~ Could it really be so? ~

that's it.

I have made up my mind...

I am going to pull out my hook and wools and HOOK SOMETHING!

ANYthing! 

it has been too long, too hot, too muggy, I've been too busy, too many excuses not to!

 I have been drooooooling over all of the FABulous photos of this year's 

Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week 2018 ~

if you are on Facebook, and a member of my 

Out of Hand Rug Hookers Group 

you can see the almost daily postings of members that have attended and their photos...

if you're NOT yet a member, send me a request to join!

I haven't really pulled a loop since working on and finishing this big-boy in April...

wow

4 months have passed, that's long enough!

yes, I have been loving my embroidery ~ it is fun and fast...and very rewarding

but

so I am in the planning stages for a new design for Autumn.....

sketchbooks all over the place, boxes, bags & baskets overflowing with my woollies,

and my beloved hooks and frame are being dusted off.

and let's not forget!!!

↓ 

Here is a preliminary list of confirmed vendors for this year so far:

Jan Cole - Wool'n Gardener ~ 

hand dyed as/is wools, supplies, patterns, hand dyed linens, finished goods

Jeannie Happ - Two Old Crows {NJ} ~ rug hooking, punch needle & needle felting supplies

Marian Hall - Wooly Dye Works ~ hand dyed wool, fraktur-inspired pattern designs

Terri Leamer - My Winter Cottage ~ rug hooking patterns, and primitive handmades

Teresa Miller - Teresa's Primitive Treasures ~ wooden wares, punch needle supplies, finished goods

Jack & Kathy Newman - Everlastings ~ antique/primitives, folk art & finished goods

Lee & Robin Harrison - Millstone Mercantile ~ antiques/primitives, finished goods

Joan Spalding - Olde Rectory Antiques ~ antiques/primitives

Becky Carney - A Wing and a Prayer ~ Art Dolls, Santa & Pumpkin Dolls

this list will be updated as show nears...

AND so far we have 25 folks registered/signed up for our first-ever Hook In!!

we have some room left, if you're looking to reserve a spot, please contact me asap

Those who are registered for the hook in will receive lunch/snacks, a reserved spot in our studio, access to all vendors and all day shopping and a special treat from Peter & I for attending ;)

cut off date for registering for the hook in is September 1st ~

Shop will be open today, 10:00 - 4:00 and it is another Crafty Saturday!

hope you can come out for a visit.

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Inspiration from the Farm ~

Joan & I have been hooking our large-cut jarrahdale pumpkins

{well, they are torn strips actually...ok, torn & hand-cut.}

Our 1-inch-plus strips were torn first,  then cut in half, 

so I really don't even know what width they are

...just all different!

I drew them out for us on linen, they are approx. 15" across. 

Joan's is almost all hooked and I'll see hers Saturday when she comes out to the shop.

this is mine, all hooked and ready to be 'finish-finished' ~ below.

not sure if it will be a pillow, or mounted onto board, or.....who knows.

~ we'll see.

After seeing one being hooked at the Sauder show last month, 

this was our inspiration:

 

I chose beautiful wools from The Wool Studio 

{thank you Rebecca and family!} 

you can see the textures in the photo here ~

 

I save pumpkin stems each year for projects such as this ~

I chose this one, and Joan has her choice from my stash...

 

 

we'll show them to you side-by-side soon, after they are completely finished :)

Next, I want to hook a 3 dimensional pumpkin...like a round one.

I'll have to figure that one out ~ but I think I can ;) 

&

 here are a few gorgeous photos from my Pinterest boards

to perhaps inspire you to hook a pumpkin too!

enjoy...

 

Wishing you all a wonderful late-Summer day 

filled with Nature's inspiration and profound creativity!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ The Pig is Flying!! ~

 Finally ~

 finished with my hooked rug model for

'When Pigs Fly'

and I have to say, this was a fun hook!

from choosing just the right wools, to using a combination of cuts {#7 - #8.5} 

and pulling loops every evening ~

I have loved every minute of working on & hooking this :)

 

The first loop on this rug was pulled at Sauder Rug Hooking Week,

and I just put the last stitch in the binding this evening.

I love that feeling when a rug is done!

 

oh how I love to design 'primsical' rugs...

{ok, cross stitch, punch needle, etc.} and this is no exception to that rule ~

remember the background wool? 

it is called 'Chocolate Bark Sparkle' from Tow Old Crows in NJ ~

and I did worm-in a bit of black wool to offset the *sparkle* of gold in the Chocolate Bark...

I re-hooked the pig and the broom a couple of times 

but I am super happy with it now!

{ the smirk on that pig's face makes me chuckle } 

The pattern for When Pigs Fly will be available in paper form and on linen here at the show this weekend, and will also be listed in our Etsy shop next week, available as a PDf pattern too ~

yay!!

 

I hope you like it ~

 ...on to the next! 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Drawing Inspiration ~

So I'm already thinking of my next rug to design & hook.

can you tell what my inspiration is?

here's a hint...

the Crow Knows!

Here are a few rugs that have taken up residence in my pea-brain lately...

 ((( all photos below have been 'borrowed' from Pinterest and I may not have all information )))

Magdelina Briener

not sure who' this is but it's cute.

again, not sure of designer/maker but love it.

by Saundra of Woodland junction

by Saundra of Woodland Junction

love their eyes....maker/designer unknown to me.

wool applique, but the concept is beautiful.

this one is wonderful ~ love their blue feet!

