Sunday 14 October 2018

Next Rug Group Day 20th October at Robyne's

 I'm at The Patch in the (Mt.) Dandenong's and will be ready for invasion by 10am on Saturday. 
Call me on 0410876096 or email at r.m.square@bigpond.com

Magpie rug being used as a chair pad on one of the Hubby's willow chairs (clever boy). The fox pelt was road-kill.
I bought this from a local Op Shop for $15. I hummed and aahhed but couldn't leave it there in the end. It's wool, not latched but worked from the back I'd say. I love it!
Not sure where it will end up yet... In the big Activities Room when we build it? Grandchildren? Kids? We'll see.

New Proggy Rug, Begun 24th September 2018

I started a new Proddy/Proggy rug at the Melbourne Show, got home and pulled it all out then started again with a completely new plan. The first one looked fine on paper, but seemed too abstract for my taste. Mud!

So here is the progress report...

Just so you can see the state of things around here. I keep putting it on the verandah (because of the mess) but in the end, I'm too keen to dilly-dally. So we're knee deep in thread and fluff and crazy. The One True doesn't mind at all.
The trolley was in use at my Granny & Gramps's pub (The Star Hotel at Yackandanhad). I used to roll it out with the bread and butter dishes to set the tables.
Some of the fabrics I have had since I was a teenager, or remember my Grandma having in her cupboard. I can point to the origin of most of it and so my memories are well and truly in there. I might be the only one who will ever know, but the family will have other associations in time to come, I guess.



It's around 80 x 150 cm.

The starting points, above and below.


Wednesday 3 October 2018


Tehran/ An old pattern with a modern twist.

Designed by Rittermere- 7ft x 5ft
Colour planned and hooked by Chris Noorbergen from Australia
On a hessian/ burlap backing with new, hand dyed wool in #6 cut


I purchased this old pattern at the Strathalbyn Rug hooking exhibition in South Australia, in 2014 and started planning almost immediately when I arrived home back in Loch, Victoria.
I researched this pattern for a long time but found very little documentation, although a rug hooking group in Sth Australia did hook this very pattern back in the late 1970s, early 80s. I managed to get some photos of them, but they are vastly different from my colour choices.

Firstly, the colour planning and dyeing. This important step took me many hours.
I looked at many oriental rugs online and studied their colour combinations, contrasts, dulls and brights, dark and lights.
I changed my mind on a number of occasions even after dyeing.
Finally I came up with the colours you now see before you and I am still extremely happy with how they work together.
Enough dull to tone the rug down, balanced with brights, darks and lights.
I am very happy with the neutral background, swirled with the same colour but several shades darker. I feel this combination sets the tone for the whole rug.
When I finished the internal section inside the intermediate border, I had to then repeat the same colour ways in the border. This was a real challenge for me as the pattern on the whole did not repeat in the border, except for a couple of the motives. It was an entirely different section and I needed a bit of help with assigning the colours to the border pattern. The dear ladies from our Yarra Valley Rug Makers came to my aid with suggestions and I took their advice and you see here the finished product.

The rug is hooked with mostly all new wool which I dyed in combinations of three primary colours plus black. [I don’t like to have a lot of dyes on- hand]
It took me approximately 293 hours to make. This includes the many hours of colour planning and dyeing processes.

Overall, I have to say that I am happy with it. Will I keep it? Who knows.
I raise funds for a Mission in Uganda, called Amina House Christian Mission.
My friend Trish is a Missionary there and does amazing work in the town of Pallisa.
If someone should offer me a sum I can’t refuse, I might just be able to part with it.
In the meantime it graces my lounge room floor.