McGown Workshop Piece...

I have been working on everything else besides my show and tell piece for Western McGown Teachers Workshop. 

I am maybe 20% through with less than a month to complete it along with photos and writeup for publication.  

Have you found yourself in this spot?  How do I fight against the opposing forces of an oppressive deadline and apathy for the piece I was assigned?

Scroll Sampler

I started "Scroll Sampler", a Jane McGown Flynn pattern at Western McGown Teacher's workshop in 2011.  As is my normal method of operating, the edges are not yet finished.  I do, however have a plan--one I am actually quite excited about.

Scroll Sampler, Hooked by: Sharlene Washington, Designer:  Jane McGown Flynn

My teacher (and person who dyed the wool I used) was Le Ann Rudolph.  The wool strips were dip dyed over a variety of base wool colors using the same dye formula.  This gave each piece a bit of variation, yet kept them related so they would look good in the same piece.

One of my friends who hooks with me on Thursday night brought me this footstool.  She found it at a garage sale for $3.  I eyeballed it and soon came to the conclusion it would be a perfect fit for my scroll sampler.  Since I need to turn in my sampler for a critique and they must be able to see the back of it, I am in a bit of a quandary about how to finish it so I can satisfy both purposes.  Any suggestions?

Welcome Rug is Done!

I tend to enjoy the hooking considerably more than the finishing, so my rugs tend to spend some time rolled up in a corner waiting for me to be motivated enough to do the binding.  It was actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but I was waiting for some good light on the weekend to photograph it.

A few years back, I attended a primitive rug camp near Heber City, Utah (Daniel's Summit).  During some free time, we made a shopping trip to Heber City where I found this unmarked pattern drawn on white linen in a small quilt shop.  I have no clue who the designer was.  Nothing was written on the border of the pattern and it was the only item "hooking" related in the whole shop.  

I made a few changes on the fly, including deleting a puddle and a duck and changing the container from a cornucopia to a woven basket.  I also added in the grid background (ala Gene Shepherd's Big Momma).

Every rug I make I try to learn something new.  This was the first rug I was brave enough to change the pattern from what was originally drawn.  I feel it is important to do whatever it takes to make a rug your own and make it sing for you.  I wish I had taken a photograph of the original pattern so I could share the changes I made.  That is something I will remember for next time!  Short of that, you can click on the "Welcome Rug" tag to see the other places where I blogged about this rug while I was working on it.

I love these little spiral lolipop flowers.

I modified this big blower a bit to make it appear to be a "mature" version of the other purple flowers

Beading used to simulate woven basket

I have some catching up to do.  I've been doing a lot of biking and have been preoccupied with work and other parts of my life.  I will report soon on finished and ongoing projects. 
Right now I want to show you all the lovely swatches  have dyed on the past couple of days.  I have a crewel pattern in the works and am looking for some bright colors.

These 8-value swatches have all been dyed with single prochem dyes--no formulas, using 1/4 tsp dye for each set.

I've learned a few things through the process and look forward to perfecting my skills.  The most important lesson so far...be patient.  It takes time.  Now I understand why swatches are so expensive.

The Welcome Rug Revisited

Thank you Kathy Stephens!   I was so impressed with the basket on Abundant Harvest from your Show and  Tell piece at Western McGown Teachers Workshop.  It was the perfect treatment for thee basket on my Welcome rug. I was never satisfied with the basket.  What I had in originally seemed too out of place--the color wasn't right and it stood out like a sore thumb to me.  There wasn't any relationship between the basket and any of the other elements in the rug.  What do you think?

Inspired by Kathy's piece, I am finally on the path towards getting this rug done!  Don't you agree this is working out much better?  I have used the colors of the flowers in the beading in the basket.  It really looks like a basket now.

Western McGown Teachers Workshop

While I haven't posted any of what I have been up to the past few months, I have spent a lot of time this last year uploading and organizing 25 years of photos for the Western McGown Teachers Workshop.  I feel it was time well spent as it could be a valuable tool for sharing this wonderful art form.

If you are interested in browsing through those photographs, they are online on Flickr organized by year.

Let me know what you think!

Rugs from March 2012 Guild meeting

Completed rugs shown at the March 2012 meeting of the Peninsula Rugmakers Guild

Hooked by Janice Ashley - Art Deco Peacock  adaptation

Hooked by Wendy Brannan - Name?

Hooked by Cathy Williams - Name? 

Hooked by Cathy Williams - 60th Anniversary Fraktur

Closeup of Cathy Williams' Fraktur

Closeup of Cathy Williams' Fraktur

Closeup of Cathy Williams' Fraktur

Braided by Janice Ashley

Hooked by Chris Friedman (visitor from Wine Country Guild)

Postcard display shared by Laura Pierce, Chris Friedman, Gail Becker from Wine Country Guild 

Postcard display shared by Laura Pierce, Chris Friedman, Gail Becker from Wine Country Guild 

Postcard display shared by Laura Pierce, Chris Friedman, Gail Becker from Wine Country Guild 

Some of my favorite postcards from the show:

Golden Gate Bridge, Marine Headlands - Sunny Runnels, Lantzville, BC, Canada 

Ripe Fig - Cai King, Fresno, CA

California Poppy - Gerri Shaw, San Jose, CA

Randy My Abalone Diver - Carol Chloupek, Fremont, CA