The best thing about your best friend…

She “gets” you, really Gets you.  When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer the first thing that came to mind was, “I can’t even plant a tree and watch it grow”.  I love gardening and nature.  So this spring after completing my treatment we went to the nursery and I picked out my “cancer tree”.  A red maple.  They came out a few weeks later and planted it in our back yard.  So my cancer tree has become very special to me.  So I was surprised, but then again not…when Tammy bought me a necklace with a tree of life on it for Christmas. (Actually it’s a tree of knowledge, but we’re calling it the tree of life)

 

She understands the importance of my little Charlie Brown tree.  I think she, Mickey and my mom are the only ones who Truly understand just how important the symbolism.  I think they even get my obsession with the Virgin Mary too!  No, I’m not Catholic, but I’m so drawn to icons of Her.  I bought myself a necklace with Mary on it.

This is the pendant I made for her.  I only got one pic of her wearing it and she’d kill me if I posted it.  (her eyes are closed)

I made my parents a smaller version of my Sunflower rug.

I finished the beading at noon on Christmas day and I was serving lunch for family at 2:00! 

I thought I could finish it the night before, but I wanted to have a little energy for Christmas day.

And I MUST show you our little Santa Jimmie Dean!  That’s his heating pad he’s standing on too.  No, he’s not spoiled. 

 

Tomorrow is hooking at the Brentwood Library @5:00 pm.  Stop by if you can!

Peace,

Sheri

Drumroll please….

dddrrrrrrrrrrr.  Max the cat is finished!

 

  Bound and ready to hang.  I printed a label just a minute ago, but will wait ‘til morning to iron it on so I know the ink is good and dry.  I dyed all the wool for this one.  It was so amazing trying to match the colors exactly from the watercolor original.

I looked at some old pictures of Max and I’ve done this one in three weeks!!!!  Some of the work was done in the middle of the night.  One or both of my heart meds are making me NOT SLEEP at all!!!!  I finished the eye on the right (our right) one night at 2:00 a.m.  I just could not get them perfect.  And I think if the eyes aren’t just right, it would just ruin the piece.  I think I got it!

Now what am I going to do? I have been looking at some of Susan Quicksall’s patterns.  But now I kind of want to only hook my own patterns. I still want to try to capture my blue bottle tree in wool.

That’s a good question.  For those of you who do design your own patterns, do you still purchase other artists patterns or stick with your own?

Have a great week.  I have to go to a funeral Thursday.  My uncle Ralph passed away.  My mom’s sisters husband.  I had a lot of fun with my cousins when we were younger.  They lived about 60 miles away, but we went there almost every weekend to visit my grandma and grandpa. They lived in the country on a big ranch.  I thought they were sooooo lucky.  I lived in the big city…..they thought I was so lucky!  Will we ever be happy just where we are?  I am right now.

Peace,

Sheri

No we didn't go on vacation and fall off the edge of the earth!

 

We did have a great time on the coast of Maine.  Lauri and Dick were great hosts. (That's their house and the little cabin we stayed

in)

 

I still can't get over how we got there from being blog buddies.  It is so true that there are really Nice people in the world.  Everyone is always talking about how bad everything and everyone is, but I'm afraid they're just looking past all of the good that is right in front of us.

Lauri took me to Cushing's and on a wonderful

historical tour around Kennebunk.  I bought some beautiful wool there.  She also took me to Stonewall Kitchen.  Yummy!  I have never heard of them.

And the day Mickey and I went "up north" we went to Searsport Rug Hooking.  WOW is not enough to explain that place!  I got to meet Chris.  Unfortunately Julie was out of town for the day.

I'm sure you heard the story about meeting JoJo.  she's from Kansas and I'm from Missouri.  Anyway, when I went in the door at Searsport I introduced myself to Chris and told her we were from Missouri.  She said there's a girl in the back from Kansas.  I went back there and it was no one other than JoJo!  (me on left, JoJo, and Chris on the right)

We have been blog buddies for years and have kept each other on our prayer lists for a long time too.  Crazy you have to go to Maine to meet someone from Kansas.  (One state over from us)  I guess it really is a small world.

After the trip I was TOTALLY worn out.  For weeks.  We think that maybe all the new meds are making me feel so tired and just not right. 

