HAPPY NEW YEAR and A LITTLE BETWEEN THE HOLIDAYS SHOW AND TELL…

Fingers crossed that despite the rocky start to the new year, 2022 will be a happier and safer year. I look forward to the time when we can all meet again without having to wear a mask – there are times I just don’t recognize people anymore – often hair is longer, whiter and I cannot see the smiles under the masks!

Leslie finished her first miniature punch needle – Canadian Beavers (one of my BFA patterns available as punch needle or rughooking pattern) and did a wonderful job…

Diane finished her miniature punch needle of my Twin Horses pattern which she enlarged and is now attaching to a fabulous 5.00 box from the flea market – box will be painted to add more oomph…

Chris finished Oxford punching this wonderful set of mats for her antique rocking chair as well as hmmm over a dozen of these adorable ornies…

Debra finished her Karla Gerard – love the meaning behind this piece…

My little punch needle for my dear friend Miss C. This is her little dog Sebastian and is tree ornament size…

Anne finished her Barn Owl in Flight (one of my Lisa Ferguson patterns) beautifully – and in the background are two of her woodlands art hooked rugs from Carol Shewan…

Brenda sent me a picture of her finished Christ Gnome – lovvvve the way she hung him = oh maybe hung the rug would be a better way of putting it 🙂 …

HAVE A WONDERFUL JANUARY 1.

MERRY CHRISTMAS…

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone Peace, Health and Joy over the holidays and in the new Year. May 2022 be a better year for all of us…

Someone needs to tell the manufacturer of this squirrel proof (haha) feeder that not only is it not squirrel proof but neither is it DEER PROOF!

NEW SHOW AND TELL…

First – this was our sunrise the other day. What a glorious sky – Gord figures I should hook or punch this sky! Not sure if I could do Mother Nature justice…

and a few rugs and punch needle pieces to share along with some great ideas!…

Linda finished her Winter Skate (one of my Shelly Atkinson patterns that I do as a kit)…

Louise finished hooking my River Otters…

Wendy shared an interesting table that her hubby Vince picked up at Ikea for her – she thinks it was because he was tired of listening to her gripe when she would drop her threader or scissors – this little 39.00 table can be pulled up close, adjusted in height and hold your threads and scissors etc. Vince, another brilliant discovery…

Len shared his hooked piece which he left in the wooden hoop and whipped right over the edge of the hoop – then painted the closure of the frame and the linen that was not covered. What a brilliant idea for using up all those wooden hoops that we all have collected over the years…Thank you Len for sharing…

Karen has almost finished her lovely rug…

Jill finished hooking her Karla Gerard Abstract Village and her Maple Sugaring rugs…

I finished punching another of Isabelle’s little children. This time I wanted it to look more vintage and punched it in colours that were not as high contrast (well maybe the red and green 🙂 ) in a mix of different threads and yarns… It will be adhered to a vintage flat grater and surrounded by – yup – a braided edge…

SHOW AND TELL…

On a beautiful snowy day when I should be outside walking and enjoying the sun and cold and fresh snow, I find myself caught up with hooking and punching – 2 projects on the go, one on each table, and another mini punch that is finished and just needs framing… I will!!! go for a walk sooooon (before we lose the sun which happens way too early these days) but thought I would share a couple of pieces first…

Diane finished her little snowman. Hmmmm, may have to look for one of those birds…

and finished off the pillow for her grandson who had his photo taken with a purple Lamborghini – his favourite car…

Toni sent me a picture of her sweet mat to show me how she used some of my Birches wool that she bought a few years ago…

Dolores finished her hooked rug (Lake Cottages – one of my Karla Gerard patterns). This is her third piece and I think she may be hooked…

and her very first punch needle piece Grannies Violets designed by Wendy Tremblay…

SHOW AND TELL…

A few weeks ago I taught a small wool appliqué class. We kept to protocol and limited the class to 2 people with all 3 of us masked. Despite the masks the Candlemats were mostly finished by the end of the class and turned out beautifully. It was so much fun having a real live class again in the studio…

Len sent me a picture of his stunning Oxford punched piece Prussian Light by Paul Bursnall.. and of his finished Christ-gnome (pattern I have in rughooking and mini punch needle) – love love love the texture in this version…

Beth finished her fun little snowman…

Wendy sent a picture of Winter Pine (a free pattern I had offered in OHCG magazine)…

Karen’s Moose rug (Deanne Fitzpatrick pattern)…

Linda sent me a picture of her adorable version of Downstream (one of my Karla Gerard patterns)…

and Jill sent pix of her Two Santa Runner (one of the rughooking patterns I offer based on the wool appliqué patterns of Heart to Hand)… and her finished punch needle (Chestnut Junction) and Noah’s ark rug (Shelly Atkinson)for her granddaughter…

The other day I finished punching my Belsnickle and hmmmmm what to do with him. Finally decided to mount him on an old grater and decorate him with greenery and lights for the holidays…

