, either. I'm happy that she tried it, and who knows, maybe at some point later in her life she will take up rug hooking (or quilting) again. The rugs are embellished with wool roving tails, bead eyes and buttons on the collars. They measure 14 1/2" x 9 1/2". Can you guess which rug is mine and which is Rachel's? (Mine is the top picture.)

Spring Flowers at Last!!

Spring flowers are here! I hadn't looked for a few days, but the Crocus are finally in bloom here in Central Illinois. It was absolutely beautiful today. The sun was shining and it was warm, but windy. They call Chicago the "windy city", but I don't think Chicago has anything on us in the "gusty" department. Since it is ALWAYS windy here, it is nice for summer breezes, but murder in winter when our temps reach those big negative numbers!! I really need to get outside and clean up around the flower beds and garden pond. We have a lot of "stuff" from fall and winter lying about making the yard look messy. I didn't feel much like working today. I have a really "fun" cold right now...you know the kind... Absolutely no oxygen is able to enter my lungs through the usual route. I've been taking Sudafed PE, since you practically have to submit to a DNA swab of your inner cheek in order to purchase the maximum strength regular Sudafed. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work the same! I stopped in the local CVS on our way home from getting our taxes done today and bought REAL Sudafed. Maybe I will actually be able to sleep tonight with my mouth closed! The Red House Rug is one that I hooked from a Hooked on Rugs kit several years ago. I like the folk art look of it. It hangs here in my studio above my very first rug (the log cabin), and measures 18" x 18". Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Antiques - Another Passion!

These are two of my favorite antiques. The ash cupboard came from my husband's grandfather's farm. His grandfather, who came here from Germany in the 1860's, was born in 1850 and was 63 years old when my husband's father was born! The cupboard was in our garage for years when we were first married. It had been painted an old mustard color which I liked, but someone in the past had started to strip the paint, so we had no choice but to finish it. It is filled with old apothecary jars and other treasures. The redware on the top is part of a collection (not antique). I love the large plate on the left. It measures 15" across and was one of those "I MUST buy it" items! The antique bucket bench is one of my treasures! When I saw it, I knew exactly where I would put it and what I would be putting on the shelves! It fits PERFECTLY between the wall and the beginning of the brick. It was meant to be!!! The white sugar bucket on the middle shelf (right side) was a bargain discovered at a garage sale. It has traces of old white paint and is in great shape. My granddaughters like to play with the two little red chairs in front of the bench. My "Antique Sheep" hooked rug looks just perfect above it, I think! I hope you are having a great Sunday. The weather has been beautiful today...sunny and WARM. I now have a serious case of Spring Fever.

Favorite Things

One of my most valued possessions is an Ohio Star miniature quilt. It is framed under glass and is hanging in my living room. The Ohio Star has aways been my favorite quilt pattern. I can't explain why I like it so much, I just DO. While in college, my daughter, Rachel, surprised me with this gift. She had created the pattern herself, doing all the calculations necessary to make every little piece (all 320 of them!) the right size and shape. She had to take into account seam allowances and angles, plan the colors, etc. She spent many hours, I'm sure, to plan and make this wall hanging. I was thrilled when I received it, not only because it was beautiful, but because she had gone to so much effort to give me something I would love. I appreciate and love the gift and ever so much more, the Giver!

New Project!

I did go to the rug hooking gathering last night and had a lot of fun. It was good to spend time with other hookers and get a new project started. I think that it is going to be just a simple primitive pear pillow, or maybe I will enlarge the design a bit and add some other components-I haven't decided yet. Any suggestions? The background I am working on is basically a dark brown to which I am introducing a second brown to add a little depth and interest. I can't decide whether or not to add a border. Since it will be a pillow, would it look better without a border? I'll have to wait and see. I have been known to change something in a design while I was still hooking it... I guess you could call it trial and error. Sometimes I can't tell that a certain color or aspect of the design won't work until I see it hooked. Hopefully, everything will come together. I won't get to work on the rug much tomorrow-- I have a dentist appointment...ugh. Have a great night!

Rug Hooking Friends

I'm hoping to go tonight to a gathering of rug hookers in a town close by. Several years ago I belonged to a different group and thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and kinship among those women. We shared our lives. The leader of the group was a very talented rug hooker, named April. She challenged us to design our own rugs and to dye our own wool, and was always encouraging and supportive. There is just something about being in a group of people with a common interest that creates friendships. I'm a little worried that I may not be able to go because the forecast is for severe storms (rain, damaging winds, hail). This group meets twice a month, and I have been looking forward to it, so maybe the weatherman will be incorrect in his predictions...I hope! This rug is another of my own designs. I love the way the colors work together in this little mat. This rug measures 11" x 9" and has a wool yarn overcast around the edges, which gives it a nice finished look. I dyed the wool yarn a color which matches the border, and most of the wools in this mat are hand dyed.

Two Seasons Behind!

