Patriotic Rider Progress

(c)sunnie andress 2007

This one is such great fun! Here is a bit more progress! The image is adapted from Pennsylvania Dutch designs from the 1700's!

At the Leahy Center

We went to Burlington on Monday and visited the Leahy Echo center. It was a very interesting center with animals, fish, etc. promoting the wildlife around Lake Champlain and the area.

We loved the big fish and watching one of the center's guides feed worms to the garter snake!

When the group moved along to another animal for feeding, my grandson walked by the snake and raised his hand to do something...and the poor snake thought he was going to get another worm!!! It was one disappointed snake!!! LOL

Patriotic Rider Rug Progress!

rug design (c) sunnie andress 2007

I'm really enjoying this rug! It is turning out just the way I wanted it to...whimsical and fun!

The outside border is a good way to use up wool that is a looser weave. Since it is cut in the number 8 width (or it could be 8.5) it makes the work go fast and keeps fraying to a minimum. This particular wool is a plaid and also picks up the colour of the mushroom jacket on the rider! The upper padula flower is a plaid that is quieter than the other reds I've used so that the focus is on the center of the rug and the horse and rider!

Summer Days

We've had some wonderful summer days lately, just the right temperature! Here are the grandchildren in Lake Willoughby, Vermont on a warm afternoon!

We are enjoying their visit!

Patriotic Rider Rug Progress

(c) sunnie andress-2007

I'm making some progress on this rug even though we're doing more running around than usual with the grandchildren here!!! : ) As with all my rugs, I love using wool scraps for some of the leaves, flowers, etc. so that much of the rug is not "planned". I'm happy with the design and think it would be fun for others to enjoy hooking too!

The background under the arch and around the rider is a mixture of 4 or 5 different (medium to pale) hand-dyed and as-is blues. The outer border background will be a wheat coloured as-is plaid. I am using some of my own hand-dyes in this rug and have dyed wool yarn to whip the outer edges when the finishing time comes.

Our weather has been rainy and somewhat stormy so outdoor activities are not quite as pleasant! We're due for some warmer, drier weather next week.

My New Rug Pattern!

Pennsylvania Dutch Patriotic Rider

design -c-sunnie andress 2007

This is my newest rug pattern and I'm hooking it to see how it comes out! I'm testing many of my new patterns on Monk's cloth as I know that the linen is great to work on! : ) I am enjoying Monk's cloth so much more since I got my Snapdragon Frames! They are a joy to work with! Check out their website and eBay offerings!!! Tell them Sunnie sent you!! (They know how much I love their frames!!!!) : ) (And no...I'm not a relative!!!)

I found many similar designs of horses and riders on old samplers, antique frakturs and on some pieces of old painted furniture. These figures are so whimsical and heartwarming that I just wanted to do one based on the old needlework or paintings. Many of the riders were soldiers carrying swords...but I wanted a more peaceful rider so he carries a flag!

This one is great fun to work on and I'm enjoying using these colours too!

Happy Hooking!

Jess Working on a Model Car

Jess is building a 1937 Chevy model. It can be built as a stock "stovebolt" or a Superhot "Street Shaker"! A blast from the past! : ) (Grandpa builds model airplanes.)

Nick's Baltimore butterfly

One of our country butterflies...a "Baltimore" Euphydryas phaeton

visiting with Nick

Grandchildren Here!

We're enjoying our visit with two of our grandchildren for the next few weeks. Since they live on the West Coast, a visit to the East is a chance to see extended family and some different geography and country history.

Wednesday Thoughts

One of my - Quilt-Lover's Santas - that I enjoy making! I do Rug Hooker's Santas too!

Boy, have we had some strange weather here in Vermont the last week or so. Sometimes we have to turn on the heat and sometimes it feels like a tropical rain forest!!!! LOL I'm sure I saw a parrot fly by yesterday...it was really hot and humid! I'm expecting to see monkeys swinging through the trees any day now. The flower garden weeds have just overrun us with this weather, so we pull a few here and there but just let the rest go. Whew!

We're preparing for a visit from two of our grandchildren as well as doing the bathroom remodel, summer chores and my hooking and Santa-making! So all is NOT quiet at Old Crow Farm these days. I can't believe the days fly by so fast!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July celebration and I hope all of you are having a pleasant summer.

Brrr...Cold Monday!

Rugosa roses

I love these roses...they only bloom for about 15 minutes - LOL - and then the petals fall, but they have a lovely scent and look so pretty while they're blooming!

We had to turn on the heat yesterday...can't believe that July 1st we're having such cold weather! It's cold today too!!!

Lana, from Honeysuckle Lane's Simple Joys mentioned, in her nice comment, that I had used family associations in hooking my -Granny's Old Blue Vase- rug. I wanted to talk about that because I love to think about family, friends and special memories as I hook and design. I think many of us do!

I tell myself little stories about the rugs I hook and each one is personal. I also decide on the presentation of each rug, that is, my feelings that I want to present to the viewer. Of course, each person who sees the rug has his/her own reaction...but I like to think about what I am offering to the viewer and why I want it to be that way.

My customers and students seem to like to know what I am thinking when I create a rug and I am happy to share the stories. It makes for a very personal touch to an art or craft creation that passes from the artist's hands, heart and mind to the heart and mind of the person who becomes it's owner. I hope each of my rugs brings as much joy to the new owner as creating it brings to me.