Hooked Horse Rug

Its done! Complete! Finished! My very first hooked rug... after 2 years of stops and starts, my burlap coffee sack backed horse has been made to the best of my ability. The outline of the horse was inspired by Pat Cross's book Purely Primitives; the overall design and color scheme was of my own concoction.

To be honest, I finished the hooking portion before Christmas, but since it was a gift, I didn't want to reveal it on my blog, so I have been mum for a few months now. The binding was finished up a few days ago, and a piece of lathe was cut to size by Matt so that it could be hung on the wall...

That was nearly a disastrous decision, for once on my kitchen wall, that darn rug just didn't want to come back down. But I managed, with all of my might to wrestle it down, wrap it up, and give it away (sniff) to my Sister in Law for her birthday...

And that smile made it all worth while. It is so nice to know someone (a rarity out West) who truly appreciates the old arts. She told me I'm good on giving her gifts for at least 5 years now... as if THAT will happen.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

More Detour-ing

Still working away at my hooked rug- I think I must be very slow at it... I feel like I should be done by now! I'm sure that there are many factors working against me. I have never taken a class or even SEEN rug-hooking taking place, I am just doing it how I think it is supposed to be done, much in the way that I imagine it was done years ago. I am hooking on a burlap coffee bag, which is uneven and course. And I am hooking without the benefit of a frame; call me crazy, but I stitch "in-hand", and although I tried using a big quilting hoop in the beginning, decided that I much prefer to hook "in-hand" as well.

Here is my progress at the end of the weekend:

And after the last two evenings, this is what it looks like this afternoon:

A Slight Detour

Since I already have my sampler models finished for all charts to be released the remainder of 2009, I decided to take a little break this last weekend from stitching. Instead, I pulled out a hooked rug (my first) that has been languishing in a tote for a year and a half.

Rug hooking is a craft that I have long wanted to learn, but I have found that it isn't an easy one to do in the vicinity of small children, so after a brief start when Katie was a newborn, I have patiently waited to continue.

Here is my rug as of today (the design is based on a rug in Pat Cross' book Purely Primitive)...

Being my first, and not being sure whether or not I would truly like the craft, I am hooking it on a (free to me) burlap coffee bag panel, rather than spending money on rug linen. In the true spirit of the pioneer women before me, I suppose!

I have really enjoyed the small bit that I have done thus far, and have every intention of continuing to learn. But, despite warnings to the contrary, it will most definitely NOT replace my first love of stitching samplers; a fact that should make the majority of my readers very happy.