Rug Hooking Diary... Simple Gifts is Complete

My version of Simple Gifts is done! (OK, I admit, I still have to whip the bound edge of the rug but the hooking is done & the cording is sewn in :-)
This design was a joy to hook.... I had been in need of a relaxing project after my huge effort during the Fall and Winter designing & constucting my new carpetbags and writing an article about the bags for Rug Hooking Magazine. This rug certainly filled the bill with its spunky & whimsical primitive animals. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and plan to put it on the floor in front of a colorfully painted armoire in my living room.

A big thank you to Karen Kahle of Primitive Spirit for designing such a fun rug!

Coming next.... planning a new project using a wonderful snowy landscape scene, Wonderland, from Martina Lesar.

The New Studio (Before the Move!)

Isn't it something how a completely (almost) empty space can look so vast? You just can't believe you can fill it up with your stuff....Ha!
The new studio is on the Southwest side of the building so I'll be getting morning sun instead of the afternoon sun that we got in the old studio. Notice that I still have those nice, big windows? Makes me very happy. These windows have clear glass which means that I can see the sky (and even some hills on the other side of the bay). The windows in the old studio gave wonderful light but the glass was frosted & you couldn't see outside.

I've been very busy painting....one wall was a deep red (13' high X 17' wide - that was a lot of red!) and another was a dark, dark, dark navy blue. While both colors were nice, they were just too much competition. I felt like they would suck the life out of my own work! It took two coats of primer & two coats of paint to cover all that deep red & blue.

The ceiling is very high....over 13', giving an airy feel to the space. One of my wonderful old Italian landlords, Joe, is in the picture to the left & he's well over 6' tall.

Lights & the iron track had to come down from the old space & get reinstalled in the new space.....thanks to Joe & Eric, it all happened without a hitch! (Which is a really good thing because I couldn't have done it by myself.....not on that huge ladder.....no way!).

Getting everything ready in the old studio is bittersweet....I've had a lot of happy time here.

Taking apart my 6' X 10' padded work table is a little scary....I've done it before but I'm always afraid it won't go back together again & I'd be lost without it.

Next, got to find some strong college kids to help with the heavy stuff on moving day...

Big News (& Changes) Around My Studio...

Change is good; kind'a gets us out of a rut & makes us think about things differently. So here's my big change....

My wonderful studio mate of 11 years has decided to move out of our space and set up her art studio much closer to her home. Besides being a fine artist, she has been the best studio mate a girl could ask for & I will miss seeing her almost every day. But friendship remains!

After thinking about my various options, rather than look for new people to share the space I'm in, I have decided to move my studio too! Not too far; just to a smaller space upstairs in the same building.

I must admit to a feeling of loss at leaving this space. It has been a place I've been happy to come to almost every day for the past 11 years....& how many people can say that about the place where they work?


While the focus of my work has changed & I'm no longer sewing custom curtains, pillows & bedding, I have continued to develop & create in this space.

No, my office rarely looks this neat....I must have cleaned up (a bunch) to take this photo!

My new studio looks pretty funky right now.....lots of work to do to make it interesting. But, given a little time & a lot of elbow grease, I know it will be another place I will look forward to going to every day. Especially those days when we have the monthly hook-in and old & new friends come by to visit & hook rugs.

I'll try to be brave & post some before & after photos of the new studio as I go along.

(BTW, my Simple Gifts rug is done & I'm working on the binding! No time to take a good photo right now but I'll get one posted here soon.)
Back to packing.....