Rug Of The Day - Emma's Garden

I chose Emma's Garden for my Rug Of The Day post because there is a little story behind it that connects it to Father's Day.

I once owned a sheep named Emma.  You might remember me talking about her from older blog posts.  She was a Wensleydale, which is a breed that comes from England but is being bred here in the United States too.  She had a big personality, not afraid of anything, and quite the attitude too.  She was my inspiration for the Emma's Garden rug and many of my other designs.

Here is Emma and her mom.

My friend (and Emma's breeder) Neil, carrying her out to our truck when we brought her home.

Look at that face!  And gorgeous curls!

What an attitude!  We were trying to get her out of the pen to have her fleece sheared and she had a temper tantrum.  She would buck up in the air and then flop down on her back with her legs up in the air!

I designed Emma's Garden for a technique class where we learned to proddy the flowers and hook roving and sheep curls. Each participant got a small amount of Emma's curls to hook around the sheep face.  Emma used to chase the birds that landed in her pen so that was the inspiration for the bird perched up in the sunflowers.

Here is another sample of Emma's Garden, hooked by Linda Brown.  Isn't it wonderful?

So now I must explain how this is connected to Father's Day... I am a grandma now and my son named his daughter Emma.  At nine months old, her personality is already starting to shine.  She is funny, sweet, and loves animals.  

Here is Emma and her Grammy feeding the sheep animal crackers. 

You can find the Emma's Garden pattern here:  https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/emmas-garden-22-x-25-25/

The flower petals are drawn on the pattern so if you don't want to do proddy for the sunflowers, you can just hook the petals as you normally would do.  If you make proddy petals, you would ignore the drawn petals.

Happy Father's Day to my son (his first one!) and all the Dads out there!

Rug Of The Day - Old Scrolls and Roses

Today's rug is an antique adaptation that I call Old Scrolls and Roses.

Several years ago, I taught and vended at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum in Athens, Tennessee.  They have a wonderful collection of historic artifacts on display that capture the life and spirit of the area's heritage.  

Displayed amongst the various exhibitions are some wonderful old hooked rugs.  Several of us were lucky enough to also peek at their impressive antique quilt collection that is kept in storage.   

While strolling through the museum, I saw the Old Scrolls and Roses rug and immediately fell in love with it.  I talked to the director and decided to work in collaboration with the museum by adapting the design for us modern day rug hookers and then donating a portion of the proceeds back to the museum for their Textile Preservation Program.  This supports not only the rugs but the beautiful quilt collection. 

This rug was hooked by Brenda Reed and posted to Facebook.  She has really nailed the essence of the original rug.  The red scrolls were what originally made me love this design.  In the antique rugs, scrolls were rarely shaded.  They were merely outlined with one color and filled in with another.  Sometimes they had a "vein" running through the center of the scroll.  It was also typical for the objects to be outlined in a thin line of black or other dark color (another reason why I love this rug) and the center background was often hooked straight across. 

 The outside border of the original was darker but I think the texture that Brenda used works really well and she created a rug with a true vintage feel.  
Bravo, Brenda!

You can purchase the pattern on my website (under the Spruce Ridge Studios pattern tab) here:
https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/old-scrolls-roses-38-x-21/

I originally drew this pattern out to a 38" x 21" size but I found out later that the original rug was larger (52 " x 29"), so I added this larger size for all of the wide cut rug hookers out there.  You can find it here:
https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/old-scrolls-roses-large-52-x-29/

Happy Midsummer, everyone!

Rug Of The Day-Over The Moon

Hello Blog Friends!

I'm back and so is Rug Of The Day!  I did Rug Of The Day several years ago and recently thought that now is the time to bring it back.  This is a personal challenge for me to get back to blogging on a daily basis (or nearly daily) and also a way to show you a sampling of hooked versions of the lovely patterns that are on my website.  Since a lot of us are just staying at home, this will be your eye candy for the day...or maybe you are looking for a new pattern to hook and this will inspire you.  I will also add a few little anecdotes and maybe a few things for sale too.

