Taking Green to New Creative Heights...

Last Saturday was our regular monthly meeting of the Wine Country Rug Hookers which is always a lovely time of hooking and talking with friends. This month, Nada & I left a little early so we could stop by an Open Studio event at the Sebastopol studio of our fellow WCRH member, Nancy Winn.

Nancy takes the meaning of green and recycling to heart and creates the most whimsical and fantastic papier-mache creatures out of found and discarded paper and fiber. (And she's a wonderful rug hooker too!)




 

This is Milli Vanilli....


Nancy's card reads "Milli Vanilli's fur is made of paper and fibers including mohair, wool, alpaca and a recycled mop from the Legacy thrift store." Doesn't she warm your heart??

If you click on these images, you'll get a much better look at the detail and the kinds of materials Nancy's used in these creatures.

 

Nancy's an inspiring, positive role-model and her work delights!

You can see more of Nancy's art at galleries in Northern California and on her website:
NancyWinnSundawg.com

A Scary Before... With an Organized After!

Earlier this year I started an online class with one of my favorite rug hooking artists, Deanne Fitzpatrick. Sadly, I was not able to follow through with most of the class because soon after the class started, my world was thrown into chaos because of the sudden life-threatening illness of a young family member.
Before this happened I did manage to spend a blissful two weeks working on a few of the exercises Deanne gave us.

She presented us with the task of sorting, cleaning up and arranging our stashes.  Now I have a vast quantity of wool, most of which is for sale through my website. For sanity's sake, I pretty much keep that part of my studio tidy and presentable.
But climb up this ladder to the little loft where I keep my personal stash and be prepared for a shocking mess! (And watch your head....if you're any taller that 5'3" you can bump your head on the rafters.)







Such a mess... Boxes, wool tossed everywhere, a sleeping bag (yes, sometimes I spend the night in the studio), no organization whatsoever!
No wonder I never get any hooking done.

So I got to work for about two days sorting, reorganizing, throwing away a few things and, most importantly, re-shelving the wool in some semblance of color order and folded so that I can now see what is there.






What a wonderful difference....thanks Deanne!



And I did manage to hook this tiny free-form study.

The Beeline Townsend 14" Orbitor Rug Hooking Frame...

As a distributor for the wonderful Beeline Townsend rug hooking products, I've been anxiously awaiting the debut of the new Beeline version of the Townsend 14" Orbitor Rug Hooking Frame. Being a bit of a tool snob, I'd hoped it would not disappoint.
The long-anticipated shipment of frames finally arrived in the studio about three weeks ago  and I confess that I am suitably impressed!

I had it out of the box, set up and in use in about 5 minutes. It's very intuitive in its function & set-up.... one knob adjusts the floor stand, a one click-pullout button adjusts the frame top angle, one knob adjusts the height and one knob loosens to allow free rotation of the frame top. When the frame top is in the desired position, a gentle twist of the knob tightens it into place. Or... you can allow the frame to rotate freely for maximum ease in turning your work. Free rotation on an incredibly stable base....my personal rug hooking dream come true. 

Other details I've taken note of as I've used the frame:

• The large rubber knobs are especially easy to use and won't hurt your hands.
• The grippers hold my linen foundation tightly and release it easily when I pull out and lift the linen.
• There is ample clearance between the top of the frame and the support structure underneath allowing me full access to hook without anything getting in my way.
• The frame folds up easily and will take up very little space if I want to store it in the closet....not that that's ever going to happen!
• When folded up the frame will roll easily on two rubber wheels but, when set up for use, the wheels are off the floor again providing a wonderful stability.
• •The blue heavy-duty, elasticized, canvas-type cover with the Bucky Bee logo is sturdy, practical and easy to use.
• Best of all, when I'm hooking I'm not thinking about my frame at all; no fiddling with two or three knobs to rotate the frame, no irritating slipage of the angle I spent 2 minutes adjusting.....just hooking in the zone.

 For a limited time, I am offering this wonderful frame with FREE SHIPPING  (a $40 value) to addresses in the USA. You can find more details here:

Beeline Townsend 14" Orbitor Rug Hooking Frame