Need to Reconsider

Tis and Taint Progress

This old burlap pattern was a challenge that I thought I could complete, but as I'm hooking the mat I'm rethinking that idea. When I put the mat on the frame and then reposition it as I work, the fold lines are beginning to deteriorate.  I needed to take apart a section I had already hooked for repair.  Rather than just toss out what I've done, I'm going to reduce the size significantly (by about a third) and redraw a section of the pattern. Hopefully I can make a table runner.  I guess you'd say I'm stubborn, but I have learned my lesson.......

Worry Doll

According to NOVICA the origins of the worry doll are unknown, but the Guatemalan people have passed the tradition of making them through generations. They present a worry doll (made of fabric scraps and sticks) to anyone who is worried or having nightmares.  The worry doll is placed beneath their pillow or held in their hand.  The person whispers their troubles to the doll to transfer them and for the troubles to be taken away.

The Spring/Summer 2015 edition of Prims has an article (and doll body pattern) by Trudy Honeycutt on the making of her own version of the worry doll (pages 52 - 54).  She gives a little history about her first doll and how she created it, her tools and materials, and the techniques she uses to create her primitive doll.

Worry Doll

This is the doll I created by following Trudy's directions. I didn't darken and bake the doll or her clothes as she suggested in the article.  I did darken my muslin with coffee, vanilla, and a little acrylic paint.  The quotation I used on the tag is by Esther Hicks.

Advice

"Tis and Taint"

I'm finding that there are as many bits of advice for hooking a landscape rug as there are sources to read.  I've read that I should start with the sky and work down, and I've read that I should start with  the foreground and work up across the rug.  I did neither.  I started with the trees because they were the most fun.  So, I am going back to hook a sky behind my trees.

Sky colors

The sky colors are very light, but I don't think this will be a problem, because I'm going to next take the advice of Jane Halliwell Green in "Pictorial Hooked Rugs".......though I probably should have done so first. "Hook the center of interest first, which is often in the foreground or toward the midground and less frequently in the background. This hooked area sets the stage for the entire piece." (page 21)
The center of interest in a composition is what attracts the viewer, the attention getter.  In this landscape it could be a man-made object (or the boy fishing).  The center of interest has more detail, more value contrast, sharp edges, and a larger shape, but shouldn't be so strong that your eye doesn't travel throughout the piece.  I'm hoping the road will help lead the eye when the rug is hooked.
How does this help the light sky, you ask?  In this pattern, I think I'll use the New England church in the left midground as my center of interest.  (The church will be redrawn to look more like the Congregational church in the center of my hometown.)  It's large shape and light color will help to balance my light sky........"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men....".

"Two Pomegranates"

 The Border

"Two Pomegranates" is almost complete, and I'm finishing up the border now.  I did add the triangles to the design and I'm using the transitional dyed wool (April 12th) to hook them.  I'll finish the rug by rolling the edges to the front and whipping the edge.

Leftover Bits

These are the bits of wool that are left over from the background hooking on "Two Pomegranates".  I was wondering what would happen if I used them to dye some wool. I had 4 small pieces of Dorr white that I sprinkled with the bits, jelly rolled, twisted, and fastened together.  The wool was placed in water with Dawn and heated until the colors bled, then white vinegar was added.

The results

I'm wondering if these could be used in the stone wall in "Tis and Taint".

Tis and Taint

With the focus on finishing "Two Pomegranates" by the second Friday in June, I haven't hooked very much of "Tis and Taint".  I did add a background hill.

I'm thinking the teal color may be too intense, but I'm going to let it stand until I'm finished.  I can always pull it out.  When I chose this color out of the "stash", I was thinking about the "Atmospheric Perspective" of a landscape.  The hills in the distance are lighter and cooler (more blue) than the colors you would find in the foreground.  Things appear to fade because of the dust, humidity, pollution , etc.. The problem with this teal, I think, is that it should have been duller or grayer. If this were a painting, I'd probably just add a glaze (a translucent wash) to color correct..... not so easy with a rug....

Dyeing Experiment

Water from our town is treated with Potassium Hydroxide for pH adjustment and Sodium Fluoride for Fluoridation.The Potassium Hydroxide raises the pH to just above neutral (7.0) so that it is not acidic and corrosive. The Sodium Fluoride is added to provide cavity protection for infants and children.  Some neighborhoods also get water that we buy from a neighboring city that chlorinates the water.  I wanted to know if the water chemicals make a major difference in the colors that result when I dye my wool, so I dyed a 1/4 yard of Dorr white using tap water and 1/4 yard using bottled water.  The dye used was Pro-chem Blue #440, Caramel #130, and Brown #503.  Everything in the dyeing process was exactly the same except the water.  I kept track of the pieces of wool by adding a safety pin to the one that was dyed in the bottled water.

The piece on top was dyed in our tap water, and the bottom piece was dyed in bottled water.  There seems to be no substantial difference in the results.