Sometimes you gotta get up out of that chair!

Earlier this week I posed the question on our Facebook page, "What do you do to make up for the sedentary hours spent hooking?"  I enjoy rug hooking so much that it's pretty easy for me to get absorbed in a project and not realize how long I've been sitting.  Since I literally become ill over time if I don't get enough exercise, I just thought I'd pose the question.  The responses seemed centered around making time for it, especially in the morning before the day can get away from you.

Well, today I had planned to go out for a run because spring has definitely got a toe hold up here - it was warm enough out today to go in just maybe running pants and a sweatshirt.  In Maine this doesn't mean we'll have green lawns and flowers tomorrow.  In fact, we could have a blizzard next week, but the signs are strong that winter is taking its last real gasps.  When I got home from my office around noon, however, and asked my sons what they might be interested in doing with the day, my 17 year old, Peter, suggested cross country skiing.  I am not graceful on skis of any kind, but fortunately we have a nature preserve nearby that has XC and snowshoeing trails.  Snowshoeing is a zero skill activity and Peter is such an accomplished skier I had no qualms about us taking separate trails, so we got in the car and headed out to the Roberts Farm Preserve in neighboring Norway, Maine.

Getting out on a trail in any season is a great way to just let your mind wander and be creative.  In the nearly two hours we were out on the trails, I got a lot of great ideas for future rug designs just from my surroundings and also realized how much I'd just needed to get up and get moving.  I took some photos from our outing today and thought I'd share them here.

This is toward the beginning of the snowshoe trail.

Along the way I saw quite a few of the big old Maples already running sap.

At one point along the trail there is an overlook out over Norway Lake (Pennesseewassee) and the mountains beyond.

Usually when our paths crossed, Peter was zinging by too fast for me to take a photo, but I was able to stop him for a few moments of conversation here.

This is the old Roberts Farm home.  It is in need of major restoration.  I don't know what the plans are for it, but it has beautiful Federal period lines and would make a great hooked rug design!

So that was what I did this afternoon.  Tonight it's time to hit the comfy chair again and continue working on a rug for a customer that has to ship on Friday.  I feel pretty refreshed.  What do you do to stay healthy and fit, and what are some of your favorite places and spaces for recreation?  We'd love to hear from you and see your photos as well.  Happy hooking!

Hooked Rug Pillow Finishing - Just One Way

I have recently embarked on making pillow patterns and pillows for our Etsy shop.  I was intimidated by the finishing process because I am not the most skilled person at hand sewing, but I have found it to be much easier than I expected.  I took some photos of my most recent pillow project just to document how I personally am finishing pillows these days.  I know there are many other ways, but I find this to be really simple and my customers seem to like the results.  Here is my latest finished pillow:

And here is the hooked piece - 15" x 15" - from which it was made:

The first thing I did was press back the edges so that they would lie flat against the back of the piece, with the aid of a damp washcloth, just as you would when you are steaming your finished mats:

Once pressed, I put the hooked part on to the backing I want to use.  For some pillows I use quilting cotton for the backs.  For this piece, my customer wanted hounds tooth check wool.  I place the hooked piece over the backing and then cut the backing maybe an inch or two larger than the hooked part:

You will want to have the right side of the backing positioned so that it's on the "outside" - just as the pillow will be when finished.  I then pin it in to place.  With the hounds tooth check it was very easy to keep everything nice and square, because when I started stitching I just picked a stripe and followed it.  My previous project had a paisley back, which is more forgiving in terms of angle of application to the back.

Now comes the part where you really have to decide what's most comfortable for you.  I turn the pillow "case" face up and stitch from the top side, folding the back fabric in and using the same stitch I would use if putting on a corded wool or cotton tape binding.  I also start somewhere pretty far down on a side, go up over the top, and then back down to the bottom, which, of course, I leave open to stuff.  Important:  I do not stitch the back exactly the same size as the front - in other words, I leave a little "give" by stitching closer to the edge of the back which effectively makes the back a little bigger than - in this case - 15" x 15" - to leave extra expansion for stuffing.  I miter the corners as needed as I go around.  You will find that your stitches are invisible, or very nearly so, using this method:

Once you get to the bottom, you may fill the pillow with whatever you'd like for stuffing.  I have been using pre-made pillow forms.  In this particular case I used a 16" x 16" pillow form in my 15" x 15" case - it made for a nice fluffy pillow.  When you have your stuffing positioned the way you want it inside the pillow, you are now ready to just stitch the bottom shut.  This can be challenging if your pillow is really full, but yes, you'll get through it!

