Sampler rug

I've been waiting and waiting...

Way back in the year I started hooking 12 inch squares based on quilt blocks. These were for a swap and I thought it seemed like a really good idea. There were about 30 participants - the possibilities and combinations, endless. Well, that was then, as they say.

In the end, only 3 people actually submitted squares to swap. Since I submitted four blocks, I got two of my own back and two new ones and they're really nice. Opening the package on a rainy day and seeing the cheerful orange and golds, really perked up an otherwise gray day. I love the bear's paw pattern (I submitted one, too) and it's nice to get one back. If you look closely at the orange star, you'll see that it has some yellow-orange as well as dark orange...reminds me of candy corn.

Now I have the great fun - and challenge - of finding colors and other blocks to hook which will make this into a rug. That was my aim all along and I'm really looking forward to playing with my stash and looking up quilt blocks.

Clam shells

For those who were wondering what a curvaceous square would be...here it is. The clam shell is one of my favorite quilt patterns. I've used it in small mats and tea cosies several times. I could explain my liking by saying it connects me to both coasts of Canada. But I think it's really because it is curvy. And I can put almost any color combination in and it looks good. Sometimes, I outline the shells but this time I wanted the greens to blend like a spring wood.

I started the color search with a beautiful piece of green wool. Nothing I had on the shelves matched, of course, and so I overdyed some tweeds to get a similar green. I just made up the dye formula and it worked pretty well, I think. I used a very small herringbone in gray/white, a tiny houndstooth check in black/white and a cream/grey/gold tweed. I decided that I needed five fabrics and chose a grey/green sweater wool which balanced not only color but also texture.

This is number 3 for the swap - just in case anyone's counting.

Blocks

It took just one quilt block to get my imagination started again. Here is the first quilt block: Eccentric Star. I hope to do at least 6 for the swap. The photo color is as true as I could get it but the purple isn't quite right. There are two different shades which I hoped would reflect in the tweedy bits. This was great fun.

And I have learned this lesson: my style is very non-realistic and I love bright colors. A lot of primitive rugs are not so bright with earth colors which are definitely not my favorite. I have to try to remember this next time I'm trying to get too much realism in my hooking and my colors.

The snow has stopped and the last little bit has melted away. But the big foot from overnight remains. I shall just have to hook on my new enterprise this afternoon. This is a butterfly fantasy which will be auctioned off as a fundraiser. Onward!