Finally in the Dye Pot on Off the Wall Friday

 Yes, I did it.  I gathered enough courage to make the dive into the wool dye pots.  You wouldn't think it would be such a big deal since I've been dyeing my own cotton fabric for the last 15 years.  But dyeing wool and dyeing cotton are two totally different things.  One thing is the same though, there is no set way of doing it.  Just like when I did the research on cotton, everyone seemed to do it a bit different.  There were a lot of YOU HAVE TO'S and NEVER DO'S but what there wasn't was a standardized procedure on how to dye a piece of wool.

What finally got me going was I wanted a nice royal blue for Santa's vest and I didn't have it in my small stash of wool.  Luckily, I had bought a set of Cushing Dyes complete with swatches on Facebook Rug Hooking Buy/Sell group.  I love this set  - complete with wooden cigar box.

Out of the 94 colors, I chose "Blue" ...I know right? ...brilliant!

I also chose a nearly white piece of wool with a tiny light grey strip running through it.  I kind of arbitrarily chose it, but actually in the end it was a good choice.

The textured wool and the 94 swatches!

After the many wool dyeing tutorials I watch, I took what they all had in common and did that!

1. Soaked the wool with some kind of  humectant..some people use dish soap, some use Synthrapol, some use vinegar.  I had Synthrapol so I just used a splash of that.  I soaked it for about an hour while I gathered my other stuff.

2. Cut a fat quarter of wool.  Measured a 1/4 teaspoon of dye into a cup of filtered water. Gathered all utensils I needed and would forever be designated to wool dyeing. Honestly there is no set measurement for how much dye you use ...mostly people just guess.

3. Filled the dye pot to 3/4 full of filtered water.  Heated the water to just below boiling ...so I kept it around 170 degrees.  I used my new vintage enamel pot since with the white it's easy to see the dye water.  Don't use aluminum pots.

4. Put the fabric and the dye into the water...let simmer for about 15 minutes...put in a big splash of
vinegar in with it, to set the dye...let that simmer for about 15 more minutes making sure the wool didn't get too dark.  Once I was sure it was the right color, I took it out. (everyone does it different but basically it all involves hot water, vinegar and wool for various amounts of time and dye)

5. Rinsed it in warm water cooling gradually to cold.  At this point really no dye was bleeding out of it.

6.  There was still plenty of dye in the pot and I could have dyed more (which I should have but didn't think of ).  Really, I probably only needed 1/8th of a teaspoon of dye for the fat quarter.  

7. I spun the dye in a salad spinner and gave it a finally fluff in the dryer.

For the record, it was much faster and easier than low immersion dyeing of cotton.  But of course I was only doing 1 fat quarter as opposed to me doing 24 fat quarters at a time.   The thing about dyeing for rug hooking is that for the most part you are doing small amounts and can dye up what you need as you need it.   That is totally different than how most quilters do it.   I am VERY happy with the results because it's just the color I needed. 

And speaking of that...on this week's....

Rug Watch

Santa has now gained a vest!  Yes, there is the hand dyed blue vest.  While hooking I realized that I had inadvertently chosen a textured wool which not only gave it a slight little change where the gray was in it, but also gave it a more "nubby" loop perfectly suited for his vest.  The wool is a bit more fragile especially since it's only 1/8th wide but it hooks up lovely! 

I also used yarn for the first time.  I meant to watch some tutorials on that but didn't get that far, so I decided to wing it.  I love it!  It's even more nubby than the textured wool,  It's not hard at hook,  

I've really been enjoying doing this project and I like how Santa is looking a little more filled out!

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Thankful on Off the Wall Friday

 My Thanksgiving got snowed out (#lifeonLakeErie) so I have the mopes...but I read this and it helped...

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Transferring Santa on Off the Wall Friday

Sit & Stitch at Whiskey & Wool!

 I got it done.  Well actually, to be clearer, we got it done.  We got Puzzle Santa transferred to the linen backing.  Let me tell you, I now know why patterns are so expensive.  

Let me back up.  In most needlecraft arts, patterns come on paper and you are expected to use the pattern to make your project.  Not in the rug hooking world.  Rug hookers buy their patterns already transferred onto their backing ready to hook. Now I know the reason why.  It's a LOT of work to
transfer anything but the most basic pattern.  

There are a few traditional ways to transfer a pattern, but they all start basically the same.  You cut your backing (for me it's linen) 4" or so bigger than your pattern.   Then you zig zag stitch or serge around the edges to stop fraying.  Then you trace the edges of the pattern on the "Right of Grain".  This is just a fancy way of saying that you pick a corner point and follow the line of the linen straight for the length of your pattern.  You do it for each side of your pattern.  If at the end your box looks a bit wonky, you just stretch it back and forth so that the corners are now 90 degrees.  

Once that's done you can trace the pattern by ....

