Rug Of The Day - March 16th

"I'd rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world"

(Can you guess what famous person said that?)

I designed and hooked this rug which is an adaptation from an antique rug...a couple of years ago my friend found a picture of the original and thought of me instantly because it had a goat design.  I call my version Homespun Goats.  I hooked it on linen with #8 and #8.5 cuts.  I used a variety of antique paisley pieces to hook the three little goats and the "bands" on the big goats.  It was my first real experience with hooking paisley and I was nervous about it, especially cutting it!  It ended up being really fun to do - the trick is to cut your paisley one size larger than the wool strips you are hooking.   I got over my nervousness quickly and loved to see how each paisley piece hooked up differently.

Even though this design is REALLY primitive, I think it is so charming.  Yes, it has goats and you all know how I love goats!  But I like to think about how the original maker felt when she designed this rug.  She probably thought her goats were pretty special too.  Maybe she was commemorating the fact that her billy goat and nanny goat had triplets...that doesn't happen very often and would certainly be a cause for celebration!  And then, to dress up the border a little bit, she put her dinner plate on the edges and drew the curved lines.  All very personal and home-spun.

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Did you guess who said the quote at the top of the page?

George Washington

(Yup, I hear ya, George...I'd rather be on my little "farm" than any place in the world)