Rainy day today... loverly to stay home and hook.

on to the FINISH of hooking When Pigs Fly 

& start on some-kind of sketching for a crow rug.

Joan & I are also challenging each other to hook a Jarrahdale Pumpkin 

using hand torn strips with beautiful wools purchased from Rebecca Erb

...we saw one being hooked at the Sauder show by sweet Sondra Ives

 {designed by the talented Alice LaMar Fraizer}and have been smitten with it ever since! ~ 

I will draw up my own wonky version of a large pumpkin for us and we will start on our pompions 

{French for pumpkins lol} after our show here on the 16th, so stay tuned for our escapades!

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

Keeping the entire USA in our thoughts and prayers

....for no more rain, no more fire.

and no more hate.

☮

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week ~

 We are home.

we are exhausted ~

 and we are so very thrilled to have been a small part of 

Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week

 in Archbold Ohio!!

I didn't have much time to take many photos of the actual show and vendors, 

{ thanks to our friends & customers we were quite busy in the booth!}

but here are some for you ~

Upon entering the door, 

you were greeted by sweet Debra Smith from Rug Hooking Magazine, 

and her helpers ~ one of whom was our friend Nancy Parcels...

taking a right into the exhibit room, 

you were stunned with this wonderful sight:

 

with the exhibit featuring:

 "R is for Rug Hooking", Celebrations rugs, "Men Only" and "Man Made"  

*wowza*

there was so much excitement there 

... that the air felt like it was crackling!!!

 

beautiful finishes, unique mixed mediums ~

 and let us not forget the vendors!

{I do apologize to all vendors for not being able to take a few snaps of your booths}

but here is a link list of ALL vendors for your shopping pleasure:

Ali Strebel Designs for Kindred Spirits
Ali Strebel, Dayton, Ohio
www.alistrebeldesigns.com

Bee Line Art Tools
Stephanie McCammon, Bettendorf, Iowa
www.beelinearttools.com

Dorr Mill Store
Terry Dorr, Guild, New Hampshire
www.dorrmillstore.com

I Love Rug Hooking / Lakeside Oaks 

 Shelley Lencioni, Auburn, California
www.iloverughooking.com

Let Nola Do It
Nola Heidbreder, St. Louis, Missouri
www.nolahooks.com

Mason’s Mercantile 

 Janet Mason, Dunkirk, Ohio
facebook.com/masons.mercantile

Rug Hooking Magazine
Debra Smith, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
rughookingmagazine.com

Searsport Rug Hooking
Christine Sherman & Julie Mattison, Verona Island, Maine
www.searsportrughooking.com

The Oxford Company
Amy Oxford, Cornwall, Vermont
amyoxford.com

The Paisley Studio & Thimblefolk
Sarah McNamara & Barb McNamara, Greenport, New York
paisleystudio.blogspot.com & thimblefolk.blogspot.com

The Wool Studio
Rebecca Erb, Reading, Pennsylvania
www.thewoolstudio.com

Two Old Crows
Jeannine Happe, Blairstown, NJ
facebook.com/twoolddrowsnj

W. Cushing & Company
Lisanne & Ron Miller, Wells, Maine
www.wcushing.com

 

Two Old Crows

Searsport Rug Hooking

Lisanne Miller

 

Lisanne's Tower of Wool!!!!

Lisanne Miller's booth next to Two Old Crows booth

 

And here are a few snaps of our booth ~ Peter made the chicken wire screens especially for this show, and we do thank you all for the compliments on how our booth looked 'farm-y' & 'home-y'

aside from Joan & I being vendors at this wonderful event,

I was blessed with the opportunity to teach a class on Friday as well ~

look at my beautiful students!

{one was late for this pic}

 

 I am not a 'formal' teacher, by any means.

I try not to have "rules" when I teach ~ preferring instead to call them 'gentle guidlines'

 as I want my classes to be enjoyable & fun....

and I hope to share with my students a some-what different view on things.

chatting and creating together...

what could be better?

my readers will know how much I enjoy taking photos of women's hands as they are creating...

such beauty in the way we hold our implements and tools ~

and such reverence in the way we hold our hands, 

... young or old.

we, as women should never be ashamed of our hands...

age spots, scars, knuckles ~ short nails, hang nails & warts even!!!

they are part of us and our journey of life.

 

 Women's hands

are strong enough to weld iron and protect us and our loved ones if need be...

but instantly can be gentle enough to soothe a fevered child's brow or injured kitten.

I would like to express heartfelt thanks to:

~ Kathy Wright and all of the helpers at Sauder Rug Hooking Week ~ 

for inviting us and giving us the opportunity to be a small part of such a fabulous event.

~ All of our customers and friends who continue to support & encourage us 

in what we love to do most.

~ My soulmate & hubby Peter for weeks & weeks of preparation, 

lots of hard work and cold pizza for dinner ~ you hold my heart.

~ Chris, our right & left hands here on the farm: 

without your help with absolutely everything and seemingly never-ending patience with us

we would be a complete mess.

A special Thanks to my dearest friend Joan, 

who, without her by my side and keeping me on my path I would surely fly away.

photo courtesy of Connie Fletcher/Seven Gables Designs ~ taken during my class at Sauder Village.

🎃

and now we are focusing all of our attention

on our own little show here on the farm on September 16th!

 come see us!!!

I will be listing all of our vendors soon!

Blessings from the Farm

~ Lori