• Transfer using a light box ...This is what I did because I have a huge light box.  It worked fine but its a bit clunky for a big pattern and its rough on your back. A pro is that you only have to trace it once.  Although you still are starting with a full size pattern. 
• Use a lightweight pellon material.  You trace it on the pellon in a felt marker.  Then pin it to your background and trace it again with the sharpie.  This is nice because you can sit down and just trace and trace until its done.  The downside is now you're tracing it twice. You sit still and just move the fabric around to where you're tracing.
• You use an overhead projector.  Yeah, I know ...who has an overhead projector?  Well, lots of art quilters from the last 25 years!  Honestly, I think this would be the easiest for me.  You design your pattern.  Transfer it to acetate sheet (or have a copy store do that for you ...do they still do that?)  Put your background up on the wall (maybe with something behind it to catch any bleed through).  Arrange the acetate's border to match the on-grain border on your background ... then trace.  You're only tracing once and you don't have to draw a full size pattern to begin with.  Next pattern, I'm trying it this way and let you know how it goes!

Really the first two ways are the most common for rug hookers but both have you tracing the pattern two or three times at least!  Also, with these methods, your pattern either has to be blown up at the local copy shop or drawn full size.

Anyways, it took us about 4 hrs to get the pattern transferred.  It probably wouldn't have taken that long, but my husband is a perfectionist when it comes to drafting. But looking at the finish product, I'm so glad he is!  Honestly, with all the work he did on this pattern, he's soooo in the running for husband of the year award.  

Amazing this is where they begin right?

The end product is 22" by 36" which is considered a medium pattern. Patterns this size go for about $100-$125 on linen.  (Linen is about $40/yd ...36" by 60")  So needless to say, not only do we have an original pattern, but we saved ourselves a hunk of change!  Plus, I know it's on the straight of grain and its traced right.  Both issues, I've seen complained about in reviews of patterns.

With the pattern all done, I was ready to go back to Whiskey and Wool for their first free Sit & Stitch.  OMGosh so much fun! Fiber Artists from the area all gathered for 5 hrs of social stitching time.  There were embroiders, cross stitchers, needle punchers, and of course rug hookers. There was even someone working on a quilt!  If you work with fiber by hand, you were invited.   I really had a good time and got to meet some nice ladies.  Plus, I was the only rug hooker doing a project in "fine cut" #4's.  Lots of people had never seen rug hooking before and we could show the difference of how a size 9 looks like and a size 4.  

So Far

I love working in 4's.  The wool strips just blend together nicely, and you can really get a good shade with it!  I started with the red because I had that here, but sooner rather than later I'm going to start dyeing! 

That's Me...

(Linking with Kathy's Slow Stitch Sunday)

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A Pattern is Born on Off the Wall Friday

 I was hoping to have more done this week creatively, but alas it is not so.  I'll blame it on the early snow (11" in Meadville, PA where I work) and the shorter days.  It makes you want to get home from work, watch the sun go down at 5 pm and get into bed.  I did start my light therapy and am feeling a bit better...we'll see.  I should have started it in October!

At least, I helped my husband design the pattern for Puzzle Santa....speaking of which...

Here's what you missed on Glee....

I bought an auction lot of half a project on EBay from the estate of a beloved rug hooker.....

I didn't realize until I got it that it was only half the pattern....

Then I had to sweet talk my husband into finishing the Santa from the photo and helping me design the rest. I took a long time to research Christmas and winter rugs.  With rug designs, you always got to keep in mind that what cut size you want to use and how will the design look in a bunch of little loops.  That's why  patterns don't always translate exactly into rug patterns.  

For inspiration, I found this pattern on W. Cushing & Co.'s site that I really liked.  It is called Winter Wonderland designed by Joan Moshimer based on a vintage postcard. 

Here is Ruth Poole's interpretation hooked ...see how hooking can really change the tone of it..something to remember. 

I think it's the vintage feel of it that spoke to me and how it would go good with my Santa.  Showing it to my husband, we brainstormed ideas.  This is what we came up with....

And you thought I married him for his looks....
He taught himself how to draw off of YouTube 

I'm a little bummed I couldn't figure out how to get that luscious moon in but "Oh, Well!"  I do like how it now looks like a proper rug.   With the new border, it grounds Santa instead of just letting him hang out there. I still gotta work out the snow banks, but it's getting there.

Saturday, I have to get it onto linen and start color planning out the beginning of it.  I know you are skeptical that I am going to be able to shake this bout of winter ennui to get it done...but I have a plan.  Sunday, I'm going out to a hook in with some friends and if I'm going to have something to hook, the pattern needs transferred.  Always good to have a little peer pressure to pull you out of a funk! 

That's as far as I got....

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Let's Talk Wool on Off the Wall Friday

 One of the biggest learning curves in my rug hooking journey, has been tracking down materials to actually do rug hooking.  I guess I've been spoiled with quilting all these years.  There has never been a problem finding fabric and notions to quilt with.  At one point there were 11 quilt shops within an hour's drive of my house.  That doesn't count the JoAnne's (may it RIP) and other fabric stores.  

