A WHIRLWIND TRIP…

After Kathy and Larry left to return to California we zipped out the next day to visit friends in Quebec. Spent a wonderful 4 days visiting beautiful Quebec City (beautiful but CHILLLLLLYYYYY) and playing Tock (a game supposedly developed by Quebec prisoners) and ah ha you guessed it – junkin! This time we went on the hunt for wool jackets and sweaters. I picked up a beautiful wool blanket which initially was going to be torn up and hooked into a rug but I realised after I washed it that it was hand woven and had been loving initialled by the weaver and so it will become a throw instead. Also got legs for my cheese box to make it into a more functional piece – a side table! now to get Gord to actually finish it up for me.

Came home and back to reality – working on kits, dyeing wool, drawing patterns and hmmm maybe some hooking in there! In the meantime a few of Kathy’s students have finished their rugs – well some were finished during the weekend workshop. But Susan emailed me a picture of her beautiful rug which I am so excited to share. It is fabulous – a wonderful collaboration between Kathy and Susan on the design and colour plan…

Wednesday I will once again be at Stitch by Stitch from 10 – 12 and then Saturday I am a vendor at the Cataraqui Guild of Needle Artists Show in Kingston. Hope you can make it…

OH SO SAD…

but so happy. I had almost a week and a half with Kathy. I am sure she is sooooooo tired now that she is home again – and I was sad to see her leave. But my head is full of new rughooking ideas especially on how to make my rugs old and antique (and dirty). And many new fun finishes for smaller rugs (Kathy is considering doing a book on some of her fun finishing techniques so stay tuned!). Kathy’s website is Briarwoodfolkart.com where you can find her patterns and pictures of her finished pieces. The new line of little scrappers is so much fun – great little rugs that are worm busters! Her blog is thegrinningsheep.blogspot.com.

During her stay with us she drew out and hooked and finished her latest “aged” creation:

And finally –  my cat rug finished off… Kathy tried to get me to come over the the dirty “light side” but of course my cat ended up more on the dark side. This is a very primitive rendition of my cat Peanut. Now if you have ever met Miss Pea you might recognize that little belly. Pea has short legs and a hmmm draggy belly – we keep threatening to attach a little swiffer pad to her belly so that she can clean the floors. But I am not sure Peanut recognized herself or IF she did she was not impressed as she turned up her nose and walked away from her rug. The little bird in the right upper corner represents the chickadees (in this case a BLUE chickadee cause remember we are PRIMITIVE) that swoop into the front porch to feed on seeds and drive the cats totally bonkers!

Friday after a week of tiring Kathy and hubby Larry out with touring and  hooking we took a day to go junkin! Oh my – Jillian has moved into the big room and things I never saw before came to light! I left home with good intentions of BUYING NOTHING but Gord dug out 2 wonderful old benches and an old tool box from a tractor that I had to have! So yup less room in the house! but more possible locations for hooked rugs – maybe a dirty light scrapper rug!!!

OOOOPS MISSED A FEW…

Betty’s version of Kathy’s Dancing Rabbits…

And Donna’s Rooster rug (finished by the end of the weekend)…

Mine you will have to wait for – I want to do a fun finish on it this week with Kathy and will then post it (hey girls I know you are jealous but …)

FIBERFEST… KATHY CLARK… IAWAH WEEKEND…

HOLY COW … What a week this has been. First of all Fiberfest last weekend was THE BEST it has ever been. When I first learned we were moving to the arena I was a little nervous about what the show would look like but OHHHH Michael and the other organizers outdid themselves. It was a fabulous location – all vendors in one spot and 12 NEW vendors made the venue beautiful and exciting. I could hardly stop myself from buying – hmmm oops I did NOT stop myself from buying. There were beautiful yarns and handspun hand dyed, rovings, wools, quilts and fabrics, recycled bundles of textures and wools, threads, finished items, supplies and OHHHHH amazing beautiful buttons. I have a passion for old buttons and there were bins and cards of them to look at and buy. Next year – if you were not able to make it to Fiberfest this year – put it on your calendar! It is worth the trip!!!

And then on Wednesday Kathy arrived from California to teach our group her technique of making her rugs old old old looking! Welllllll, she brought samples and was I going to wait until class (which did not start till Friday) to see and fondle those samples – NOOOO. And, be still my heart!!!!! the mini rugs are so exciting and the finishes on the edges are so unique and fun. Class started on friday morning – 17 crazy or is that crazed hookers all desperately waiting for a year to learn how to design a primitive antique looking rug and how to hook it so it looks aged and worn and dirty. We started by being inspired by Kathy’s rugs:

And ended up creating and hooking our own masterpieces:

Susan’s Kisby dog…

Elizabeth’ cat rug…

Barb’s antique pictorial…

Deb’s new hall runner (hooked in almost half inch wide cuts)…

Karen’s bunnies…

Dancing Rabbits (one of Kathy’s designs) by Andrea…

Sandi’s rendition of her dogs Caleb and Hallee…

Linda’s cat rug…

Barb’s Lake Menagerie…

Anne’s Barley Rug (Barley is their dog)…

Carol came over to the dark side and hooked number 8 alllll weekend – I think she is a convert…

Kathy’s design hooked by speedy Tina and almost finished by the end of the weekend…

Wendy’s memory rug…

Louise’s Bunny rug…

If you ever get a chance – take a class with Kathy Clark of Briarwood Folkart.  She is a fountain of information and ideas and tips on how to make your rug aged and generous in her sharing of all she knows. The weekend is over but I have Kathy here for a few more days so I am taking advantage of her! and her knowledge… We may spend some time walnutting (new verb not yet in the dictionary but part of our vocabulary all weekend)…

AND HMMM BACK TO MARMORA WE WENT…

This past weekend niece Dayna came and wanted to go junking – hmmmmm where to take her? Ha like that required any thought – back to Jillians and Vintage Junction and boy did we ever come back with a haul…

My new beautiful trunk now residing in my bedroom…

Antique pastry board that will hold a rug… (saw a similar one on Ebay for over 300 – I am feeling good!!!)…

Antique comb of some sort – if anyone knows what it might have been for please let me know – it is huge so not for combing hair!!! and it seems to have grains stuck in between some of the teeth – hmmmm or would those be bugs?…And some rugs by friends who actually finish things off (unlike me)…

Laurie’s Shoes that last rug made into a footstool topper…

Laurie’s Seagull pillow…

Dayna’s second rug – the frame she found at Jillian’s – cleaned up, sanded and now ready for the frame to be painted black…Dayna in the garage in her haute couture staining her drawer which will hold a rug and become a shelf – have we trained her well???…
Andrea’s finished adaptation of a Rosemary Leach painting… Andrea’s huggggeee scrappy rug – a work in progress…  Karen’s beautiful finished Karla Gerard 3 Blooms – try to zoom in on this one to see allll the texture in those centres…This coming weekend I will be vending at Fiberfest in Almonte. New location this year – the Arena. This is a great event if you are looking for supplies or finished pieces. At the Museum there will be a button show and other exhibits as well. Hours are Saturday and Sunday 10 – 5 and 10 – 4. Hope to see you there…