Rug Hooking Magazine Pattern Exclusive ~ Autumn Splendor

One day last year I was approached by the editor of Rug Hooking magazine asking if I'd be interested in submitting a design for their Sept/Oct issue.  Would I be interested?  A big YES!  What an honor to be asked and the best part of all, during my favorite time of year.  I grew up in the Green Mountains of Vermont where the mountains literally "set the scene" for everything.  Perhaps that is where I gained my love of color, from those very mountains that crescendo in the fall.  So, I gladly accepted!

I combed through older issues of the magazine to get some idea of which direction to go.  I knew the design should be simple yet engaging.  Another great thing that the season offers....great color and visuals to work with.  I have several designs where the subject matter is surrounded, sheltered or enveloped by greenery, vines, flowers.  I wonder if that says something about me.
I'm going to be really deep here, but I am a true introvert, preferring to stay at home in the comfort of my own "space".  Ok with crowds but from afar, never the "belle of the ball", but more the wallflower.  This was always difficult for me being a military wife as there were always social functions to attend and toward the later years of my husband's Army career more leadership roles for me demanding that I be in the front of the crowd as opposed to the comfortable corner I would have rather been in.  I have been thinking about this a lot lately in my designing.  Does it show that my subjects prefer to be "sheltered"?  Who knows, anyway, I digress!

I knew there would be a sunflower, pumpkin and crow, the three staples of Fall.  The design came together quickly and then it was time to think about color and that is when I handed it over to my Mother.  I mentioned in the magazine that it's like handing over a new toy to a child when I give her a rug design.  You can see the wheels start turning.  I tend to like the more muted colors (again, a sign of my personality?) and Mom sometimes goes brighter, but, I do think I'm converting her.  However, the first one she hooked, the rug below on the far right wasn't doing it!  The crow wasn't "popping"!  And, though we loved that background wool we soon realized that we were not going to have enough if we should sell any kits.
So, Mom decided to special dye a background.  We liked the movement the plaids created and knew we wanted a bluish background so she came up with the version on the left.  Perfect!!  The crow "pops", the sunflower "pops" and the pumpkin "pops".  But there was still another color version in my Mother's head that she had to get out, so she hooked a third, lighter version.  She had toyed with the idea of using a grayish pumpkin but also wanted to use a warmer background, hence the version in the middle.
I loved all three versions, and I loved things about each version.....

 

I loved the background in this version and flecks of gold in the sunflower center.

I loved the warmth of this background and the addition of some lighter strips here and there to create an interesting movement.

And I loved the dark background of this one and the spattered sunflower center.

It was going to be a tough choice, but after much thought we chose this version.....

We went more traditional with the orange pumpkin and gold sunflower.  But the beautiful hand dyed background was the deciding factor!

So, if you love this design and must have it, head on over to www.rughookingmagazine.com to purchase the magazine where there is a pull out of the design so you can draw it yourself to hook or you can purchase the drawn pattern on monks cloth or linen or the whole kit through the magazine.

And if you are a puncher, you can see that I also turned the design into a punch needle version.  This pattern is available right now on our website, www.theoldtatteredflag.com.  The Wool Applique version will be coming soon!  

Take some time to enjoy this wonderful season of Autumn, take note of all the colors.  How many different shades of orange pumpkins are there?  How many shades of rust are there in that one leaf that has fallen to the ground?  How many colors are there in that delicious macintosh apple?
Color is so important in our world of textiles and everyday I find that I notice things in a new, different way.  I would like to thank the folks at Rug Hooking magazine for this wonderful opportunity.  This venture has been an absolute pleasure!

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Until next time......