Today I finally got off my butt and went to Kinko's to have this photo blown up. I had it made to measure 30" by 20".

Remember I showed you this picture about a year ago?

It is a painting that was at Watercolor USA.  I was totally enamored with it and wrote the artist and asked her permission to hook it in to a rug.  She was thrilled and flattered!

The name of the painting is Peter's cat.  And the artist is Robin Avery from Texas.

I will have to dye ALL of the wool for this one.  I think I might have enough bright orange on hand, but that's it.

I made an order with ProChem tonight.  Their dyes are soooo vivid and bright.  Perfect for this project!!

I simply can't wait to get started!!!  I think all I needed to get back in the groove of life was a great pattern to hook!

This is the black and white blown up on paper.

And here it is drawn up on the linen.

It looks like a paint by numbers to me.  Does it you?  I only wish it would be that easy.  I have a feeling this will be my most challenging rug to date!

I'll keep you up to date with pictures.

Have a great week!

Peace,

Sheri

 

Whipping an edge with wool strips~A little tutorial

First make sure you have serged or zig-zagged the edge about 1/2" from your hooking.

1.  Fold your linen (backing) towards the front of the rug and insert the needle that is threaded with a wool strip of whatever size you hooked the rug with.  I usually start at the middle bottom.  No specific reason.  Leave a little "tail" that you will cover up in a minute.

2. Pull the wool strip through to the back. 

3. Bring your needle back to the top and insert it in 1 or 2 holes next to the first one.

   

4. Make sure your wool doesn't twist before you pull it down.  I think this is the hardest part of the job~keeping it from twisting.

  

5. Pull this loop through to the back too, covering the little tail you had left.

6. Just continue inserting the needle one or two holes over and whipping from top to bottom.

 

7. When you run out of wool strip leave another little tail.  (You will cover it up like before)

 

8. I start the new strip in the same hole as the last one.

9. Showing here with a different color of strip.  Again, leave a tail on the top (new) strip too. 

10.  It's hard to see, but I'm holding both the tails.  One on top and one on bottom.

11.  Then just start the whipping process again.  Covering the tails.

 

Here's a finished corner.

1. I kind of pinch the linen together to form a corner and work with it to make the turn.

2. Whip just like before (while holding the linen corner together)  Kind of difficult!

3. Many times on the corner you'll have to stick the needle in the same hole as before in able to make the turn.  You'll move the wool strips around with your fingers too.

 

When you get to the end of the piece OR you can do this when starting a new piece.  Insert the needle on the back Through three or four previous loops (that are laying flat)

2.  Pull the strip through all three loops.

 

3. Snip off this piece of wool to hide the ends.

This is the piece I was working on.  This is the FIRST rug I ever hooked.  STILL HAD NOT FINISHED WITH THE HOOKING!!!   It only needed a few strips hooked on the right side!  I took the class from Tammy in 2004 or 5.  Last night I did finish the hooking and I will finish whipping the edge.  It WILL be on my table this fall!!!

And here's a picture of how I do a piece of wool to insert a cafe rod.  I simply cut a piece of wool to fit and hand stitch it on the top and bottom.  Easy Peasy!!   

I hope you could understand my tutorial.  And I hope you can do it now too!  If you have any questions feel free to email me!

One more note,  I've started adding small bundle packages of wool at my shop!

ShabbySheepWool

Peace,

Sheri

Almost ready to Re-open Shabby Sheep Wool!

Mickey has been on to me every day for working so hard.  But once I get out all of the dyeing stuff, I might as well dye LOTS of wool!  Especially when I'm trying to get my Etsy shop opened again. http://www.shabbysheepwool.etsy.com

 

Solids...

Spot dyed...

 

and Textures...

Tomorrow I'll be doing the photography for the shop and hopefully by the end of the week I'll be OPEN for BUSINESS!!!

I'm Back!!!

I know in my heart I couldn't have done this without your prayers and well wishes.  Thank you again.

Peace,

Sheri

p.s. On shabbysheepwool I'll be donating a percentage of my sales to the American Cancer Society by the way of the Etsy group TeamEPE, Etsy Project Embrace.  Please see http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=685 to learn more about the group.