Over The Moon

This is adapted from a PJ Rankin-Hults design and hooked by me.  I naturally fell in love with this pattern because I have been a dog lover my entire life.  I hooked the dog to resemble my beloved lab, Jack.  He did not have spots (I liked putting them in there anyway) but he did wear a green collar.  He crossed over the rainbow bridge last year but I hooked this before he did, so I think it's a nice tribute to my Jack.
Since the dog was hooked in gold, I didn't want to repeat it again in the moon, so I made the moon blue.  
Which reminds me of Blue Moon ice cream...one of my favorites when I can find it.  Have you ever tried it?

This sweet version was hooked by Deb Nees.  She hooked it to give to her daughter who has a dog named Jet.  I love how Deb added a border (with quillies in the corners!) and personalized it with Jet's name.  A much loved gift, for sure!

This is D'Awn Lowe's version.  She hooked it to give to her granddaughter.  I love the purple sky, which D'Awn tells me is more fitting for the nursery. Another much loved gift!

This is a fun piece to hook and it hooks up quickly because it is not too big!  I used mostly #8.5 cuts and a some #8 cuts for outlining, etc.  I have this pattern available on my website here: 
https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/moon-23-x-16-5/

I also have one kit available in the same colors that I hooked my mat.  To purchase, go to "Kits" and look for Over The Moon.  

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/moon-kit-23-x-16-5/

Maryland Sheep and Wool Virtual Festival is here!

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Virtual Festival starts today at 8:30 am (EDT).

Here is the link to access the Festival vendors:

https://sheepandwool.org/shop-our-vendors/

There are many vendors offering specials.  Spruce Ridge Studios is offering free US shipping, using the code mdsw2020.  This code is only good until Sunday night and you must enter it in the coupon code box on the order form on our website.

The sweet little sheep in the above picture has a funny Festival story.  The very first year I went to vend at the Festival, I saw her in the sheep barn and was told she was for sale.  We had no room in our van or trailer to take her home but it just so happened that there was a man from our area who was showing sheep and he agreed to trailer her back to Michigan with his other animals.  I often joke that most people buy a souvenir t-shirt when they go, but I had to bring home an actual sheep!    This is Sukka, she is a black sheep with little white "socks" on her legs, so her name means "sock" in Finnish (she is a Finn sheep!).  We still have her here on our farm and she is the most lovable girl ever!  During this pandemic, she has come to me for hugs and scratches every day.  Sort of an emotional support sheep, wouldn't you say...she's trying to tell me everything is going to be alright! 

Happy shopping and I wish you fabulous purchases!

Maryland Sheep & Wool Virtual Festival

My beloved sheep Emma and her mom

Dear blog friends ~  
have you heard?

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is having a virtual marketplace all week-end long!

The marketplace will open at 8:30 am tomorrow morning and run the whole week-end.  Some of the vendors will be having special offers, and Spruce Ridge Studios will participating with a special too.  I will post the link for the vendors/marketplace early tomorrow morning and you can shop until you drop!

I am so excited for this week-end's shopping since we cannot attend the festival in person.  I will be able to shop (instead of manning my booth all day) and people from all areas of the country will be able to attend too.  It's all the buzz on Facebook!

So join me tomorrow and support all your fiber friends and neighbors!

My granddaughter, Emma, meets the sheep!  They love animal crackers and Emma loves the sheep!

Studio Construction

My poor little studio has undergone many changes over the years.  I started out in a corner of our walk-out basement with just a few shelves of wool and a couple of baskets of patterns. As the years went on, we expanded that space so it was larger and walled off from the rest of the family room space and then finally, rug hooking took over most of it.  I've had classes and open houses and allowed shoppers to come shop by appointment.  But as I accumulated more and more merchandise and traveled to teach at workshops and camps, my studio truly turned into more of a work/storage space and less of a "shopping" space. 