Company this past weekend so I got to play…snowman ornament in an antique zinc and milk glass mason jar lid (no mason jar to fit so I did not feel guilty housing my snowman in it…

Antique butter paddle with miniature punch needle (punched this entirely as we watched the International Rughooking Day Zoom session Saturday morning (Gord was able to cast it from his phone to our dumb tv – as opposed to smart tv – and it worked beautifully)…

and finished my gnome on a vintage mason jar which will be filled with goodies and greenery…

and while we punched and hooked Gord and Bill made us little snowmen out of a fallen birch tree complete with wire arms, a golf tee nose (yup he gave one up for the little guy) nose and an old holey wooden glove repurposed into a hat…I did actually paint in eyes yesterday and gave him a bow tie…

and now back to hooking the biggggg rug…

A FEW MORE MINI PUNCH NEEDLE PATTERNS…

I just finished punching another of the new mini punch needle patterns based on the artwork of Isabelle Rollin. This one, entitled Chores all Done, was not a chore at all – it was so much fun. I decided to mount it on an antique (probably vintage as I seem to remember these from my youth spent ironing shirts for dad) ironing trivet. I don’t think the chores are QUITE done yet 🙂 …

and a few new patterns for mini punch from Isabelle… check out my Mini Punch Needle patterns and Kits page for details. These are also available directly from Isabelle as rughooking patterns – contact her at jacisa@live.ca…

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SHOW AND TELL…

A couple of wonderful Molas Oxford punched by Len (first one is a pattern by Norma Batastini – Jungle Mola done in a class with Jayne Nevins and the second is Len’s own design inspired by his 2 Kerry Blue Terriers and entitled Riluke)…

Debra finished Downstream one of my Karla Gerard patterns…

Nancy has been busy busy busy…

…top 2 are designs by Karen Kaiser and bottom 3 are Nancy’s own design…the next three single ones are also Karen Kaiser designs and the bottom 2 are two of my kit patterns…

and this is what I am working on – finishing a huge rug for a friend who can no longer hook it…should keep me going for the rest of the winter 🙂 …

Wendy just sent pix of her creative efforts outside…

There’s no place like gnome… Love it!!!!

SHOW AND TELL..

Tom did a lovely job finishing my River Otters pattern…

Karen sent me a picture of her finished tulip mat – the colours are so sunny they make me smile…

Alyson sent pix of her finished punch needle pieces the last one in a teeny Frame from Robin Whitford…

Karen finished her lovely Dory mat…

and Diane sent pix of her finished Oxford punched pillows for her Grandsons who are avid soccer and football fans – the backing fabric was perfect!…

Kim is hooking a rug to cover a stool – we used Alana Kapell’s Hen pattern and added an extra set of legs (as Kim has 4 chickens) and on the sides we added eggs in nests – cannot wait to see how this one finishes up on the stool.

Helen finished her Merry Christmas Eh punch needle (amazing) and is working on punching a beautiful squirrel…

and I finally finished the first of 2 Christmas stockings. This was based on one of the wool appliqué patterns I carry (with permission from the artist). I always add a show binding to the edge and then add wool to the back and line the stocking with cotton (since I have a quilt store quantity of cotton from my quilting days). Now to fill it with fun stuff for my gr-iece for Christmas!!!… Both of these patterns are available as rughooking or appliqué patterns – just email me.

NEW MINI PUNCH NEEDLE PATTERNS …

I am so excited and happy to announce a new line of patterns by Isabelle Rollin. I am offering the mini punch needle patterns and Isabelle is offering the rughooking patterns. You can contact her directly at jacisa@live.ca. The patterns are based on her lovely ornaments(and I do believe these and more are in stock and available for purchase as well). Wouldn’t it be fun to punch and hook one (or more) of these lovely pieces and at the same time get the ornament! My next punch needle piece will probably be one of these pieces. I am offering them as patterns but they can also be kitted with threads.

The punch needle patterns will vary in size from 6 x 6 to 6 x 7 or 6 x 8 inches – will post the sizes on my punch needle page…

WHAT A FABULOUS DAY…

we had yesterday. 5 hookers gathered together with tons of show and tell and pieces to work on. It was such an uplifting day – gonna do it again!!! Here are some of the pieces either finished or being worked on:

Andrea hooked these landscapes (pattern from Martina Lesar)…

and was whipping her lovely piece from Encompassing Design…

Betty did a wonderful triple whipped finish on her Deanne Fitzpatrick pattern…

Edie’s sweet Dory mat (pattern from Encompassing Design)…

and her bag embellished with a piece originally from Rittermere Hurst Field…

Helen had punched this (Oxford punch and yarns) lovely piece…

Andrea hooked one of my Karla Gerard patterns all in Lopi Yarns…

and is hooking these two huge pieces for her grandchild (pattern Jungle Walk by Harebrained Happenings)…

I finished attaching a show binding to my stocking and will finish it off today and then post it and Helen is finishing a few punch needle pieces off today so there will be more show and tell tomorrow!!!

So inspiring and motivating when we are surrounded by others who share our passions!…