Friday, March 11, 2016

~ Springtime Inspiration ~

Our weather lately is for the Birds!
and I mean that in the best way possible :)

warm days & cool nights has our grass growing greener by the minute
and the redbuds bursting forth ~ 
… not to mention all of the daffodils by our beautiful country back roadsides 

these warm temps are favorable for my little feathered friends…
and our Robin activity has been busy!




I love Robins ~
 they are hard working fat little omnivorous bird-friends that do a great job of helping to keep the ground aerated by working their beaks into the earth to fetch grubs and worms.

and they are quite dashing with their grey/brown coats & red vests aren't they?




birds usually find their way into my folk art & needlework as some of you may notice ~
I am especially drawn to creating characters out of them like my little
Dreaming Robin below, rendered in watercolors & inks back in 2014.




~ I watch for the Finches & Bluebirds to visit our birdhouses ~
and happily celebrate the birth of 'our' young Wrens and Chickadees each Spring & Summer !!





oh, don't think that I don't have other means of inspiration ~ 
I have many friends here that constantly give me 'suggestions' of what to create next…
yes, yes Pinocchio ~ I will hook a rug in your honor too
{he's jealous because I hooked "Daisy" a few years ago and haven't gotten 'round to his rug yet…}



Here is my "Daisy" rug as I was working on it, below…





Hannah & Willie Nelson are home with us for a short Spring break…
perhaps Willie will find his way into my work?
how cute would that be…
:)




Well, I'll just have to keep filling those sketchbooks of mine with muses of
pencil-strokes for future projects…

here is my 'Big Bird' rug I'm working on now…
I am loving the colors & textures in this one!




big fat wide 1/2" hand torn & plush wool strips for the bird's body & wing ~




then machine {cutter} & hand cut 1/4" strips 
for the birds' head, the vines & leaves.




...still deciding on a background color though.

I have this beautiful peach/salmon colored wool with brown & robin's egg blue running through it is wide windowpane plaid…it's on the right below:




I love it and think it will work well…
but, who knows?




… maybe I'll go with a darker background?

that's what's fun about rug hooking…
if the color isn't right, just pull out those loops and begin again!
{commonly referred to as 'Reverse-hooking"}
;)




~ I'll show more progress soon ~




So, do tell me…
what are your creative inspirations lately?
… what are your muses calling you to create?
or
has the warmer weather found you,
 as well as I 
with the windows flung-open and fresh sheets snapping on the clothesline 
in these March winds?
Hurray for Spring Cleaning & Daylight Savings Tine!

woot woot!


~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 
 Lori

6 comments:

Lana Manis said...

Good morning, Lori! I haven't done a lot of rug hooking, but I never really thought about mixing different widths. I like that idea! :)
Birds are often my inspiration, too... just did a bird post this morning. And recently rabbits have been on my mind... usually anything to do with nature. :)

Have a blessed weekend!
Lana

Prims and Needles said...

Hi Lori,
Again, I can't tell you how much I love reading your blog. To be honest one of my biggest inspirations lately has been your blog. I use to live in the country and hope to be back there as soon as possible. For now, we live in a small city, so I long for the big beautiful yard, with flowers popping up and nature all around me. I enjoy your blog so much, because you share that with all of us. So even though I can be physically in the country, my mind is allowed to go there every once in awhile through your pictures and words. My muse lately has been sheep, not sure why, but I have had a fixation on sheep, oh and bunnies too. LOL! Well, gotta get some stitching done today. That is my happy place! LOL! I hope you have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks. Lots of love,
Coline

Anonymous said...

Spring has arrived here, too…but with LOTS of rain, so I've been working on my projects indoors, though I'm itching to get out there in the gardens!! Your Big Bird is filling out nicely, and I noticed you've woven in a bit of purple (mulberry) into the vines and leaves! :) Pinocchio is absolutely charming…you can tell him I said so. Have a beautiful day, Lori!

elaine allerton said...

Love the pictures of your gardens,, pets,, and sewing room,,,,
Love ur latest rug hooking ,, big bird,,, love seeing ur progress,,,
Thanks for sharing,,,,

denise said...

i love my robin thread winder!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three Sheep Studio said...

Your color selection is 'spot on' for that lovely bird surrounded with leaves. Happy Spring !
Rose