Cindi Gay Rug Hooking

October 1, 2007 This is the pattern design now. The borders will probably change as I go. It took me a full day to prepare the backing. I had to iron it because it was folded badly for a long time and some of the creases were quite sharp. Next I zig zagged the edges with my 1975 sewing machine that is in desperate need of an adjustment. That took forever. Then I traced the pattern onto red dot. (You can purchase red dot on the supplies page.)

I only traced the center of the design out to the scrolls. I left off the borders because I will probably change them anyway.

Hooking has gone fairly easy, but I did my home work before I started. I knew how the motifs hooked up and how all the wools worked together by doing several “study” pieces. You can see the hooked pieces I mention below by visiting the links that follow.

I designed a stair riser, Queen Anne Rose, with some of the motifs that I wanted to use. Next I hooked a footstool, Square Pocketful, using more of this same color scheme. Karen Kahle’s pattern, Antique Rose Runner, used lots of hit and miss, again in the same colors. Next came another stair riser, Annie’s Scrolls. Finally, I designed a companion footstool, Annie’s Flower Power, experimenting with shapes and using the same color scheme.

Queen Anne Rose
Square Pocketful
Antique Rose Runner
Annie’s Scroll
Annie’s Flower Power

I am not satisfied with how the vine over the center support. I will change it later if it still bothers me.

I took the rug downstairs. This was no easy task. The backing alone weighs 20 pounds!

I wanted to be sure that the rug was going in the direction I wanted. You can see my couch with the footstool in front of it. I am pleased with it so far. I am now very anxious to get it done.

I am not happy with the rose. I will try to hook it another way when I do another. For now, it will stay as it is. If I rip it out now, I will not have a record of what DOES NOT work. Knowing what does not work is often as important to know as what does work.

Border Doodles

I spent some free time in the Doctor’s waiting room.  On a scrap of paper I played around with some ideas.  The upper right is my current idea for the border around the rug.  I liked how the roses barge into the circle border.  The two rugs to the left will be patterns available through Spruce Ridge Studios.

When I originally started this rug, I hooked the stair risers as tests for the border.  This was such a fundamental element of how I started the design, that it was hard to let go.  The rose I am using in the border is different from the roses in the center of the rug.  This is the rose from Queen Anne Rose stair riser. So I am using some of the design, just now how I originally intended.

I spread the rug out on the livingroom floor and placed paper cut outs where I wanted the roses for the border.  Below are photos showing how I drew up the individual designs using a fat marker.  After I cut them out, it is easy to move them around until I have an arrangement I like.  I am not going to get too worried about having them exactly spaced.  I like the slightly “off” look better.  When things are perfect, they are stiff and boring.

One example is the line around the circle border.  I originally hooked three lines perfectly in the ditch.  There was something wrong, it was too perfect.  I ripped out and rehooked the center line allowing myself to meander three holes on each side of the center line, trying not to make a pattern .  Then I hooked a row tight against each side.  Wonderfully planned randomness!

Rug with paper patterns laid out for the border

Closeup of paper patterns