Here is a blue version with paisley I finished about a week or so ago:

I hope this helps for those of you new to pillows - like I am! - to see how easy this can be.  I will eventually try cording and other methods, but for now, I really like this because it makes the entire front of the pillow hooked, and actually involves less hand sewing than you would do on a typical mat binding.

Happy hooking and please share your ideas and photos with us!      ~ Beth

Remembering Who We Are Through Crafting & Art

My mother passed away almost two years ago.  I inherited some of her things, and I was going through a few of them yesterday when I came across the silver thimble on the right in the photo above.  It was very tarnished, but I thought I could make out "E.B. Huddell" inscribed around it.  I carefully polished the silver and knew almost right away that I was correct - this was my great grandmother's thimble.  I sent a photo of it off to Jen, who has a benign mania for genealogy, for which I am eternally grateful.   She was able to determine that my great grandmother, Elizabeth B. Huddell, was born around 1877.  That was a date that was not known to me.  I know from her wedding ring, which I also have, that she was married to Joseph Cochran Barnard in 1901, and of course took his name.  So...this thimble dates from the last quarter of the 19th century.  It fits me perfectly, and I intend to sew with it, extremely carefully and not too much, because it's silver and silver is soft.  So there will be rugs bound and pillows finished with Elizabeth's thimble.  My mother was named for her, and I was named for my mother...and so there is a continuity that means much to me.

The thimble on the left I've had in my possession since 1986.  It belonged to my brother, Albert V. Colangelo, Jr.  As near as I can tell, this thimble is stainless steel, or some other alloy, because it does not tarnish.  So many tears have fallen on that thimble that if it were going to tarnish, it would have by now.  My brother was a master tailor and leather worker.  He was so many other things, but these are the roles that explain why he had a thimble, and why it was in the pocket of his leather jacket as I held it close to me - just to get his scent or try to feel him near - the day after he was killed in an airplane accident.  Albert's thimble is too big for me - I can't really sew with it - but it's been worn around my neck when I've run road races, kept settled in a pocket when I've felt I needed added strength, and is always - always - with my hooking and sewing notions so that I see it every day, and remember how much this extraordinarily loving man contributed to who I am. 

There is something about objects that we work closely with, creatively with, lovingly with, that gives them a life of their own.  But even more than that, if they are handed down they connect us with our past, and the people who either loved us or never knew us but have loved us in the abstract as "our future generations."  Elizabeth Huddell had no way of knowing that over 100 years after she received it, her great granddaughter - also Elizabeth - would be sewing with her thimble.  In fact, Elizabeth Huddell didn't even get a chance to know my mother, her granddaughter, Elizabeth - she died before my mother was born.  My brother had no way to know that the thimble he used in his every day work would someday be an irreplaceable talisman of strength for his little sister, just trying to make her way in a world that suddenly seemed so much colder without him.  

As crafters, artists, and artisans, there is so much life and emotion in what we do, and often our tools are symbols of something bigger than anything we produce, bigger than we are.  That "bigger thing" is what inspires us, connects us, and helps us to remember who we are.  Most of us have these heirlooms.  We'd enjoy hearing the stories you might want to share about yours.

A very joyous Valentine's Day to you, filled with love, memories, and the making of beautiful things that future generations will ponder over in their hearts.      ~ Beth

A Little Introduction to the Parris House

The Parris House, Paris Hill, Maine  - She's missing her shutters right now, but they'll be back up this summer!

Since we will be opening the Parris House here in Paris Hill, Maine to hookers this coming Spring, I thought I might do a little blog post about the house, its history, and what, in part, we will be offering here.

Located in the Paris Hill National Historic District, the Parris House dates back to 1818 and is named for its most well known owners, Virgil D. and Columbia Parris.  They purchased the home in 1853 and it remained in their family until the 1940s.  Virgil was a member of the United States Congress of 1840, a United States Marshall for Maine, and an acting Governor as well.  Perhaps more interesting, however, is the story of a young man Virgil and Columbia adopted after Virgil prosecuted a slave ship, the Porpoise.  One young man aboard that ship had been abducted to be a slave from East Africa.  His African name was Tovookan, but he came to be known as Pedro Tovookan Parris.  Pedro came to live at the Parris House and became a very popular member of Paris Hill society.  He was a public speaker, a water color artist, a ventriloquist, and an inspiring survivor of his time as a slave.  There is much more information on Pedro and his life that I can share with anyone interested in his story.  Our stewardship of the Parris House has brought us in to close contact with this story and it has been a very moving experience.  Below are some photos from the past centuries.

