rug specs…

Thank you, each of you, who commented here or emailed me yesterday ~ I was humbled by your kindness and generosity!

A few of your emails asked for specifics about the rug I’m working on….

The projected dimensions of the finished rug are:  45″ wide x 65″ long…

…each square measures approximately 12″ x 12″.

I’m using, mostly, torn strips up to 3/4 wide, so somewhere between a #8 cut and a #11 or #12 cut (do cutters go up to that width?  I don’t have a clue! :~>)  There are one or two “as-is” wools in the mix, otherwise they are my hand-dyed pieces.

What am I going to do with this rug once it’s finally finished?  It’s going to live by our front door, probably with at least one cat on top of it and one burrowed underneath ~ fun, fun, fun!  Or, maybe I’ll put it on our bed.  On a day like today, with temps in the single digits that extra weight and warmth would be mighty welcome!

 

cuddle up, my friends…

 

rebecca

 

 

weekend hooking….

I’ve been remiss….I started this rug two whole years ago, when the cats were kittens and hooking was a solitary activity.

the oatsy-toatsy

My, how things change.

the elly~belly

Hooking has become a group activity.

lilly-lou-who

Before the advent of the kittens, I was a hooker through and through.  I did some punch needle, but my true love was wool.

wool, oh so soft… almost as soft as ellis’ coat

This rug hasn’t seen the light of day in those two years.

Hooking a rug is like planting a garden ~ one seed, one stitch, and time… lots and lots of time.  Just as a garden grows, so do my rugs….

…one quiet row after another….

…the whisper of wool against linen, it seems that those single stitches, those tiny seeds, will never amount to anything.

three best friends forever

But, like gardens and hooked rugs, like friendships, the more time one gives to a thing, the more that thing will grow.

So, this is where you’ll find me, nearly every weekend.  Cultivating my long neglected rugs…

ellis and lilly

…and keeping good friends near and dear.

 

May you always find the time to give the time to the things you love!

rebecca

 

merry, merry, merry….

may you find peace and joy!

 

rebecca

 

p.s. thank you to the graphics fairy for the clip art. :~>

 

december phm update….

jack frost

Just a quick reminder that today is the December update at Primitive Handmades Mercantile ~ hooray!  I have Jack Frost (a design by Lori Brechlin) listed.  If you’d like to see him on PHM, click here, and be sure to stop by the other wonderful shops ~ there are some lovely lovelies listed this month!

 

Happy day to you!

 

rebecca

h is for horse….

horse

“I” started working on this horse the other day.   I’m planning to make a pull toy from the finished embroidery.  I decided to use Valdani H205 for the spots and 4 for the background.  When I say “I” started working, I really mean….

me and oatsy

…Otis has been doing the work and I’ve been napping.

polka dots galore

I love polka dots, though I have to admit I’m not a fan of punching them, which is why The Oatbran has been doing the embroidering.

“my thumb is the perfect floss holder.” ~ otis

Once Otis finished the dots I got to work on the background.

two more colors…

And, I added two more neutrals to the mix:  Valdani 3 and 5.Next, this horse will take a coffee bath.  While he dries, I’m going to start another horse project.

h is for horse

Otis isn’t around to help me with the dots so…

lilly

…maybe I can persuade Lilly to lend a paw?Doesn’t she do lovely work?  Now all I have to do is background!

 

wishing you all the help you’ll ever need!

 

rebecca

 

 

 

 

 

 

wintry finishes….

I showed you this picture a few posts ago.  Since then, I’ve finished all these projects ~ hooray!  You saw the Santa/Rudolf make do and the Wynter Snowman make do in THIS post.  Now, here are the other finishes plus one more:

feather tree stocking

This Feather Tree Stocking is a design from Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm.…

twig tree santa

as is Twig Tree Santa.

chalkware santa

You can find the fabulous Jan Goos Chalkware Santa design on Need’l Love’s site.

1816 cat and frosty

This 1816 Cat and Frosty is my favorite winter design from Kelley Belfast.  It’s one of the few patterns I’ve punched more than once.

If you’d like to see more photos of my finishes, you can visit these creations by stopping into my etsy shop ~ click here :~>.

It’s been cold, Cold, COLD! here ~ like, feels like 4* cold. brrrrrr, but some of us know the secret to staying warm.

