ANN HALLET DESIGNS ARE BACK!!!…

I am so excited and honoured to announce the return of Ann Hallett’s wonderful rughooking designs. When I started rughooking Ann’s patterns were available through Rittermere Hurst Field. When RHF closed their doors (a sad day for all of us!), the designs were in limbo for a while. Now, with Ann’s help, I will gradually be reintroducing them a few at a time. Ann was to be the feature artist at the OHCG annual in April – sadly of course, this did not happen. However, you can look for an amazing article featuring Ann and her designs and her story in the June newsletter. If you are not an OHCG member consider joining – go to the OHCG.org website  for more information.

To start with, Ann and I are reintroducing the following patterns:

– Who let the Cows Out 27 x 39

…hooked by Ann Hallett…

– Northern Sign of Spring 27 x 39

…hooked by Gail Mueller…

…hooked by Bill Brown…

– Rodeo for Dorothy 18 x 36 

…hooked by Ann Hallett…

I also found this lovely version below of Rodeo for Dorothy on the OHCG website from a few years ago. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know who the rughooker is…I hope whoever he/she is does not mind me posting their  rug but I thought it would be interesting to show two entirely different versions of the same pattern… In Ann’s version above, she included a border in memory of her dear friend Dorothy whose life and story inspired the rug design – the version below is the actual pattern…

– Eat Crow 18 x 36

…hooked by Lois Latham…

– The Ancestors 27 x 39

– Scheming Squirrels 18 x 26

 

If anyone reading this has hooked a design by Ann, I would sooooo love it if you could send me a picture and I will post it for all to see.

 

CORRECTION…

The DF Wonky Houses was hooked by Nancy!!!! thank you for letting me know!

SHOW AND TELL…

Nancy finished her tessellating sheep now residing on a wonderful old trunk…

Kim finished her African mud cloth rug…

A Deanne Fitzpatrick hooked by – oh my gosh!!!! I don’t remember! is that isolation forgetfulness setting in.  I already am finding that conversing is getting hard – Gord and I are at the point of grunting at each other and understanding the grunts… Please let me know who hooked this – you are out there I know 🙂 …  Marie’s lovely rug – started by someone else and finished by Marie – we dont know who SMM is?… Susie finished hooking her textured Sunflower kit and just needs to make it into a pillow…

And Mary hooked the same textured Sunflower kit … I love the way people hook so differently and the rugs never look the same… 

Tara did such a beautiful job on her Fox in Trilliums rug (Lisa Ferguson pattern that I kitted only hmmm a few weeks ago! for her)…

If you are looking for a cutter, Carol has a Rigby Model D for sale  –  recently  serviced. Contact  Carol  directly  please…cshewan@kingston.net…

FINAL STEPS IN THE PURSE PROJECT…

The next step is to insert the flap into the body of the purse and hand stitch it in place – yes had stitch 🙂 . A lot of people ask if the flap can be stitched in by machine. Probably! but I actually enjoy hand stitching and I find I can pull my flap right up against the body of the purse better by hand than machine stitching.

The first step is to pin the flap lining out of the way – you don’t want to accidentally stitch into the lining as you are attaching your flap…

Next, pin one side of the flap flush up against the strap on the BACK of the purse (remember the front has been top stitched but the back has not).

Then move across to the other end of the flap and pin it right up against the strap on the other side of the body of the bag.

Next, stretch the flap across the back of the purse and pin it in place. It should fit perfectly in the remaining space and sit nice and flat.

Using good quality doubled thread, from the inside of the purse stitch the linen to the edge of the strap – do a few stitches to secure the strap to the linen so that it does not move around.

Now, turn your purse so that it is facing right side up and bring your needle up through the edge of the purse body…

Bring your needle straight across and down between two loops and right up into the edge of the body of the purse about 1/4 inch away and tug. Continue this stitch all the way across the flap until you reach the end of the flap and the other strap end. Stitch down through the linen, turn to the inside and again anchor your linen to the edge of your strap a few times and then knot off and cut your thread. Your flap is now attached – all that is left to do is sew in the lining of the body of the purse.

The first step is to turn under about 1 inch at the top so that the lining is the same depth as the purse body – press with steam.

Remove the pins from the lining of the purse flap and flatten the lining down inside the purse body and pin.

