Tan Binding Tape

Hi! Just a quick post to let you know I am selling some tan binding tape at a reduced price. It measures just under an inch wide. Although I normally like binding tape to be an inch and a quarter, I think this tape would still work for rug hooking.

So, the price for a five-yard roll is $3.25 plus $2.75 s/h. I probably have five rolls, so if you want any let me know.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Update

Hello fiber enthusiasts!

It's been awhile. I had foot surgery in early February that laid me up for a bit, but getting around better now. The good thing about sitting around, is that you get to hook, embroider, knit, read, etc.

Here is a nice little rug that I just finished. It's a Deanne Fitzpatrick rug that originally featured a Santa in a boat. I changed the Santa to a fisherman, knit him a hat, and turned it into a stormy day. A fun rug that didn't take too long and was small enough to use a lap frame making it easy to maneuver while my foot was mending.

Another project I'm working on is a hooked book of birds. I have wanted to make a book of hooked pieces for a long time. Two are done, and I am working on a third. I have not decided what to do with the back of the pages yet, but I'm thinking of a wool piece with the name of the bird embroidered on it. We'll see.

The first page is a Canada goose. You can see that in addition to hooking, I've added in some wool appliqué and embroidery. The piece is hooked on hand-dyed linen. I am finding it a bit challenging keeping the loops crisp and sharp in the beak. I may have to put a few stitches in to keep it from leaning to one side.

The second page is an American Crow. In this piece I embroidered and appliquéd flowers. Note also that the wing was hooked separately and sewn on to the body of the crow to add some dimension to the bird. (Sorry, the picture is a bit dark.)

My third page is in the works -- a barn owl in a tree. The background linen is a deep blue and is the perfect night sky for this piece. I'll post that as soon as I get a little further on it.

I have plans to do a warbler, a shore bird, and my favorite, the nuthatch. Not sure how many pages I'll do, but each piece is small, so not a lot of hooking is involved. What's great about this project is that I've been able to combine different types of fiber art into one piece.

Crocheted Village

Saw this link and I had to share it. Some crocheting ladies in Ireland recreated their village by crocheting the buildings in the town. Crocheting has never been my forte, but I admire them for their beautiful handiwork in wool! Enjoy!

Crocheted Village

Working on a Whale

Since we purchased a home in Salem, MA to make it more convenient to visit my daughter and her family, I've been thinking about rugs to put in the new house. I added my sea village to the dining room, and am now working on a Polly Minick rug of a whale found in her book American Summer: Seaside Inspired Rugs and Quilts. Click on the image of the book below to go to Amazon. Surprisingly, the book is only $4.40!



Getting close to the finish, and I thought I'd post a photo. I'm working on the border and getting the sky done. I find myself taking it off the frame, putting it on the floor, giving it a critical eye, and ripping out some sections that don't work for me. Slowly, it's coming together. The eye still needs to be added. I'm going to use the same technique I used for the flag. The black area of the eye will be coiled around the yellow. The flag was a bit tough. I sewed the strips together and then attached to rug. Once the hooking surrounded the flag, the strips puffed up, and I had to steam it to get it to lay flat before the rug was even finished.

Here is a photo of the Sea Village rug that hangs in the house in Salem. It is a Karla Gerard design. I thought I had a finished photo, but this is close enough. What a fun rug this was to hook.

Dyeing wool in a blizzard!

Today is definitely a snow day as Winter Storm Grayson barrels up the east coast. Luckily, in upstate New York, we are on the edge of the storm expecting 3-5 inches followed by frigid temperatures. My daughter is in Boston, where they will bear the brunt of the storm.

Because of the snow, I decided it would be a good day to hunker in and dye wool. Light shades were the colors calling me, so I got out the natural wool and some other lighter wool and dyed up about 10 yards. Here is some of what I got out of a morning of dyeing. And then, a few closeups.

Summer Moon

Winter Tracks 

Ice and Snow

This wool will be available on Ebay and Etsy (links to the right side).

Hope you are having a wonderful start to the new year and that you are starting work on some new fiber projects. I'm finishing up my whale rug, a pattern by Polly Minick. Looking forward to lots of creativity this year.