Right now I can't even bring myself to post a picture of my studio because it has been overtaken with bolts of wool, rolls of foundation cloth, shelves and drawers of patterns, and merchandise stacked up to be packed for the next show.  I have longed for a place that can be my "store," so people can come and shop and put their hands on all this wonderful wool that I have to offer.  A place that I can keep merchandise displayed and it won't get moved or packed up because it is "pattern drawing day."

But good news is coming!  Ken and I have been dreaming of turning our little three-season room (breezeway) into a little rug hooking shop and now it will become a reality!

 So much was needed to be done!  New windows, new flooring, new electrical, adding insulation and siding and heating vents.  Raising the ceiling and painting.  Ken has decided to tackle most of it himself.  You probably know how much we travel so it has taken a while....but we think it should be operational this summer.  Fingers crossed!

I've taken some pictures of the progress so here they are:

 Just about a year ago, Ken started to remove the drop ceiling.  He also started replacing the windows.

Drop ceiling removed and new studs put in.  New electrical wiring, new insulation, and dry wall going up.

New dry wall was installed and the original knotty pine paneling was put back up.

Insulation and dry wall goes on the raised ceiling space.  The old siding on our house was kind of cool but not in good condition to leave it exposed.

Ceiling is drywalled and new lighting is functional.

New pine paneling is going up over the old siding.  Ken experimented with covering the brick but it didn't work out to his satisfaction so now our plan is to mortar wash the brick to make it looked old and reclaimed.

Ken did a little Christmas decorating in his construction zone...haha!

 We were inspired by a friend's wood paneled ceiling so Ken has installed shiplap on the ceiling.

Progress is made...he had to cut around all the ceiling beams and lights!

 He's almost finished!  You can see he uses a scaffold to reach the high spots...and you can see all our junky treasures piled up during the construction. Some of that stuff has got to go!
We will white-wash the pine paneling to give it a light, airy look.

So, you see, slowly but surely Ken is getting things done.  There is still painting to be done but we have to wait for the heat to be installed....coming in 2 weeks!  And then perhaps the flooring is next.  Whew!

Ghost Genie

Last October, I hosted and also taught a class at the Historic Franklin Rug Hooking Retreat in Franklin, Tennessee. My students were really quite wonderful....and very understanding, since I was splitting some of my time with the administrative end of running a rug camp.  My husband and my sister took a lot of the burden off of me, however, and I am forever grateful for that!

One of my students wanted to hook Ghost Genie, which is a design that is adapted by the whimsical folk art of Johanna Parker.  Johanna was born on Halloween and I have to say that she is the "Queen" of Halloween, too!  Her original design uses the traditional Halloween colors of orange and black.

But my student requested no orange in her color planning.  

"What could I do?" I thought to myself. 

Not even an orange pumpkin?

So I thought "Aha! Purple!"

I dyed up some textured woolens in several different values of purple.  I also had an as-is texture that was lighter purple so I thought that it would work for the background.  I couldn't think of anything else but a green pumpkin and I especially love those dusky bluish-green pumpkins like the picture below.  Apparently this one is called a Jarrahdale pumpkin, an heirloom variety from New Zealand.

Lucky for me, Marion loved my color suggestions and she was off to the races!  She hooked A LOT during our rug camp and had an impressive amount hooked by the time we did the "throw-down" on the last day of camp.

It was turning out just the way I had envisioned it but honestly, Marion's lovely hooking style made this rug shine and it was one of the favorites at the rug camp.

Just recently, Marion emailed me a picture of her finished rug.  

The green pumpkin is superb and I love how she used the same green for the dots in the scrolls.  It marches the color around the rug and adds that special spark to make it interesting.

"I absolutely love it" she wrote.  

Wow, I love it too!!!

