28 April 2012

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

11 April 2012

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).

7 April 2012

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