Yes, I am admitting to being two seasons behind. I started this rug early last Fall, and the hooking part was basically finished around Christmas. It then sat unhemmed for a couple of months. (My grandson's birth was a happy interruption!!) This week I made a few changes in the hooking (color changes) and FINALLY hemmed it. I think I like this one a lot...sometimes rugs have to "grow on you." The design is my own, and it measures 20 1/2" x 14". I guess I could look at this rug as being EARLY for next Fall...I like that better!

Birthdays and Grandchildren

We just returned from Olivia's 5th birthday party. There are plenty of cousins, so it was a hectic evening with lots of pizza, presents and laughter. I was sitting there watching Olivia open her gifts (with Allison's help) and thinking back to when she was born. It seems like only yesterday. Come to think of it, it seems like only yesterday that OUR children were 5 and 3! Watching children grow up reinforces the truth of the Bible verse that compares human life to a "vapor". Time does fly!
Olivia and Allison are terrific "big sisters" to Kale who is not quite two months old. His evening consisted of sleeping (a miracle in itself, considering the noise and action going on all around him tonight), and eating. Liv and Alli are so careful and gentle with Kale. It is cute to watch them "mothering" him. I'm sure the gentle attention will eventually turn into sibling rivalry, but we can enjoy the sweet protective gestures now. Being Grandpa and Grandma is a great blessing!

Log Cabin Two

Here is my friend from Missouri's rug. (See last post).

The First Rug

In an earlier post, I related how I first became exposed to hooked rugs. This rug is the result of my second experience with hooked rugs. My sister (who lived in Tulsa, OK) was scheduled for back surgery and needed help for a couple of weeks. I flew out to be with her, and one day on the way back to her house after visiting her in the hospital, I came across a great needlework shop. I was excited to find a section of rug hooking patterns and supplies! This was the Lancaster rug kit I chose that day. It had a "how to hook" video included in the package, and I also purchased a quilt hoop. Upon arriving back at her house, I prepared to watch the video and make my first attempt at rug hooking. It was then that I discovered that she did not own a VCR!! I was discouraged, but I thought to myself...."How hard can it be?" I just looked at the included photo of the finished rug and pretty much figured it out by myself. It was awkward for me and I felt like I was all thumbs, but I made some progress while there. It was many months later, while back at home after my sister's recovery, that I finally finished the rug. (I never did watch the whole video.) Now that I have spent years hooking, my loops look a lot different, but I still LOVE that first rug. It is hanging in my studio above my computer desk. (I'm looking at it right now!!) It measures 26" x 11". Do you still have your first rug? I hope you still enjoy it every day as I do mine. As an added note to this post, about 4 years ago, a customer asked me to hook a rug for her. She had purchased a kit but had never hooked it. She lives in Missouri, so she mailed the kit to me for completion. Guess which kit it was....YEP...it was the same Lancaster Log Cabin rug!! I hooked it for her and took a picture of it before I sent it to her. It was interesting to see how my style has changed over the years!

My White Wool Cupboard

In my studio, there are three cupboards which contain wool and other rug hooking necessities. This particular cupboard is tall (about 6' 7") and has old white chippy paint. I bought it several years ago in one of my favorite antique stores. It holds a lot of wool (I have added quite a bit more wool since this photo was taken), some rug hooking magazines and books. On the door hangs a wonderful, very large rustic wreath. I have also decorated the outside with quite a few of my smaller hooked rugs (mats). Most of them are 5" x 7", but a few are larger. I love the combination of hooked rugs and antiques. My studio goes through periods of complete clutter and disorder, but occasionally, you can actually walk through the small room without tripping over some pile of something or other! Right now it is leaning more toward the clutter stage! One of my projects this spring is to try to organize and streamline this room. I'm almost afraid to start because I know I will uncover lots of "stuff" that will end up with no orderly place to go! I am in serious need of having a garage sale. I love to look at work spaces on some of those home decorating shows on television. It would be great to have one of those studios where nothing is out of place and everything is in neatly lined-up baskets or drawers. Martha Stewart always has THAT type of work room...supplies neatly hidden behind painted cupboard doors and everything stored somewhere out of sight. I wonder if my studio were nice and neat, would I have more time to hook rugs, or would orderly mean more cleaning time required to keep it that way??? Hmmm, I wonder....

Folk Art Fraktur Birds

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Illinois. Cold....but beautiful. I can't wait for Spring. I've been going through all the nursery catalogs that have been coming in the mail and drooling over all the flowers and shrubs. Our house sits on 7 acres, four of which are alfalfa and the rest is grass and trees. When we built our house 28 years ago, there were no trees here. We started with a few Pin Oaks and Purple Ash trees and have now planted over 100 trees! We also have planted lots of flowering shrubs and other plants...everything from red twig dogwoods, hydrangeas, Rose of Sharon, honeysuckle and bittersweet, to cone flowers, viburnum, and grasses. I can always find a spot that needs a plant, though, so I don't think we're finished just yet! This rug is one of my earlier designs. It measures 14" x 15" and is a little more folk art inspired than my more recent rugs. Hope you have a great Sunday!