Just a P.S. about the ice storm I mentioned in my last post....we never got the tons of ice like the weatherman predicted but we did get TONS of rain.  We thought it had affected the pump on our well but upon inspection from the well company, we had a leak or break in the main pipe supply to our house.  The pipe was cemented into our foundation and the water was leaking somewhere in the cement.  Ugh.  So we had to have a major re-route of the pipe line which involved drilling into the foundation and floor.  I did not start my Give Ye Thanks rug after all but it is still waiting for me.  I have a different rug on my frame in the meantime...but that is a story for another post.

Have a great week-end!

Getting Ready For The Ice Storm

We don't get a lot of ice storms in our neck of the woods so when the weatherman says it's going to be a bad one tomorrow, I sit up and take notice.  Of course they make it sound like it's going to come down in Biblical proportions and sometimes they are wrong.  But I'm going to be prepared anyway, just in case they are right.

I'm going to fill water buckets and charge batteries and get out candles.  I bought a rechargeable light for my frame last year so that's getting charged too.  If the lights go out, I'm bundling up and rug hooking!

I have had Notforgotten Farm's Give Ye Thanks pattern on my bucket list for several years so now is the time to hook it!  I can't tell you how excited I am to finally start color planning it for ME!  The linen is stretched over my light table and my sharpies are ready to draw out all the lovely details.  I couldn't help but pull a few textures that were calling to me.

The top four woolens are for the cabin...just dreaming here...a red striped roof, the cabin of rustic brown plaid (sorry-not for sale. This is all I have!) with light taupe chinking.  I have color planned Give Ye Thanks many times and it is really essential that the cabin chinking remains much lighter than the "logs."

Isn't the bottom dotted plaid fabulous???  It might be used for either part of the hills or the oak leaves in the trees.  When I first laid eyes on this texture, I immediately thought it would look good in Give Ye Thanks so I can't wait to figure out where it should go.

I know I'll have a light/taupe background but I haven't planned much more than that.  Once I get the cabin started, I think my brain will be flooded with ideas.

One of the reasons I think this pattern is so great is because I have seen it hooked in many variations and color plans and they all look wonderful.  I know I have shared some of these images before here on my blog but it's fun and inspiring to look at them again.

 Kathy Simmons

 Lori Rippey

 Sue Clark

Kathy Keithley

 Cora Maldonado

Picture taken at the Cream City Hook-in.  Maker unknown.

There is another fabulous version with a barn that just warms my heart but I can't find it in the mess of pictures on my computer.

Stay warm and safe, my friends, and hook something you love!

Welcome 2020!

Hello dear blog friends!  

I have to admit that 2019 wasn't my favorite year and I was happy to see it end.  There wasn't anything catastrophic but lots of little sadnesses and disappointments and just plain bad juju that kept turning up in my life.  People that I thought I had trusted let me down, people I had thought were friends turned out to be less than that.  Social Media was not a kind place, in my opinion.  I sort of pulled back from there to save my sanity.  I admire all the people and businesses who make it work for them....because sometimes it just fueled my sadness and I felt better when I was away from there. 

I lost 3 of my beloved goats this year.  It brings tears to my eyes just to type this.  They were all around 13 years old and lived a happy and pampered life here.  It seems strange to go out to the goat pen and not have them there, looking for treats or asking for a head scratch.  

I had to say goodbye to my beloved dog, Jack.  He was the love of my life too.  We rescued him when he was 6 years old and we ended up getting 9 more years of dog love, much more than I had ever anticipated.  As he got sicker and and more debilitated, I prayed that he would just die in his sleep.  But it seemed that he was hanging on with no joy left and I had to make the decision to send him over the rainbow bridge.  I know I did the right thing but it tore me up.

So, you see, the year was difficult for me.  If I have not answered a message, an email, a phone call, I hope you understand.  There were a lot of thank-you notes and Christmas cards that never got written but it doesn't mean I didn't appreciate you or I wasn't thinking about you or I wasn't thankful for your kindness.  