Line up the seam on the lining with the side seam on the purse body.  Then do  the  same  with  the  other  side  seam.

Pin the lining to the front of the purse body about 1/8 inch below the edge.

Finally pin across the back with the flap lining tucked inside(remember to remove the pins 🙂 holding the flap lining down).

You are now all pinned and ready to stitch. I use a thread that matches the lining of the purse body so stitches are not visible. Start stitching at the spot where the flap and strap edge meet. Bring your needle up through the back of the lining about an 8th of an inch in to bury the knot.

Next bring your needle through the body of the purse straight through into the lining edge 2 times – this anchors the strap so that it does not wiggle when you are using your purse. (please ignore the dirty fingers – too much time in the gardens 🙂 ).

Next slip stitch the lining to the back of the strap.

Once you reach the other side you will once again bring your needle through from the edge of the body of the purse to the lining 2 times again to anchor the strap in place.

Then continue to slip stitch the lining to the body of the purse making sure you do not stitch through to the front of your purse i.e. just catch the back of the folded over edge. Once you reach the strap on the other side repeat the anchoring stitch at either edge and continue across the flap catching the lining ONLY – not the hooked part of the flap and knot off when you are finished. You can add a snap to fasten the flap to the body of the purse – I have always found that the flap is heavy enough that it does not require a snap.And yeahhhhhh IT IS DONE! Now that wasn’t so bad was it? 🙂

I have added this purse to my kits page either as a full or partial kit or as pattern and instructions only.

ATTACHING THE STRAP…

WOW two posts in one day!!!

The first step in attaching the strap is to topstitch with your machine set on a long stitch, the front only of your purse about 1/8 inch from the top from one side seam across to the other, backstitching at both ends. I use the same contrasting thread as on the strap. This topstitching will ensure that the front of your purse does not curl and stays nice and crisp.

Next, because you will be sewing through a number of layers, trim back the seams inside the purse body…

Centre one end of your strap on the inside of one side seam. You want to make sure!!! that you have the good side of the strap against the seam i.e. the side with the fold and raw edge should be on the inside so that it is not seen when hanging over your shoulder. I also make sure that the open or raw edge is facing the back of my purse. Pin  in  place…(if  you  look  closely  you  will  see  I  messed  up  and  had  to  undo  and  restitch  🙂  )

Stitch with your sewing machine from one side all the way across the strap, then back to the centre seam and down the centre seam – like a T – backstitching at beginning and end. This secures the strap well to the body of the purse and ensures it will not move around… I left the threads on so that you could see where I started and stopped. You probably want to do this in a thread that matches your fabric…

 

Now you need to measure the length of your strap. Place your bag on your hip where you would like it to hang when finished and pin the other end of the strap centered on the other side seam so that it hangs properly. Keep in mind that if you plan to use your purse in winter over a coat you may want to make it just a little longer. Make sure your strap is not twisted and top stitch the end into the bag the same way as we did above. Trim off excess and your strap is now securely attached to your purse body. 

The next step will be to add the flap to the purse and the lining.

NEXT STEP – THE PURSE STRAP…

I usually do a strap that is made out of wool. However, I have had students who have repurposed belts as straps attaching them to the body of the purse with D rings. I will cover the process of using a long 2.5 inch wide strip of wool. I wash the wool and then tear it rather than cutting – that way I have nice straight edges that are on straight of grain and won’t ravel. I like to hang my purse across the front of my body with the purse hanging at my hip for easy access so my strap starts off about 57 inches long but I adjust when I am sewing it into the purse body so that it sits in the right spot.

The first step is to fold one side in about half an inch all the way down and press with steam on high setting.

Then fold the other side in so that it overlaps and you have a strap that is approximately 3/4 inch wide. The sizing is important as it makes sure that the purse all fits together. I press as I fold over – I don’t pin except for one pin at the beginning…

Once the strap is all pressed I head to the sewing machine and with a contrasting thread I top stitch down the middle of the strap with the raw edges facing up so that as I stitch I can make sure that the raw edge still covers and does not move. Again, I don’t pin but if you feel more comfortable you can pin – just remember DONT SEW OVER THE PINS! That one line of stitching down the middle holds everything nicely in place.

