Rag rugging in The Gambia

More photos of Gambian rugs and ruggers are at makings.co.uk, which is another source of rag rugging tools.

I found the site while looking for information on the "Browns tool" but that should be a separate post!

The Brown's tool

The "Brown's tool" is also known as the Brown's rag rugger tool, or simply as the rag rugger tool (not to be confused with a hook or proddy...). In Yorkshire it's called a bodger.

Complete information on how to use the "Brown's tool" is on the Makings Handicrafts website - as well as basic technique, you learn a secret and get tips!

This family history web page has a photo of rag rug tools used in the 1940s/50s, one of which has the name Brown's and a patent number RD673864 and "made in England". That probably explains why the tool is known as the Brown's tool - Mr (or Ms) Brown invented and patented it.

The vintage tool has a different configuration of spring and lever; this one sold recently on ebay.

Annie Sherburne

Thank you for sharing your design ideas with us today Annie.  We all enjoyed seeing you and your wonderful work.

We now have plenty of ideas on which to ponder....

 

 

Jill

Designed and hooked by Jill Izzard

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL RUG HOOKERS EVERYWHERE....

In between days

Festivities fade
The in-between moments
To reflect and hope....

and do a little rug hooking maybe?

Enjoy the remaining days of 2012 - Jill

To give...

It's that time of year - present giving and present making too.

 

Here is a cushion Clare made for her friend Grace as a Christmas gift.

Made with wool pencil rovings,  using the punch-needle technique and working  on her  new wooden frame made by Tom (USA). 

The centre panel is cotton lawn on which Clare photo-printed the chicken design. This panel was then quilted.

Now the backing has been stitched to the front and the cushion is complete.

 I know Grace will be delighted with her gift.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS and  A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Jill

 

December meeting

We all enjoyed our Christmas Meeting at Craft Central in Clerkenwell. Everyone was working on different projects whilst nibbling on lots of scrummy goodies!

This photo shows  Sandra's seat pad - now completed. I just love the colour combination.

We are now looking forward to our January meeting when Annie Sherburne will be coming along to give us lots of creative ideas for our rug hooking.

Festive Greetings to all - Jill

Clare sent me the latest Rug Hooking Magazine yesterday - some innovative projects within. Here is one of them...a combination of Knitting and Rug Hooking...

a colourful and interesting article.

Happy Hooking - Jill

Goodies in the Post ....

 

Look what Mr Postie brought today! I thought I would share this photo with you.

My friend Clare visited a  Rug Event in York  last Saturday. She bought the above spoon for me. The rovings and yarn have been dyed by Clare. She is an expert on dyeing!

The wooden spoon  has  pyrography designed by Lewis Creed  - both he and his wife Louisa are rug hookers.

The cat picture shows a small detail of a rug designed and made by Louisa Creed. I so admire her work.

Happy Hooking - Jill

I saw this rug hooked panel complete with found objects (objet trouvé!!) at the Knitting and Stitching Show today. Well worth a visit.
Jill

Clare's Artist Trading Cards....Hooked!

It's so great to receive a letter these days...although I wouldn't be without e mail...however this morning I received a letter and a small present.  Two beautifully hooked ATC's made by my friend Clare who lives in Skipton - I thought I would share them with you.

The cards have been hooked with Pencil Rovings, some dyed by Clare and some by Cilla Cameron.

See you on Saturday in Clerkenwell. Happy Hooking - Jill

Ben Hall's rugs

A leaflet from a 1999 Crafts Council exhibition turned up recently - it mentioned a fingerprint rug by Ben Hall. Three cheers for the computer age - here it is on his website -

I also enjoyed the "carpet beater" rugs, of which this is an example -

Made of recycled denim.

On his website he says "As a maker/designer I have always been attracted to salvage and re-using materials that may have outlived their original purpose in producing something new. " He enjoys the limitations and constraints of the medium. Do look at his website to see other hooked and proddy work.

Sheep rugs

Patty Yoder's hooked rugs are  on show in Shelburne, Vermont until the end of October. The show is called "The Alphabet of Sheep" and you can read about it, and see more photos, here (from which the picture comes). She published a children's book of the same name in 2003, but unfortunately it's out of print.