  I traveled a lot in 2019.   It was not ALL such a bad thing!  I met some really wonderful new friends, reconnected with old ones.  I got to see parts of the USA that I had never seen before, ate some really great regional dishes, shared stories with other rug hookers.  I am truly blessed...but being away for so long can make you long for your bed and normal routine at home. I hardly had time to hook. Sometimes I only had time to swap out a pair of jeans or socks in my suitcase and then throw the suitcase back in my car again.  Which DOES makes me laugh because on my drive to Cape May, I realized that I did not remember to replace the underwear that was taken out of my suitcase and I had to stop at Costco to buy some more. 

On December 31st, I was ruminating about all these sad things and I had gotten myself worked into a funk.  Then I got an unexpected phone call from a friend.  She was bubbly and happy and full of cheer.  I finally had to admit to her that I was feeling a little blue.  After talking to her for 1/2 hour, my whole attitude had changed.  She made me remember the good things that had happened in 2019...but she was even more optimistic about 2020.  It's a nice round number, she said.  I couldn't agree with her more.  

Thanks to my happy friend, I'm going to celebrate the good things in 2019 because that wonderful goodness is being carried over to 2020:  

• I added a new Finn ewe to my flock.  She has a sweet disposition and a personality bigger than the sky.  We named her Kulta, which means "darling" in Finnish.  There is no better name for her!

• I hosted my first ever rug camp, Historic Franklin Rug Hooking Retreat, in Franklin, Tennessee and everybody had fun and went home happy!

• And the best news of all is that I became a first-time grandma to a beautiful and sweet little girl!  So many people told me that there is nothing better than being a grandma but I don't think I could fully understand it until I became one.  Quite unexpected but I think the best surprises come in small packages!

I am already happier in 2020.  I have decided that reevaluation is always necessary.  Many people choose a key word for the New Year instead of resolutions so I am going to try that.  I always resolve to walk more and I'm still going to work on that in 2020.  But my word for my journey into the New Year is 

BALANCE

I am going to BALANCE my days and weeks so I make more personal time for myself (something that was lacking in 2019).  More time for my granddaughter.  More time for living in the moment and enjoying what is around me.  The birds singing.  The sheep baaing.  The color of snow.  The smell of my barn.  The feel of the sun on my face. BALANCE.  So I have more time to write and spend less time lurking on Social Media.  BALANCE.  To make me a happier person in 2020.

My friend was so right.  2020 is a beautifully round number.   

And it is balanced.

Groundhog vs. Copyright

Ladies and Gentlemen....let's get ready to RUMBLE!

In the near corner:  the furry, the sleep deprived, the ever-popular February Sweetheart....GROUNDHOG

(Yaaay!)

In the far corner: the tenacious, the cranky, the often-misunderstood.....COPYRIGHT

(BOOOO!)

So I suppose all of you are thinking that the polar vortex has finally gotten to me and I have lost my mind.  What does a ground hog and copyright have to do with each other?  Well, my friends, they both seem to poke their heads up out of their little lairs at around the same time every year.   And I got your attention, right? 

I have been trying to wean myself away from Facebook for a time but I have noticed a recent buzz about copyright again so I am going to address two things that were mentioned.  You are dismissed if your eyes are glazing over.  No, wait, you'd better stay.

Public Domain

Any works (artwork, designs, etc) that are prior to 1923 are in the Public Domain.  This means there is no longer any copyright and it is free to use by anyone.  Yes, Public Domain can be your friend.  For rug hookers that means that any of the old, old rug designs can be drawn by anyone ... even YOU if you have the desire to do so.  It has been pointed out that the same pattern has been offered for sale by several different pattern designers.  Yes, we can all do that and we are not in violation of copyright.  Sometimes designers avoid certain antique designs if it is being reproduced by another.  But it is certainly not an insult to anyone nor is it wrong if two designers are reproducing the same pattern.  I, for one, do not know every single antique adaptation out there and if I see one I really like, I will most likely draw it, hook it, and sell it.  I will, however, take a little more care about writing on the pattern that it is an "adaptation from an antique" so there will not be folks who think I am trying to pass it off as a Kris Miller original.  Never would be my intention anyway.  Let me tell you one more thing before I move on:  if you are going to draw your own antique designs from Public Domain, please do not copy the antique design from the pattern designer.  Sometimes they add extra flowers or animals or a fancy border to the adaptation.  You would be copying these extras as well.  Please use a picture of the original antique rug or take your own picture.  Then you'll have a clean conscience.

