New rug started, new tracing method, talented ladies at it again !!

Hello all.... I hope this finds everyone feeling better than I was for awhile....Hubby was even home from work for days...yucky cough, congestion, ear ache, sore throat.... I'm much better and well, hubbs is going to work tomorrow...
I wanted to show you all, a method that is new to me, for tracing my designs onto my linen...Alot of you probably already use this method, so this might be a boring post for you, but for those that haven't tried this yet, I'm here to tell ya it is AWESOME !!!
I was reading on someone's blog, and forgive me, I travel around so much in blogland, I cannot for the life of me remember who's blog it was, but I am so grateful I happened upon it, but it is " using tulle ( bridal veil fabric) for tracing and transferring your designs to linen...
When I visited the Country Craft Cupboard a few weeks ago, we were discussing this also, and Melanie ( from the store), told me to make sure to buy the thicker stiffer kind.
I took one the wagon from this doodle and re-did the design, added a beeskep, changed alphabet a bit...enlarged the pattern.

Now,just lay the veil fabric over the enlarged pattern...( make sure to pin it )

This is what it looks like when you trace it onto the fabric with a sharpie marker....( I took the pics after I had done all of this, so I laid the fabric with the traced design on it over the backside of the pattern to show you...

Lay it over your linen or monks cloth...trace right over it with your Sharpie and it goes right through onto your linen or monks cloth and Voila !!! And...you can re-use it....

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Now....some talented ladies at work again :
Doris (luv2punch) is in an Americana mood...she punched this design from my America and Angels Doodles :

Rebecca ( goodwool) has done it again, with her own version of my Spring Barnyard Wool Applique Pattern done in Needle Punch :

Next, Sher from Old Crow Farm hooked this sweet rug using one of my Spring Thyme Doodles ..she omitted the words "Gentle Pastures"...look at the soft colors....love it !

Hope you are all being creative, constructive and happy !
Robin

Looky looky....

I got an email from a gal, Karen Beigh
Log Cabin Quilter and she sent me this pic ...Isn't it wonderful ?? I love it when folks use my designs for other mediums or "genre" in the fibre arts...
This a lovely wool applique done in awesome soft wools. all she did was enlarge the drawing for the pattern. Love it Karen !! Remember peoples, send me photos of your creations using my designs , in any form...I love'em all !!!
Got all my patterns printed up and bagged, and ready to ship out to The Country Craft Cupboard ...so, now, me thinks I REALLY need to get busy hooking something...I'm going through withdrawals....lol
Have a great day !
Robin

*New* Opportunity To Sell My Patterns...

When hubby and I took our road trip last week to Berlin , Ohio we visited the Country Craft Cupboard ....What a wonderful shop and so busy, with the hustle and bustle of alot of tourism to Ohio Amish Country...The one gal, Melanie, was so sweet and we talked and talked, shared alot about hooking and she sold me this beauty :

I think I got a super good deal on it and it cuts my wool so nicely !!

I found this little caddy at Goodwill for $3.99 and it is almost like the one the girls used at the shop that they mounted the cutter to and the worms just fall right into the box, hubby just needs to screw on a piece of 1" x 4" wood across the top to mount the cutter onto..How great is that ?

Of course, I couldn't walk out of there without at least a few pieces of thier wonderful overdyed wool.

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During our conversation I told her I designed some patterns and she said they were always looking for new patterns to add to their variety. Well, I told Melanie my blog address and my email....
Later after we returned home I got an Email from Melanie ( she is the pattern purchaser for the shop) that they wanted to buy a few each of six different patterns...I wrote back saying yes I'd love to, she emailed me again with an order for a few more of some designs she hadn't seen yet that are on PatternMart.
I am so tickled and excited as this is another means of getting my name and my designs out there a bit more. I've just recently begun to take my business very seriously and improved upon my designs and spreading out into different genres as far as the rug hooking and punch needle , etc. ...
. The constant encouragement of my friends and fellow bloggers is a big reason I even had the guts to go ahead and do it...So now...If any shop owners are interested , let me know......
And here is a sweet gift from Saundra of Woodland Junction...Remember last week she shared a few posts about dyeing wool and I had posed a question about a certain shade of green...Well she sent me a few of the finished results so I will be adding them to a new rug here soon.


I hope you are all enjoying this super Summer like weather...Nice but a little weirded out by it ...???
Hugs,
Robin

Lovely Hooked Rug Finish by talented gal, and update on PHM !!

