a summer finish

With a deadline of April 2019, I surged ahead to finish this piece anyway. 

Many of you may be aware of the project undertaken in New Brunswick, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of L'église historique de Barachois which will be celebrated in 2019. They are looking for 200 hooked cushions to line the pews of the church. The timing is also tied in with the World Acadian Congress in 2019, with celebrations happening in summer 2019.  The 2019 WAC theme is « la Mer Rouge qui nous rassemble » ( "The Red Sea, which unites us").

I love New Brunswick and have visited this unique, beautiful church in the past for a rug hooking exhibit. It will be an amazing display of hooked cushions from, literally, around the world. If you want more information or would like to see some of the completed pieces, visit the group's Facebook page. There are specific dimensions provided for the cushions to fit the space, so it's important to register with the organizers and get the details. 

You'll see that I took the Congress theme and used it for inspiration. Once hooked, I began the process of making my piece into a cushion. 

Here's the finished project....

Across the top it says "la mer rouge" and across the bottom, "the red sea". The strait between NB and PEI is referred to as the red sea because the red dirt eroding into the waters sometimes lends it a reddish tinge. You'll see that I've exaggerated that! One of the wools i used was even named "PEI Dirt". Nice to find a use for those wools that never seem to get used. 

This was a lot of fun to work on, and I'm excited to deliver it in person this August! I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the other finished cushions. They still need more cushion donations, so if you're a hooker go to that Facebook page and sign up! You have until next April to complete and deliver a cushion, and to be a part of this amazing rug hooked endeavour!

So...

Or should I say, sew...

March is upon us and I'm as surprised as anyone. I haven't completed anymore UFOs, but one is almost complete. More news on that later. Meanwhile, I've been sewing up a storm. Yes, I started a new project. But in my defense, it's using up fabric purchased in the 90s so it's not a bad thing. 

I'm making a scrappy summer quilt with a whack of 50s replica prints. It's going to be busy, busy busy! But I'm liking it. At this point, 70 9" blocks are completed. 

They've been laid out, and they're being sewn into rows. Soon the quilt top will be complete, and then the horrid task of quilting it. 

Hopefully I'll soon have a finished project to report... of one type or another! Happy March everyone!

Feeling Festive?

No, I can't say that I'm feeling festive. I'm feeling cold. Damp and cold...because it's November and that's what November is. Simply damp and cold. But I have had to jump into some festive work, because I decided to vend at two craft shows this year. Yikes! I had no idea how much to make, so I just hooked a tad bit crazily for two months. Yup, that's all. 

Oh that's not all of it, nope. What will I do with all this if it doesn't sell? Hhhhmmmm, are you on my gift list? Some poor suckers are! 

p.s. I'll be vending at Handmade Hamilton at the Staircase Cafe Theatre on December 2nd and 3rd, if you happen to be in Hamilton. Looks like a really neat venue with an exclusive group of 32 vendors! 

Having sooooo much fun

Well, I can assure you with all certainty that I have finished #17in2017. In fact,  I've probably finished #117in2017 !! In other words, much more than 17 fibre projects in 2017. For sure! 

'Tis the season to get hooking, but before I get festive (and possibly far too soon for some of you), I want to share some of the extremely fun stuff that I've worked on lately. 

Meet my meeWow and Wooftastic friends; mug rugs that is:

One day I didn't feel like hooking what I was supposed to be hooking (nothing like setting silly expectations for yourself), so I started playing with these 4" diameter landscapes. So. Much. Fun. 

I don't think that's all of them, but certainly gives you an idea. And well, then the next idea hit me. Some of you may think I've gone off the deep end with this next group. 

Meet "The Hags". No, I'm not a cruel, horrible person. You see, you have to understand that my mom (miss ya every day, Flo-Flo) called everyone she loved "Hag". It was a term of endearment! Seriously. How that evolved, I can't recall. But needless to say, it stuck. And we're now the second generation calling our nearest and dearest "hag". So I introduce to you the first in the series of 4" diameter portraits: 

From top left going clockwise: Daphne, Shirley, Eunice, Bernadette, Norma, Betty.  They each have a full history, which I was thinking about as I hooked them. Just a silly thing that was oodles of fun to do. 

So, as begin this season of craziness and busyness, remember to spread a little love.....

p.s. for any of you in the area, I'll be vending at the All Handmade Marketplace at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario on Saturday, November 18th. I think there are 120 vendors, so definitely should be a good show! 

Mea Culpa

Hi all. So sorry for my lengthy absence. I've thought of posting often, but alas haven't gotten around to it. On a happy note, I have been happily hooking and hooking more than usual. It's certainly a tonic for these cold, snowy days. A two week or more stint of fog in January was difficult, but made more enjoyable with hook in hand. 

Will you join me this year to complete #17in2017? As I did last year, I will endeavour to complete that many fibre projects in the calendar. I dare say I've already got a few to report. Let's see what I can share. 

Ah yes, first I must admit to thinking that I didn't have any blue wool in my stash. I decided that one of my storage spots was beyond embarrassing in its messiness, so I pulled everything out two days ago and re-organized. As you can see, I have some blue to use (gulp). Especially considering one of the drawers beneath this space is also full of blue. 

I certainly know people with far more than this, so I'm not thinking I have more than enough. Oh no, that thought never enters my mind. I have grand plans for dyeing in April!! 

I finished a piece to celebrate Canada's 150th bday:

I also finished this WIP in February, a design that I started a while back (brain won't tell me when!): 

And I've completed a bunch of wee little pieces, but I won't bother mentioning those. One other landscape piece is hooked, but requires whipping so I'll share that at a later time. Plus one other piece is almost finished being hooked. Yippee!

I'm hoping to be more diligent with my blogging, but feel free to follow me on Instagram, my handle is @burningthemidlifeoil. I'm also on Twitter at @hookdonlife, though admittedly I don't tweet as much as I post on IG. Finally, you can look at some of my past work at burningthemidlifeoil.com. 

Chat soon!

#14 & #15

Not even mid-November and I've completed #15 in my quest to complete #16in2016 fibre projects! One is a rag quilt for a new wee one in the family - pics after Christmas (groan, I know....sorry). 

But I can share with you a commissioned piece which was completed yesterday! My client wanted a red canoe pulled up on shore in a typical Canadian lake setting. So I started with some sketching, and created a pattern for some of the elements, but as you'll see my patterns are not thorough or set in stone.

After tracing through my large window, I had even less detail on my linen. 

Hooked in little bits of time here and there... made some adjustments... well lots of adjustments to be honest! 

And the final product will be delivered tomorrow. Here is (insert drum roll here) "Red Canoe". The owner is a visual artist, so fingers crossed that the rug is close to what she envisioned and has wanted for her home!

Update: The rug has been delivered and the client is very happy! She even changed her mind about where the rug will live in her home. Phew!