Saundra Porter sent me a link for Public Domain and it is interesting to see that as the years go by, the dates for Public Domain will get adjusted.  For instance, in  2020 it will be 1924.

https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/

Selling finished hooked rugs from a commercial pattern

I may not be popular for pointing this out but it is part of copyright law.  A pattern designer cannot prohibit you from selling your finished product.  You must purchase the canvas from the designer and then after that, you may do what you want with it, except of course make more than one pattern from it.  A while ago, I received an email from a copyright attorney and this was part of his explanation:

Copying the pattern to resale is a no-no but the design copyright does not extend to the physical product made, or in what manner or material, in which an item is made from the instructions. And it never has. Contrary to what designers wish to claim.

You still have to buy the pattern but no one can prohibit you from selling the finished work.  I don't see anyone mass producing hooked rugs using commercial patterns because it would ring up quite the sales receipt!  But if you have a rug or two that is just not your favorite anymore, rest assured that you are allowed to sell it to a new home.

OK, one last disclaimer...I am not a legal expert so visit copyright.gov or contact a legal professional for the best advice.  There ARE gray areas in copyright but I think we can still stick to the basics and do the right thing.

I've got to do last minute preparations for a show so I'll see you later!

Please be kind to each other today.

Off The Ocean Rug School-Jacksonville

Well, friends, I am going to try to get back to blogging...not making any promises as to how often I will post because of my travel and teaching schedule...but I have realized what a happy little place the blogosphere is and I think I'd like to dwell there a while.

I taught at the Off The Ocean Rug School in Jacksonville in mid-January.  I had a wonderful class!  I adored them and the rugs they were working on.  Thanks to everyone who made the week very successful and enjoyable! 

The rug "throw-down" was in a hallway of the hotel so there are some unavoidable shadows. Sorry about that.

 Kay was working Big Bird, a pattern by American Country Rugs.  Her tulips were the color of yellow ware and I LOVE that red background!  Now I want to hook a red background!

 Emily hooked and finished the Caswell Couple (above) and then started on a fraktur design.  Her angel is perfection.

 Starr was working on my pattern Have Ye Any Wool. This one always has a place in my heart because my own wooly critters were models for the sheep (Emma) and goat (Zack).

 Nancye was working on this pattern from Red Barn Rugs.  We tweaked a few things and this is going to be spectacular.  So many things to love about this rug but the cabin/chimney and pine tree are outstanding.

 Leah was working on this pattern from Sally Kallin.  Oh my, I LOVE all the neutrals in this one.  It was basically just "play time" when Leah was hooking...just shifting the neutrals around and not getting too serious about values.

Kudos to Ken for working on Trout.  Ken is a fairly new hooker and this is a huge pattern.  He has a good start!  So proud of what he did during rug school.

 Silvie is a fairly new rug hooker too.  She finished the Honey Bee Chair Pad and then started working on Binx.  I think if she had another half day, she would have finished Binx as well.  I don't think I've ever had any student who finished TWO projects during rug camp.  Bravo, Silvie!
She sat next to Emily at the end of a table so I called them the "over-achievers corner."  Ha ha, fondly, of course.  I am in awe of what they got done.

Karen was hooking Antique Hearts. It's hard to teach the corners because it is just a series of close values hooked in to make it look like the fabrics have faded.  You don't want them to look like stripes, just that the fabrics from long ago wore out and mellowed.  I think Karen nailed it.

There were two other students who had to leave before the throw down.  I wish I could have gotten photos of their projects too, but let me assure you, they were wonderful.
Enjoy your day and stay creative!