But rug hooking and wool is much different.  This is what I've learned so far.  Here in the United States, there are just a couple of major distributors of wool.  There used to be more but with people aging out of the business, there is less selection.   These businesses through their mill contacts order patterns of wools in large quantities.  Then all the smaller vendors of wools throughout the country buy it from the main distributors.  That is not to say, that some vendors aren't buying wool on the secondary market, because surely, they are.  But the quality wool is coming basically coming through these primary channels.  

The weird thing about wool, unlike quilting cotton, is it is not all uniform.  Some are thicker, some are thinner.  Some are tighter weave, and some are looser.  Most rug hooking wool will be about 12-14 oz per yard.  These variations of course make it harder to buy online since really you have to feel the wool  to know if it's the kind of wool you like to hook with.  

One thing they all have in common though ... they're all expensive.  Rug hooking wool is going for about $30/yard (which is 36" by 56"-ish). Hand dyed wool is $60-80/yd.  To put that in perspective,,,if you want to hook a 36" by 56" rug, you will need approximately 4 yards of wool.  And that's if you can find the colors you need.  That's why it's not unusual for rug hookers to buy a pattern and contact a local vendor to help them color plan the pattern, basically kitting it out to hook.  

It's such a different way to create than most quilters that it took a while for me to wrap my head around.  I do have a plan on how I'm going to get wool though.  Now that I have a small working stash here, I'm going to either #1 dye the colors I need and  #2 watch out for estate sales of rug hookers.  Of course,

hookers stash wool like we stash fabric and have patterns from years gone by.  

Interesting isn't it?  

With that said, last month, I took a visit with some rug hooking friends to a new shop called Whiskey & Wool in Kinsman, Ohio.  Housed in a restored turn of the century house, it specializes in the primitive fiber arts of needle punching, embroidery, cross stitch and rug hooking.  They had a nice selection of Valdai pearl cotton, as well as wool and patterns. The shop also sold primitive decorative items and of course whiskey.  Whosever had the idea to sell fiber arts supplies with whiskey is a genius.  There is also a renovated carriage house for classes and gatherings.   

    

I'm so glad I went for the ride there.  Ohio is really lovely this time of year and there are so many picturesque small towns.  Plus, being opening weekend, they had cider and cookies.  I mean what isn't to love with cider, cookies, wool and friends.   

Oh...and don't worry...I did work on my Puzzle Santa some this week.  I have the pattern for the Santa done...well rather...my husband has the Santa done and I've been brainstorming ideas for a simple background.  He just seemed so lonely sitting out there on a black background.

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Solving a Santa Puzzle Rug on Off the Wall Friday

 

I always say that November through February are the hardest months to create...well if you live on the banks of Lake Erie that is.  All we have is grey, wet/snowy weather for days. This week it looks like we're sliding right into that time with 2 (going on 3) straight days of rain.  

The Box of a UFO Project

With that I've had to dig deep to make sure my hands keep making.  That said, I had to admit my limitations.  Coming to the end of the Autumn Fruit rug, I'll be wanting a new project.  I thought my Umbrella & Flowers would be next, but it's only halfway designed and I don't want to rush it.

So, what's a girl to do?  Check out Ebay for some UFO rug projects!  Worked once - why not again?  I'm a huge believer of UFO's on eBay ....listing them and buying them.  You have UFO's in your closet that you're never going to finish?  List them on eBay! Give them a new lease in life and free up some mental space (including guilt).  Something about letting a project go ...truly go.... is so freeing.  

What He's Supposed to Look Like 

For that matter, you looking for a new project, but not sure what to do?    Check out eBay.  

I've gotten some true bargains there with UFO's over the years.  Something about seeing the person's original vision, figuring out where they were going and then deciding where you want to go is really fun for me.  Not only are you creating but you're also solving a puzzle.

And that's what I got this time...A puzzle.  Now to be fair the seller, showed exactly what you got....a pattern, some notes and a box of random wool and yarn.  All of it photographed nicely and for the low price of $35.What I didn't realize until I just opened the box to write this post is that I only have about 2/3rd the pattern and the notes of the original hooker are in her shorthand.  Luckily, I do have a clear photo on how it is supposed to come out and a husband who actually can draw.  Plus, I see that she originally meant it to be hooked in fine cuts probably 3 and 4's and that's what I wanted to tackle next.  Oh and the random yarn.  I know you can hook with yarn but have I ....no.  This ought to be interesting.  I said I love a good puzzle.  

The Partial Pattern

If anything, I'll work out the puzzle and take you all along for the ride.  It should help get me through the grey days of the year.  What do you think?  Will I be able to finish the Santa?

Speaking of Finishes.....

On this week's Rug Watch...I'm getting really close to the end.  Just a bit more hooking of the background.  Then I'm going to do some adjusting.  I love that with rug hooking there are no knots...that's right ....no knots.  Wrap your mind around that?  It's so easy to pull loops out if you want to adjust some colors or lines.  And yeah I know - the background is a bit crazy.  

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Off the Wall Friday

 I'm having a week as they say...so I thought I would just host!

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