From the Shelburne Museum website:

Patty Yoder (1943-2005) created whimsical rugs with an acute attention to detail and an aesthetic eye for color. Born in Nebraska and raised in Ohio, Patty acquired her passion for the traditional art of rug hooking after she and her husband Ramsey retired and moved to a farm in Tinmouth, Vermont.

Together they began to collect rugs, particularly from Esther Knipe, a self-taught hooker, that fueled Patty’s inspiration. Yet it was not until 1992, five years after Esther’s death, that she began to make her own creations. Between 1992 and 2005 she completed a total of 44 rugs.

The Alphabet of Sheep series combines two of her favorite things: the sheep on her farm and the alphabet. Her rugs incorporate her family, friends, or sheep as the subject matter, a joyous celebration of one woman’s life. Through her affiliation with the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, Patty helped to continue contemporary interpretation of this New England artistic tradition.

Today, at our meeting at Craft Central,  Janet K created these wonderful corsages from scraps of wool, exotic fabrics and ribbon. They are  beautiful and I am sure the recipients will be delighted to receive them ....

The Thames

Janet has completed her hooked 'chair pad' based on The Thames and made from scraps of quilting cotton fabrics... it's wonderful!

...best wishes with your new design Janet.
Jill

Beneath The Waves

Yesterday I showed some Year Five pupils how to make flowers using the prodding technique...they made a good attempt at producing some very colourful and unique coral reef plants for their artwork titled Beneath The Waves...

...other examples by Year Five can be seen in a new gallery within my website www.jilltextileart.com


Jill

Living Crafts

Hatfield House and its beautiful Wisteria.....

I visited Living Crafts at Hatfield House today.

 This is a wonderful piece of Textile Jewellery I saw whilst at Living Crafts. Made from felt and leather. It can be manipulated into various shapes and worn as a brooch or a bracelet!

These handmade stitched chocolates were made by the Junior Embroidery and Textile Students at Hertfordshire branch of The Embroiderers Guild in St Albans. They were on show today at Living Crafts amongst many other exhibits.


Jill

we cared not about the rain...

This beautiful piece of Kantha stitched silk shows a tiny detail of Margaret's scarf which she wore today.

It also reminds me of a wonderful day  spent at Janet's house with fellow rug hookers.

Janet also presented us with a great lunch...THANK YOU...

...it may have rained all day but little did we care!

Meeting Jesse for the first time and seeing Susana again was a bonus.

See you all at the June meeting - Jill

Antique rug hooks

The September-October issue of Rug Hooking Magazine, which was one of the publications drifting around at the recent meeting, has an article of antique rug hooks - and in the article were instructions for making your own hook out of an old crochet hook. As someone who has suffered while using a "naked" crochet hook over a prolonged period, I'm eager to give the padded handle a go. After all, in the past, workers often made their own tools and those lasted them a lifetime.

Basically, you wrap the hook (sizes 00 to 5 work well, apparently) in strong, porous tape (like adhesive tape), using the tape to help pad the handle with heavy wool fabric or felt; then glue on some thin leather to finish wrapping the hook. Hold the ends with rubber bands, and let it dry overnight. Take off the bands, trim the leather neatly, and coat the ends with glue, then wrap the ends with string or linen thread; let that dry and finish with a coat of penetrating oil or leather sealer.

You can purchase the article here - or subscribe to magazine ($73 for 5 print issues in Europe -- or $35 for a digital subscription).

The Thames

Today we held our April meeting at Craft Central. With nine members in attendance, and Jocelyn a visitor from Cumbria, it was a lively meeting with each of us working on a completely different project.

I caught sight of the reverse side of Janet B's intended chair pad so had to take a photo. I think you'll agree that The River Thames flows beautifully in this original artwork.

This is Janet's first piece of rug hooking and certainly deserves to be viewed in our blog. Janet is also an expert quilter and often uses left over cotton quilting fabric within her rug hooking to good effect.

A photo of the chair pad will be posted when it is completed.

Happy Easter everyone and...

Happy Hooking/Prodding/Progging and NeedlePunching too.

Jill