The Parris House, late 19th century

Pedro Tovookan Parris

Virgil D. Parris

Columbia Parris at right

Architecturally, the Parris House is a gable end, twin parlor Federal with pretty, cozy rooms and a screened  porch that looks out over the Mahoosuc mountain range of Western Maine and the Presidential Range, including Mount Washington, beyond in New Hampshire.  The house is surrounded by similar historic homes, with equally interesting histories.  Lincoln's first Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, was born and raised in our village, and the Harry Lyon house - called "Lyon's Den" - is also just a few homes away.  Harry Lyon was the navigator on the Southern Cross, the first airplane to make a trans-Pacific flight.  The village has at its center a large 19th century church with a bell cast at the Revere Foundry in Massachusetts by the son of Paul Revere.  From this central village green there are outstanding views of the White Mountains and Mount Washington just beyond the Hannibal Hamlin house.  On warm evenings it is not uncommon to see people who live here and also who have come up by car strolling "the loop" and taking in the scenery.

We have raised four sons in the Parris House, two of whom have left the nest, so to speak.  We are finding ourselves with a little additional time and space and will be opening the Parris House to hookers starting in May.  We plan to have hooking nights in the north parlor and, in fair weather, on the screen porch.  Refreshments will be served in the large open kitchen (with fireplace and/or wood stove burning in chilly weather!).  We will also be offering our patterns, wool, linen, and other accessories as we grow our stock for sale on site.  We will have at least one set day per week when the house is open for picking up supplies or hooking and also we will be open by appointment or chance.  We also plan to offer classes as needed and as teachers are available.

There are lots of things to do in our area.  We are about an hour from Portland, 40 minutes from the Sunday River Ski  Resort and also Shawnee Peak, and within minutes of numerous lakes and hiking/XC skiing/snowshoeing trails.  Mid Coast Maine, with its picturesque towns like Camden and Rockland, is about two hours away.  North Conway, New Hampshire with its tax free shopping, restaurants, and resorts is approximately one hour to our west, as is the White Mountain National Forest and the Mount Washington Auto Road.  For those so inclined, the new Oxford Casino is about 20 minutes away.  So if you are vacationing in our area, give a call to (207) 890-8490 or email us at parrishousewoolworks@gmail.com  for our open hours.

North parlor which leads out to the screened porch .  We will add comfy seating for all and shelves for hooking goodies & supplies.

Country kitchen - a great place to enjoy refreshments & chat hooking!

We also  hope to eventually offer hooking retreats, complete with lobster dinner night!, at our lakeside cottage, Sunset Haven, on Little Sebago Lake in Gray, Maine.  But that's the topic of another post and future planning.  :)        ~Beth

Sunset Haven, Little Sebago Lake, Gray, Maine

Maine Mat/Rug Challenge Underway!

Image courtesy:  http://michelleperkettstudio.blogspot.com/2011/09/tuesday-freebie-share-peace.html                                

Calling all Maine hookers! 

We are working on organizing a mat, or rug, challenge.

 Here are the parameters:

 The design theme is "Peace." We felt that in today's world it would be nice to do a peace-themed challenge.

 Pieces should not exceed 20" in either dimension, so they could be 20" x 20" square, or any shape that does not exceed 20" on any side or center (in the case of rounds or ovals). The reason we are imposing a size limit is to a) keep the projects manageable for hookers of all experience levels and b) keep the pieces easily portable/shippable because...

I am in the midst of searching out a nice venue in which the finished pieces can be displayed as a mounted show. 

Tentative deadline for completion of the pieces is May 1st, 2013, however, there may be more time if the chosen venue is not available until in to the summer or fall. 

This challenge is limited to hookers who live in Maine, however, if this is successful we may do a broader challenge next year.  Don't hook but think this sounds like fun?  There is plenty of time to learn - contact us for lessons!

 More details to follow - please contact us at parrishousewoolworks@gmail.com  if you are interested, and we are also still open to venue ideas.   Thanks!