I received an Email the other day from a sweet lady, Sher Carter, and she sent along a picture of her rug she finished using one of the designs in my Spring Thyme Doodle Booklet. Her work is so wonderful !! I hope she sends more pics of her finished rugs, no matter who the designer is, I just want to see her awesome finished pieces !!
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Also ..... Today is the March Update for Primitive Handmades Mercantile !!
You've gotta go check it out and see all the sweet creations by talented ladies !!
We are having a fun contest/Giveaway, similar to an Easter Egg Hunt, so go read about it on the home page and get yourself entered to win 3 amazing handmade prizes donated by 3 lovely ladies !!
Speaking of lovely ladies....Teresa of Teresa's Primitive Treasures has made some wonderful goodies for her update....one of them is a sweet little ditty bag with a punched piece on the front, and she used one of my FREEBIE doodles from last year at Easter time....


Isn't it sweet ???
I will have some fun news from my trip to Berlin, Ohio in my next post...stay tuned !!
Hugs,
Robin

Spring Barnyard Wool Runner Pattern is available !!

I finished my wool applique runner and the pattern late last night..
If you are interested in purchasing the pattern, you can do so right here:



Spring Barnyard Wool Applique Runner


I just wanted something with animals that said Spring..Here you go ! Simple and easy and so prim ! ...

Price: US$5.00




I'm not feeling too great today, hoping it's just a 24 bug, as Hubbs is taking a vacation day tomorrow and we are making a short road trip to a quilt shop in Ohio that sells wool...They even offer rug Hooking classes, but I don't think there is anything going on tomorrow...I'll have to check their Calendar...
Let's hope I find some nice wool to play with and inspiration for colors to dye myself...
Have a good day..
oh P.S .I am going to brag a little and tell you how, my older daughter Ashley is here Nursing me back to health...she made me Ramen Noodles and Chicken salad sandwich....lol...I Love Her !! She really is a Godsend and I am the most blessed Momma in the world to have her for my daughter !

It's Coming...it's coming !!!

Yep, just 4 more days and Primitive Handmades Mercantile is having our 3rd update !!Wow...3 months old already ! The theme this month is Easter ! And...guess what else ?? We are having another giveaway, but really it is a contest ...and....all the details and rules will be in the newsletter and on the home page on the 17th ..... For now,you'll just have to hold your horses and dream about winning the wonderful goodies donated by 3 of our talented artists !

Working on a new Wool Applique Pattern...the process...

I'm spending this weekend doing a number of things, but trying my best to finish up this new wool applique runner and the pattern.
The process of turning an idea into a design and then into a pattern can be lengthy, and especially if you take time off in between projects, it's almost like re-learning the process, well, at least it is for me....lol
It all started with an idea that I wanted to do something with a chicken in it. I love chickens...they are a big part of my "Old Farmhouse Kitchen" theme....Not so much roosters, but hens and eggs....

With Spring coming up fast ( it is forecasted to be in the 70's here in NW Pa. this week) I did want to incorporate some spring into the mix. Then I had to decide how big I want the project to be.
So I started drawing up other animals,...what else to add in the design??? placement is next...

choosing colors is done in my paint program once I have the design drawn up and put together....I usually end up tweeking and changing backgrounds or other elements even after this process, which you will see...

Do you know how many times I've drawn and traced and re-drawn and re-traced up to this point ? I lost count so don't ask, but my scraps in my trash will tell that story

After that I re-draw all the needed pieces for the actual pattern, then re-trace them all on freezer paper, to iron on the prospective wools...I choose the wools from my stash ( hopefully once I really get dyeing underway I will enlarge the variety of colors and hues I have to choose from )

Then, I cut all of the pieces out and arrange on the background...not sure how I will affix them while I stitch in place...I've used the liquid stitch before, but it's usually easier to just pin the larger pieces and stitch the smaller ones as I go....
Oh well, just a peek into my process ....it's a little like organized confusion....lol
Back to work for me..
Hugs,
Robin

Finished rug & Thrift Store wool ...

I finished hooking this rug..I need to steam and bind it yet.
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And...I finally made it to the Thrift Store today and found some wonderful %100 wool jackets..One is a really sweet soft yellow houndstooth, another is a nice soft gray, and the last one is a pale yellow...they will be perfect for experimenting with my dyeing. I bought these 2 dye books , and the one came with 3 Cushing's dyes...It says for Light Antique Dyes, and with these shades you can make 26 new shades....I can't wait !!

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I am on the lookout for a wool cutter ..If anyone has one for sale, please let me know...I had a few I was holding out for, but I am getting so impatient to get my wool cut up and start a new rug, I am HORRIBLE at cutting with the rotary cutter...My worms are so uneven and and I am sooo frustrated with it ! I almost broke down and bought a new Bliss ( the cheapest I could find brand new) but I just couldn't spend that much right now....
So...any used ones out there ???, holler at me ...