Thursday, March 30, 2017

~ Elda's Flowers ~ A Finish ~

It's official ~
I've finished my rug! 

"Elda's Flowers"
all hooked, blocked & bordered...
in it's finished-state,
with the edge it measures approx. 25" x 31"


this was a joy to hook ~ I must say...
watching the colors come together on my linen was pure happiness for me :)

 The story behind the design:
my Mom, Elda Elizabeth Geiste Smith 
~ is turning 87 yrs, young this June 30th.
she was born in Dauphin Co. PA.
She loves the color blue, and wildflowers..... 
💙


the main background color is deep dark blue...
and I pulled in a few other colors from the motifs to add movement.

For the border, I knew I wanted an old scrappy look ~ 
so I hooked it by randomly pulling chosen wool worms 
in shades that complimented the blues used in the background 
... and flowers themselves.

I decided the 'urn' looked too stark and naked ~
so I appliqued a wool heart on to it using linen-colored thread...
then I freehand embroidered Mom's initials on that
' E G S '

Lauren {from Rugs & Pugs} 
asked me to show the main wool I used for the background...
here are two photos of the same wool in different light:
it takes on more brown in some light, and more blue in other light ~ crazy, huh??


I added a label to the back ~
  ... used a scrap piece of homespun cotton fabric in a salmon-color 
and a micro-fine tipped black sharpie.


And as I did previously on my Lancaster Barnyard rug ~
I again crocheted the edge of this rug using delightful heavy hand dyed wool yarn from
Ali Strebel { www.alistrebeldesigns.com } in the perfect "Goldenrod" color.


I'll be listing the pattern in our Etsy shop soon, 
(( available as a mailed Paper pattern, a PDF pattern & hand drawn on Linen ))
and I'll have the rug and patterns on linen and paper with me Saturday at the Virginia Rug Fest
:) 



Happy to get this one finished & shared with you...
~ now on to the next!
Blessings from the Farm
 ~ Lori

24 comments:

Marcia said...

Lori this stunning. The colors are rich and gorgeous! What a beautiful tribute to your Mom.
Can't wait to see what you do next.
Marcia

Vicki Jo said...

That is so precious! Your mother is going to love it. So beautiful - thank you for sharing it with us.

Anonymous said...

Rich, indeed. Beautiful and quite worthy of your dear mother, I'm sure! It's so nice to create something extraordinary, especially for a loved one...

Three Sheep Studio said...

Absolutely divine !
Rose

Rugs and Pugs said...

Lori ~
You are one fast hooker. I love this rug!
Thanks for showing the wool used!!!
Have a great time at the rugfest.
Lauren

Mugwump Woolies said...

What a lovely gift for your mother! i'm sure she is ever so proud of her talented daughter!
Robyn

Jacqueline said...

Love your color combinations in this rug. I bet your Mom will be very pleased.

old crow said...

Lori, your rug is absolutely beautiful! Love the colors! Primitively Lovely!!!
Lucky Momma!!💕💕💕💕

Saundra said...

WOW! That is not the wool I thought it was for the background. Love it! And, you know me....I sure do love scrappy borders, scrappy backgrounds, etc. Thanks for showing the wool and will keep my eye out when Betsy and Rebecca send out their flyers.

Prims By The Water said...

What a fantastic tribute to your dear mom! Love the applique on the vase and the colors...oh my just awesome!!! Good luck this weekend. Janice

village folk art said...

This rug is awesome. I also like the wool swatch you showed for Lauren...'tis very nice. I wonderful gift for your mom. Sweet Job.
Have a pleasant weekend Enjoy with Peace,

Barb

Cheryl R said...

Turned iut just beautiful.

C Reeder PhxAz said...

My favorite of all your rugs. Gorgeous!!!

woollabeast said...

Just beautifully prim, warm & loverly Lori (in every way)! Very ~painterly~ too...great complementary colors that work off each other beautifully! Absolutely {{*love*}} your scrappy border & the appliqued heart with your mom's initials...she's going to be "bowled over" in love with this treasure from her 'special & talented' daughter! Have FUN at the VA Rugfest...enjoy & wishing you a "sell out"! ♥

elaine allerton said...

Love your mat so much! Just gorgeous, ,,, the extra touches are awesome,,, love the appliqued heart,,,, want to order the last 2 mats you have done!!
Have a good weekend at rugfest!!

Unknown said...

It's a beautiful gift, made with love ❤️! She will treasure it.

Cheryl WNC said...

Lori, this is gorgeous. I love the blues also. What a beautiful piece for your mom.

NMK said...

What a beautiful gift for your Mom !!!! Just Love everything about it !!!!

Winnie said...

They always say that finishing the details makes a project the best it can be. I love how you finished everything off on this rug. It is a beauty for sure! Do you have a special place in mind to use it?

I am curious to see what you are planning next. With Spring popping up finally in Virginia, will you do a rug with that in mind? It will be fun to see what has been inspiring you lately!

Lurena Sheary Williamson said...

WoW!! As always a show stopper. Love the richness of the colors. It has a time worn charm too. SImply Fabulous! Wish I was your momma! LOL

Debby said...

You are so quick (and the rug is beautiful!)

moosecraft said...

Absolutely gorgeous! You definitely got you hook going on!!!! :-)
And, Happy Birthday to your Mom!

kathiquilts said...

Just beautiful and such thought put into all the elements and colors you chose. Know this will make your Mom so happy

Jill said...

This rug is just lovely...I follow your blog faithfully and hope to someday travel to your shop and see everything in person. You are such an inspiration! Quick question...where can I purchase some of this background wool???...just love the colors! Cheers, Jill