What's Up for 2013?

If you do not already belong to the on-line group Rug Hooking Daily, I highly recommend it.  Every day there is a discussion question, and there are sub groups in every imaginable category - wool dyeing, regional groups, etc.  Today's Daily Discussion caught my eye.  It is:  What are your creative goals for the year 2013?  The answers vary from completing unfinished pieces to finding one's own personal style to organizing the old wool stash.  I have been thinking hard about what my own creative goals are for 2013, and so I thought I'd share them here and invite you to share yours too.

Several observations in 2012 have led me to believe that there is more to the rug hooking community than I at first thought.  When I first took up hooking in 2011, I knew immediately I had found the "hand craft for me."  What I didn't know was that I would be so driven to design new patterns, dye my own wool, and launch a small Etsy enterprise, but that soon followed.  During 2012 I continued to think that perhaps this was a nice "side business" but that I could probably not make it a serious endeavor.  I have changed my mind.

During 2012 I had the privilege to get to know my mentor, Connie Fletcher of Seven Gables Rug Hooking, much better and observe her impeccable business practices and successes in all aspects of her art.  Through her undying encouragement and teaching, I have gained a little more confidence in what I do and, more importantly, what I might be able to do in the future as I learn and improve my own art.  I have met and learned immeasurably from our local group of hookers and knitters who meet at Artful Hands Fiber Studio.   I have also been buoyed by the enthusiasm of some very special customers who have bought my pieces, large and small, and expressed their appreciation and offered, unsolicited, ways that they might also promote my work.  Additionally, I have sold a few pieces at The Secret Garden Flowers & Gifts and been invited to show and sell my work at Smedberg's Crystal Spring Farm in 2013.  I have been invited to two large craft fairs, one in Massachusetts and one in New Gloucestor, Maine, out of the blue, and, of course, am planning on doing some with United Maine Craftsman in the coming year as well.  The Maine Made - America's Best program accepted my work in 2012, and Jen and I are humbly hoping to show our work for the first time at Hooked in the Mountains 2013 in Shelburne, VT.  All in all, 2012 has been a year of good starts for Parris House Wool Works in the form of these absolute gifts given us by other hookers, artisans, shop owners and craft organizations.  I am overwhelmed by how supportive these people have been from the moment I expressed an interest in hooking.  The love of the craft is evident in their enthusiasm and in their willingness to pass it on, often with an astounding spirit of generosity.

My goal for 2013 is to capitalize on those good starts and be worthy of all the help we've received in 2012.  Jen and I hope to add more patterns, hand dyed wools, and finished pieces to the Etsy shop.  My husband, Bill Miller, has also become quite a potter in 2012 and we plan to introduce his hand thrown snip & scissors holders to the shop.  We have been hard at work designing pottery pieces that will be beautiful, but just as importantly, functional for this purpose.  When I asked on our FB page for feedback on what you'd want in a snip container, one of the hookers indicated that her floor worked pretty well!  I loved that answer.

In short, the level of opportunity I see in the hooking world is broader and deeper than I first anticipated.  I see it here in New England, and also when I travel to the Canadian Maritimes, which feels like - whether it is or not - the hooking epicenter of the world.  My experiences in the world of wool in 2012 have shown me that that silver ring I wear daily, inscribed with "Do what you love, love what you do" is not just about wishful thinking.

What am I up to right this second in terms of hooking?  These humble little things...

  These are a set of primitive Christmas coasters I'm working on for the Women's Council of Realtors (Portland, Maine Chapter) silent auction as a donation.  Please note that if I were to sell this pattern I would not put it on an inconvenient strip of linen this way - I'd make it 2 over 2 with lots of edge for the hooking frame, but as I had this strip of linen in my stash I thought, "Why not?"

Following these, I have to hook a Seven Gables designed chair pad as a Christmas gift for my aunt, and then another one of these...

for the same woman in Florida who bought the first one - apparently she wants another!  And by the time these are finished it should be January 2013 - time for all that is new.  Stay tuned.  What are you working on?  Share your work and your photos here!  Happy hooking.  : )

Lake Willoughby Rug - Complete!

Remember the blog post a little while back?  The one about transferring designs?  The rug featured in that post is finished and I thought I'd share the photos.  You'll recall that the design for this was done by Jen's husband, Dan Rosenburg, and the photos are shared by permission of my customer, Kate.