Finishing Up 2021

    

Hearth rug hooked as a gift for our daughter. "Garden Gone Wild" pattern by Sally Kallin

     My resolve this winter is to finish up projects I began last year before I start up too many new ones. I usually have multiple projects going on at the same time and I jump from one to another depending on what I am in the mood to work on. 

     I keep a photo file of all the things I make. I am not really sure why I do that except that my friend who taught me how to rug hook does so and she encouraged me to do the same. Rugs, quilts, and cross stitch projects can take weeks and months to make. On any given day it doesn't feel like I'm getting very far on a project. However, looking back at the photos from last year made me realize that I actually accomplished a lot!

     For the past four years I have mainly only made rugs. It's a craft that can be picked up easily and quickly, if one is so inclined. A good friend taught me how to hook and she shared her vision to start a rug hooking group in our area. She saw it as an opportunity for local hookers to gather together once a month, spend the day hooking, share ideas and know-how, and teach their craft to a new generation. This friend is in her late eighties and she wasn't inclined to do this on her own so I joined with her on the idea and two years ago we formed Blue Ridge Ruggers. We are an affiliation of ATHA, the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists, and we now have over thirty members! The women of the group are talented and inspiring. We have had several beginners join on and they have learned beautifully from the experienced hookers. The group took off much better than we anticipated and it is wonderful to be a part of it.

 

An old footstool that I recovered with a hooked rug. "Garden Hideaway" pattern by Marijo Taylor

    

I hooked this rug for the grandchildren's room. "Feeding the Hens" pattern by Winter Cottage

     Last year I decided to revisit some other crafts that I used to enjoy but had given up. My mother taught me how to embroider and cross stitch when I was around nine years old. I taught myself how to quilt when I was in my early twenties. There wasn't much time to make anything at all when our family was growing. I mostly made dresses for the girls and items as gifts. Decades went by without embroidering or quilting a thing. Now, at this stage of life I wasn't even sure I would be able to see the threads on cross stitch linen any more! I was very pleased when I found that I could still see well enough with my glasses to stitch. I was also encouraged and inspired to get back to quilting by another friend who sews beautiful quilts of her own. It is fun to explore fabrics, threads and above all, color! I have discovered that we are never too old to start something new and there are crafts for all abilities.

     With the start of a new year, I gathered a gallery of some finished projects from 2021. I can always use some inspiration from other crafters and I hope in turn that I can inspire others to create. If you live in the Roanoke, VA area and would like information on our rug hooking group, send me an email.  I have discovered that there are also quilting and cross stitching groups in most cities and towns as well. Crafters are always eager to share their knowledge with beginners and help anyone interested to get started on a craft. The community that grows out of people crafting together is a beautiful, supportive one that reaches far beyond the items created within that circle.

Cross stitch on linen. "Turkey Hollow" pattern by Stacy Nash.

Cross stitch on linen. Pattern was a freebie found online. I stitched this when I was recovering from Covid. I recited Psalm 23 often while I was sick so I added a portion of that verse on my stitching. This had to go back to the framer for straightening and they made it right. I didn't notice that the border design was tilted until I got home.

Little Valentine bowl fillers, cross stitch on linen. I forget the pattern designer.

I just finished this little cross stitch. "Jingle All the Way" pattern by Brenda Gervais

Assorted bowl fillers taken as I was packing fall away. All cross stitched on linen. The squirrel pattern is "Autumn's Bouquet" by Brenda Gervais. The other three patterns are by Blackbird Design.

More bowl fillers cross stitched on linen. I can't recall the designer. (Oh boy, my little shelf is dusty!)

 

 

Another pattern by Blackbird Design, cross stitch on linen. I bought the frame at the Waterford Fair last fall. It was hand painted by a folk artist who was selling paintings there.

One of my final projects of 2021 was lavender sachets that I cross stitched and filled as gifts to friends. 

The first quilts I made in thirty years! I used patterns by Amy Smart and bought all 1930's and 40's reproduction fabrics. These twin quilts are on the beds in the grandchildren's guest room.

I used scraps from the twin quilts to make this little baskets quilt top. It measures only 12"x16" so I think it is destined to be a doll quilt for our youngest granddaughter.

Not quite squeaking in for 2020, I just finished this quilt top yesterday. It's a lap quilt from the book, "Simply Fat Quarters" by It's Sew Emma Patterns.

          And there we have 2021! I have a rug on my frame, an embroidery on my hoop, and fabric ordered for a quilt. The Blue Ridge Ruggers meet tomorrow and I am excited to see what the other women have going on. Some of our members are sick and others are needing surgery. A few members are away for the winter and we won't see them until spring. And yet, we make plans, we move forward and we keep our hands busy while encouraging one another with notes, texts, phone calls, and home visits. From the book, "Grace for Every Season":

"To create is to be at peace....

Handcrafts open the door to friendships and creativity."