Just couldn't wait!!

Well, I was going to wait to show you the finished product until I had a beautiful dowel to hang my wall quilt on, but I just couldn't wait!!!  I am so pleasantly suprised and pleased with my first wool wall applique quilt design.  These are not easy to plan and alot of thinking went into this, yes, thinking, that's the key word, remember, I'm blonde!!  LOL!  But, so glad to have it all done, now comes the part of writing up the instruction.  So, if you are interested in this pattern, please keep checking the website, I hope to be able to have it on by the beginning of next week. 

Also wanted to show you my "floating stars" rug that I finished last night.  I stayed up till 1am to get it done.  Again, I've written before about how the design took on a life of it's own.  I'm very happy with the outcome, but it's not done.  I am going to put a blue braided edge on it.  That process will be in the July issue of The Wool Street Journal, so this will be the last time I show this rug.  You'll have to check out the magazine.  Speaking of The Wool Street Journal, mom and I are pleased to announce that we are featured in April's issue.  We got it in the mail the other day and it was like Christmas.  Bonnie did a great job and we are so happy to be a part of the Wool Street Journal Family.  I also have a cute little free wool applique pattern in there, so be sure to check it out.  Off to lunch and Birthday shopping for the husband,

until next time......

Petite Prims...........

Petite Prims ~ Summer Series ~ Wool Applique Wall quilt in Progress, all ready for stitching



Petite Prims ~ Summer Series ~ Wool Applique Quilt partially stitched




Petite Prims ~ Summer Series ~ Small Hooked Rugs (8 x 12) 9 available in pattern or kit form




Ah, nothing better than a warm day to hang out your wool to dry!!

Never a dull moment here!  I get an idea in my head and it will not leave.  I have been wanting to do a wool applique wall quilt for quite some time and had the idea of also creating a set of little rugs to hang just about anywhere in your home.  You know how you look through country living or country sampler and see how people stick a little itty bitty rug in a corner and it looks just so perfect?  Well, I wanted to design some little rugs for that purpose.  So, using that idea, I incorporated those little designs into my wool applique wall quilt.  I just love how it turned out.  My Mother hooked all 9 little rugs and I have been working on the wool applique quilt and am happy to say I just put the last stitch in it a few minutes ago.  I'll add a picture of the finished product as soon as I get the perfect rod to hang it on.
  The pattern/kit for each of the 9 "Petite Prim" hooked rugs will be available shortly on http://www.theoldtatteredflag.com/ or ebay.  The wool applique wall quilt pattern will be available within the next few days.  And, if you'd like to hook the version of the wool wall quilt, we are also making that pattern available.  It will be a very large summer series sampler rug.  Mom is working on it now.  Actually, she has three large rugs going right now.  She says "is it not enough that I'm working on one rug and can't wait to get started on the next project, but now I'm working on three rugs at a time?"  Amazing!!  
In true North Country fashion, we were outside the other day in 78 degree weather, see the wool saying "Ahhhh".  Today it is in the 30's but with the wind chill it is in the teens.......Ugh!! 
That's it for now, off to the next project....Until next time....

More new things!!!!

New Design ~ Hooked Rug Sampler and Woolen Wall Quilt ~ Coming Soon!!



Wools for above project

I have been wanting to design a woolen wall quilt for some time now and this idea has been in my head.  Now, I realize there is nothing new about anything in this design, but what I'm finding is that we get the best feedback about our color choices.  So, with that in mind, I wanted to design a wall quilt with some of "my favorite things"  and have represented the best of primitive symbols.  This is going to be available in so many different forms.  Each block will be available in an 8 x 12 inch hooked pattern so you can hook each separately and hang them as a series, or you can hook only the ones you like.  You can also hook the entire sampler, which is huge at 28 x 40, but will not be too difficult as you can tackle one block at a time.  We are choosing the most primitive and wonderful colors.
You will also be able to purchase this in wool applique form, either all at one or in three different sections.  I recently sent out our monthly newsletter telling about how we are working on this, so I will keep you posted on our progress!!  Stay tuned!!

 

All Six Redware Plate Series Chair Pads Finished!!  Thanks Mom! 

I have three of these listed on my website so far and these are proving to be very popular already.  Well, all six in the series are complete for you to see and will be on Ebay and the website by the end of the day.  We have chosen wonderful red and gold to represent our favorite Redware plates!  Thanks to my Mom for getting these done so fast!!


 I showed a picture of this rug I am hooking right now as kind of an experiement on my last blog and recently one of our hookers came by and asked where the project with the blue stars was.  She thought I had layed blue stars on top of a background.  (I think, right Annette?)  So, I wanted to show the progress of it again.  It is called "Floating Stars" and I had planned on hooking it with only red and white hit or miss.  I did not plan for it to take on the wavy design it did, but it happened quite unexpectedly when I only had 3 reds and three whites.  The pattern took on a life of it's own and I have to say, I do like it.  I plan to do a blue braided edge to match the stars which will frame it in and finish it off beautifully.  This is going to make a beautiful table runner.  I picture a white pitcher filled with flowers on it!  Can't wait to get it done!!   
As usual, always very busy with projects here.....and wonderful spring is here so there is alot of outside work to do.  Never a dull moment.
Until next time.....

Unfamiliar territory

Reaching for the sun!!




New idea.....




Rooster




New wall piece for the living room




New redware plate chair pads coming soon!!!

I am finding myself in unfamiliar territory right now.  I am organized!!! How did that happen??  We put our house on the market last week so the house is clean, we have made repairs and touched up paint.  Which begs the question, why do we wait until we are going to sell to do the small touch ups that we should have done all along??  The taxes are done, computer work is relatively caught up.  I'm in good shape, but, the problem with that is that I am a better worker under pressure.  When I have time on my hands I flounder and can't seem to focus on the task at hand.  But, since my brain never really stops, as you can see by the photos, I have managed to get some things done.  I have designed a nice simple, yet stunning set of redware plate chair pads.  Mom is hooking other rug orders right now so hasn't had much time to work on them, but hopefully they'll be ready in a week or two.  These are going to be awesome in a country, colonial, antique filled home. 
Mom had wanted me to design a rooster for her.  I just love this guy.  The colors are quite vibrant, I always tend to go darker and more muted, but I do love him.
I have started another rug called "floating stars".  It is a table runner and has five big blue stars.  I wanted to do a hit or miss background with reds and whites, but only had three compatible reds.  So I chose three off whites and started hooking.  This is the pattern that developed and I must say, I like the look, kind of like a flowing flag.  It's kind of mundane hooking though so I am only picking it up in between other projects. 
I had this really neat antique piece in the barn that I've been wanting to do something with and when I had a spot on the wall open up I thought of it.  So, I painted it and the heavily antiqued it.  I found this cute little penny rug at a shop nearby and loved the mustard background that matches my walls perfectly and fit in the little space of the piece.  Threw in a grapevine star on top and a sprig of berries hanging on the bottom.  I just love it.  If you see a neat piece, cheap, don't pass it by.  Even if you don't know what your going to do with it at the time, chances are you will find a use for it eventually.  
And then, since spring is right around the corner I wanted to show this picture of a shamrock plant that our good friend Corrine brought us last week.  The flowers only open up during the day and if I didn't know better, I'd say these guys are just reaching for the sun.  Little do they know that yea it's sunny, but only in the 30's outside.
Well, off to do some painting....until next time......