I then stitch a second curvy line all the way down, flip and do another curvy line in the opposite direction. This holds the strap nice and flat.

Give the strap a good final pressing with your iron set on steam.

Next we are going to sew one end of the strap into the body of the purse.

 

SHOW AND TELL…

Wellllllll, as I was trying to work in the gardens yesterday, putting in a few plants and moving a few to new locations and planting rocks, I realized THE BLACKFLIES DID NOT GET THE MEMO about social distancing!!! Thank goodness we got most of the outdoor work done prior to blackfly season – I HATE black flies! If you have never had the dubious pleasure of meeting up with a blackfly – they are like little tiny vampires! They bite a chuck out of you – meat eaters! and you bleed and itch and swell up! and they swarm!!!!! The only good thing is that hopefully the birds are getting a good feed! and the first day or two of heat will kill them. I kept yelling at them – back back – 6 feet! They don’t listen! so that may be the end of gardening for a few of weeks!!!

Golf courses opened yesterday – with many restrictions and new rules – and Gord is in heaven again! and I get to play without hearing “do you need any help down there” 🙂 . So today I will be dyeing and kitting (my sale of 20% off kits and patterns is still ongoing) and hmmmm, hooking or punching on the porch! So I will be in heaven as well!!!

A few pieces to share:

Julie finished her River Otters – her goal was to use only! what she had in stock so except for the birch tree (my birches wool) everything else was in her stash! I think it gave her version a wonderful old vintage look…

Patsy is a painter and every so often she sends me a picture of one of her paintings that she wants to turn into a hooked rug and I dye the wool for it. This piece is stunning! The story… “my rug is dedicated to my great grandfather John Sawyer Black, who emigrated to Canada from Benbecula Scotland in 1851. He was fourteen years old.”…

Linda’s lovely loon rug-and yup that  would  be  my  birches  wool again…

Helen finished her beautiful chickadee pattern by Timeless Traditions…

NEXT STEP IN THE PURSE PROJECT…

The next step is to pick a fabric for the body and strap of your purse. I like to use wool but usually something heavier than my hooking wool just to give the purse more body. So for this one I dyed a piece of camel coat weight wool the same dark navy as my background. I also dyed a piece for the strap. So the steps for making the body of the purse and lining are as follows:

Cut out your template from freezer paper for the purse body. My purse flap measures 10 wide by 9.5 long so the body of my purse will measure 11 by 11.5 inches. This makes the body of my purse wide enough to accommodate a strap that is about 1 inch wide (oh by the way, I am old – all my measurements are in inches 🙂 ). Now lay out the wool for your purse body – as I mentioned, I am a tad lazy so I double my wool right sides together which means I cut ONCE. Fuse the freezer paper waxed side down, to your wool with your iron set on the highest setting and then cut out along the edge of the freezer paper – do not add a seam allowance.

Repeat the same process with the lining i.e. fold it in 2 layers right sides together, fuse the freezer paper on with your iron and cut out along the edge. You now have the body for your purse and the lining.

It’s now time to head over to the sewing machine. Leave your pieces right sides together and stitch using a short stitch and a half inch seam allowance, sides and bottom only – leave the top open. Now!!! normally I would stitch with a matching thread but so that you can see where I have stitched I have done it in contrasting thread.

 

Next, set aside the lining – you won’t do anything more with it for now. However, the purse body needs to be turned right side out. Before doing that I always press open the seam so that when I turn my body right side out the edges don’t curl. Press open the sides and bottom and then trim around the “corners” to about 1/4 inch – if you are using wool there is no need to clip into the stitch line.

Seam pressed open or flat…

all seams pressed open and corners trimmed…

Now turn your body right side out. I like to “block” my purse body once it is turned rightside out – basically this means giving it the proper shape. To do this I pin around the outside – if you have flat or headless pins these are better as they don’t leave an indentation in your wool once you have steamed it. I use my steamer iron – if you don’t have one use a damp towel on your wool with your iron set on high.

Steam your purse, remove the pins and while the wool is still moist and malleable you can adjust the “corners” into nice round curves.

The final step is turning under about 1 inch at the top of the purse. I eyeball this – it is an approximate amount. And I don’t measure all the way around – I start at the seam and turn down about an inch – move across to the other seam and turn under the same amount and then stretch across the front of the body of the purse and pin and then stretch across the back and pin.