“ahhhh” ~ lilly
“like a kitty sauna!” ~ otis

Lilly and Otis like to get warm by the fire.  Lilly knows there’s an even better way to enjoy feeling toasty….

“i’ll just slip under this little rug…” ~ lilly

…she loves snuggling under things.  (This little MERRY rug was made for me by Kelley Belfast ~ I just love it!)  Unfortunately for Lilly the little Merry mat just won’t stay where she wants it and ends up on the floor.  Poor Lilly…

“i knocked that rug off on purpose, because i’d planned to take a bath.  my life is one busy moment after another.” ~ lilly

But, cats have a way of turning things to their advantage, and the lack of a blanket doesn’t seem to interfere with Lilly’s happiness….

“*sigh*” ~ lilly

be warm, my friends, be warm!

rebecca

winter decorating…

“it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

boxwood wreath

I spent some time earlier this month putting up some wintry decorations, like the above boxwood wreath…and Randy’s stocking which was made for him by a babysitter, long ago.

1 fish, 2 fish

The fish tank, too, is looking festive with three glass ornaments.1 Fish, 2 Fish also have a little nativity scene to get them in the spirit.  Over here, by the fireplace I hung two white wool stockings along with a garland of handmade paper ornaments and antique tin cutters.

angel

star-in-hand

Above the mantle….

’twas the night before christmas

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (design by Robin of Bird in the Hand Primitives) floats serenely.

Stockings hang on each of the dining chairs.  Of course, I had help getting them just right….

“here, let me do that.” ~lilly

Lilly was a marvelous assistant…

“see? all you need are some needle-sharp claws.” ~ lilly

Because of all the claws and curiosity that reside in our abode, we don’t have a large Christmas tree.  However, we do have two small feather trees that perch high above the floor, out of reach of paws and claws.

These trees hold my grandmothers antique ornaments.  Ellis is in charge of tree trimming…

“ta da!” ~ ellis

And, where is Otis all this time?

“i have no shame.” ~ the oatbran

I can’t say I blame him.  Given the choice between a muscle relaxing massage or hours of cleaning and decorating, there’s no question which I’d choose.

 

whatever you decide to do today, enjoy it to the utmost!

 

rebecca

 

 

twig tree santa colors….

hello, hello, hello!

Marsha wrote and asked which Valdani colors i’d used for Lori Brechlin’s Twig Tree Santa.  here they are:

and, here’s how i used them:

4 ~ santa’s hat and coat trim, and santa’s beard

5 ~ santa’s face and star tree topper

P4 ~ background

H205 ~ santa’s bag, boots and mittens

PT2 ~ tree

JP6 ~ santa’s costume

i used a combination of all the flosses, except PT2, for the hill atop which santa stands.  i punched santa’s hat and coat trim, and his beard, at a higher setting on my cameo punch needle.  typically, i punch at the lowest (#1) setting, but for those bits i set my needle at #5.

thank you for your question, Marsha!

joy and blessings….

rebecca

grey house colors…

notforgotten farm grey house

hello, hello!

i had a question about the colors i used for Lori Brechlin’s Grey House.  i made this little pillow over the summer ~ i just love punching houses!

ok, here is the Valdani i used:

and, here’s what i used each for:

4 ~ window panes

146 ~ window frames and muntins (aka window pane dividers.  i just googled what window pane dividers are called and found “muntin” ~ what a cool word!  reminds me “mutton dressed as lamb”, for some inexplicable reason.)

P4 ~ house

H205 ~ roof and door

PT2 ~ vine

thank you for your question, Wendy!

wishing you all a day filled with mirth and merriment (and maybe a few muntins, too)!

 

rebecca

santa’s colors…

 

hello!

i received a couple of questions regarding which Valdani colors i used for Santa.  here they are:

and here’s what i used each for:

4 ~ beard, hat, boot and cuff trim

5 ~ santa’s face, rudolf’s eye, and saddle blanket

H205 ~ rudolf’s body

O154 ~ santa’s mitten, rudolf’s antlers, star on tree, and trim on saddle blanket

PT2 ~ tree and holly on saddle blanket

O510 ~ santa’s costume, rudolf’s nose, holly berries

H212 ~ santa’s eye, rudolf’s eye, boot

i hope this helps!

 

it’s snowing like the dickens, here.  we’re looking forward to a white christmas!

 

stay warm….

 

rebecca