Your fabric will automatically fold along that one inch line – put in a couple more pins and steam press from the inside of the purse body and then remove the pins and give it one shot of steam on the outside front and back and  you are done this step.

The next step will be making the strap and attaching it to your purse body.

CONTINUING THE PROJECT…

The next step is to pick some fun fabric to line your purse. Being a former quilter with a huge!!! stash of fabric, I never have a problem finding a great fabric or pair of fabrics to line the flap and body of my purses. Here I have picked 2 different fabrics – the spot for the flap and the crows for the body of the purse.They work well together and coordinate nicely with my hooked piece – plus they are a little funky.

I use freezer paper for my templates for the lining of the purse and for the body of the purse. My template is essentially the same size as my flap itself – in my patterns and kits I provide freezer paper templates that are the exact size necessary for everything to work well together. The reason I LOVE freezer paper as opposed to just pinning a paper template to my fabric is that it can be reused many times and since I have probably made well over 100 purses over the years I have not had to cut out the template over and over – just keep pressing an old one to my fabric. So cut your template out of freezer paper and with the waxed side DOWN (OTHERWISE IT WILL STICK TO THE BACK OF YOUR IRON 🙂 ) press it to the wrong side of your flap lining fabric.

Leave about 1/2 inch all the way around when you are cutting out. I am always looking for ways to save a bit of time so I place my template about half an inch away from the straight edge – just means I do less cutting out. DO NOT REMOVE THE PAPER ONCE YOU ARE DONE CUTTING OUT!

Next, with your iron press the sides and bottom excess fabric over the edge of your template – do not press the top over. This will give you a perfect smoothly rounded lining for your flap. Once done you can remove the freezer paper template and keep it for future purses – it will be the shape of your linen pattern and your lining.

Now, with wrong sides together, pin your lining to your purse flap… I don’t use a lot of pins. I start at the bottom curved “corners” pin each and then work up the sides as it is more important that the curves at the bottom line up well than the top.

Make sure when you are pinning that you curl the edge of the lining fabric over the edge of the folded linen so that it totally covers the linen – as I stitch I pull the edge of the lining right up to the last row of hooking so no linen peeks through. Your lining may be tight across the back of the flap – not a problem! Stitch one side and when you are at the bottom ready to stitch up the second side you can unfold your lining a bit so that it matches up with the last row of hooking but is no longer tight.

With good quality, doubled matching thread, start stitching at the top edge of the hooking… I stitch with the lining facing me and because I am right handed I have my purse with the open end on my right. I make a double stitch at the beginning i.e. pass your needle through the edge of your lining and into the linen and right back up into the same spot on the edge of your fabric 2 times – this will secure the lining well to the purse flap. Then start stitching always bringing your needle up through the edge of your lining, down straight across in between two loops and right back up into the edge of your lining about a loops width away. Make sure the lining covers all the linen and that you are going straight across and all your stitches will be nicely hidden. A good little trick when you are picking your fabric to line your flap is to use one that is the same colour or value as the edge of your hooking.

Continue all the way around the sides and bottom leaving the top open. Once you are done you may press gently from the lining side just to get rid of any wrinkles. Your flap is now ready!… next step is making the body of the purse and strap.

 

SHOW AND TELL…

Well, with the visiting restrictions at retirement homes we were not able to see my mom for Mother’s Day yesterday – too cold for her to do a balcony visit! But we called and chatted – not quite the same as getting together in real life but at least we can talk every day or 2. So, since I am not a mom!, we decided to celebrate one of our local moms and made her up a nice peanut butter pie! She was thrilled!…

Tara is working on her Fox in Trilliums – one of my Lisa Ferguson patterns… those eyes are amazing!!!…

Helen finished punching her beautiful Fraktur which I will be offering as a punching pattern…ohhh maybe even as a rughooking pattern… hmmmmmmm….and a small leaf design…which she then put into a shadow box… 

Shelagh finished her scrappy Colour Riot mat…
and Christine finished her bubble rug – I think this is such a hoot but I would have dropped the E at the end of CARPE!!!!…and definitely something we should be doing these days – seizing the joy in every day…

Tomorrow I will post the second instalment on the purse …