Spring roars in!

Dear Friends, Life is rushing at us in a freight train these days!

What have I been up to? too much, like yourself most likely. A week back I took a painting class for 4 days, and then this week off to catch up then next week PAAC, plein air artists of Colorado are coming here to fburg to paint our bluebonnets which we have zero of because of the drought! These things are arranged a year in advance. Anyway our art club gets to go out 4 days in a row to paint with that group, on private ranches we do not normally have access to, and I am trying to go.

Cool and very windy expected for Monday and I have a cold and both shoulders are messed up for painting, (rotator cups) so I have to paint small and in my lap. I have several nice little pochade boxes and all kinds of gear and a rolling cart to transport some of it. I am feeling my years in all of my frame and am as agile as a lump of dough. Let me say my enthusiasm is as great as ever!!

I have painted some every day this week to sharpen up. I ache all over.
Thursday night was art club, this is my last year on the board and I help with publicity some for the group. We have about 50 members and lots are very active painters with shows and events to take note of constantly. last night was art walk down town with 9 galleries open, we made 4 of them. This will calm down a bit after this next week then I have one week to get ready to teach a rug hooking work shop for 8 or 10 ladies here in our house. Then a week off to clean house after the hookers and my artist daughter Cheryl comes from Colorado to spend a week and we will be painting and gallery hopping and visiting friend's studios, and so on.

We are transporting grandchildren here and there like wild and Jack has just finished making a gorgeous 7 ft tall corner cupboard to house friend Penny's new flat TV. Planted the small vegetable garden this week, took out a blooming spirea and 4 other lovely bushes to make room in the back yard border for the veggies. Had to hire help of course to take them out.
We have now 8 households of family here in this town! always someone's washing machine needs working on or a costume to be made or furniture to be moved etc! Son in law Gary is absolutely terrific to help in every possible way to keep us all going and daughter Beth takes on helping so many people in addition to family. I am so proud of her! Life is over full.
I am still selling a few books, mailing an unusual 7 today before noon. ...And of course there is the antique mall booth to see to. ..And Sarah's new Baby is fine, I hope to see him today. Where is that rocking chair I have always expected to rock in ?? I guess that is out of style for today's great grandmothers.
I want to get up a trellis and plant some beans. Hugs, Edyth

A Lyon for Rose Ellen

My friend Rose Ellen from Maine wrote that she is color planning "Kingdom Come." Here is how I painted that lion 21 years ago..And I think I would consider the lamb in soft blue greys, with darker accents. The blue gray should have light plaids in it too. This little 9 x 12 painting hangs in my daughter Beth's home and has a companion ram, not lamb with it. Now I would not make him so white as I did then. Rose Ellen I hope you like seeing this color way, and if not what you want, I know your own choices will be wonderful as ever.

Jack has made a corner cupboard to hold Penny's new flat TV. Here is how it came out. The gray blue is wonderful against her gray log walls. Best, Edyth

Weaver's Lion

The concept of a LOGO, a symbol to represent a business or an artisan, is a very old one, rooted in a past when many people could not read. A customer might find lodging at the “sign of the Silent woman” or at the “sign of the Black horse”. A pewterer would often sign his work with a touch mark that included an eagle or another symbol.
In this tradition, some weavers of Early American coverlets had charming designs in the signature corners of the great Jacquard coverlets, so treasured by collectors now. Several early New York state weavers used wonderful folky little lions as symbols to identify their work. I have seen at least four different ones. I have wanted to hook one of these for years and years. Recently I included one adapted for hooking with a group of new patterns to be printed by Barb Carroll.
And now I am hooking him, in small increments that I can manage. This saucy little cat has already found a favorite perch on a small sofa upholstered in a coverlet design. Sized for a small pillow, he would be a quick project for most rug hookers. I can see him in a mixture of brick reds and tans or this blue and brown palette. With either color choice, I would like to have a great deal of variation in the background to add interest, as he will be viewed from close up.
Barb has printed this pattern, called “Weaver’s Lion”, and another pattern showing a lion and lamb titled “Kingdom Come”, plus “Cape Ann”, a large rug in my Hadley series, mentioned in another post. As soon as anyone has worked one of these I would love to put it here on my blog. Best, Edyth

Rachael's question about my new Hadley rug

Rachael wrote asking what I meant by a new Hadley rug, here is my letter back:

Dear Rachael, In the development of a separate American culture, English and other furniture traditions evolved here into a new and clearly different genre. In the 1600's and 1700's a distinctive style of carved and painted furniture was made in the New England colonies by a number of individual furniture makers or "joiners" as they were called. Most of these earliest pieces were oak chests, but Bible boxes, a few high back chairs and other pieces also received the carving and painting in deep colors of indigo, red and black and ochre. A notable table in the collection of Historic Deerfield has the distinctive carving on the apron. The early colors have worn away from most of the furniture and only tantalizing traces of color remain on a few examples but there is enough to know what these historic colors were!

As Americana collectors began to study and acquire this early New England furniture in the 19th century, the related objects were studied and similarities noted and bits of documentation pieced together. It was possible to identify some of the early towns and even craftsmen responsible for this work. The pieces of furniture were documented and referred to often by the place names where they were discovered. Thus one noted collector referred to a great carved storage box as "my Hadley Chest", naming it for Hadley Massachusetts where he had found the chest. Broadly, the furniture became known as "Hadley Type" and was made principally in the Connecticut river valley from Wethersfield Connecticut to Deerfield Massachusetts.

I have treated these and other related early carved furniture designs as documents of early American decorative art, and translated them to designs for rug hookers, particularly those who enjoy early motifs to complement pilgrim furniture, but the strength of these historic motifs transcends my first narrow purpose and they hold their own as beautiful in almost any setting today.
My group of Hadley rug designs includes a number of examples, including "Guilford Runner", taken from a Bible box found in Guilford Connecticut, and "Ipswich" taken from a great carved back chair. There is "Candle Mat" with the ubiquitous opposing hearts, and a "Tulip Wheel" design taken from the front of another carved chest. There are the chair pads "York", "Coventry", "Windsor" and "Greenfield". The half round "Hadley Welcome" rug is a favorite. This one hangs in my entry hall.
New this year is another Hadley design, "Cape Ann", a rectangular rug to be offered in two sizes by Barb Carroll whose company distributes all of my designs. I am excited about adding it to our home and hope it will also be enjoyed by many friends in the rug hooking community. When the rug is underway in a few weeks, I will picture it here. Edyth

My letter to Barb Carroll this am

Dear Barb, thanks for all you have sent, drawings, encouraging emails and LOVE. I am excited about the new patterns, and many people have seen the two drawings on my table and are asking when the patterns will be available. I hope to have 5 new ones all together this spring.

Tuesday and also Wednesday of this week Trish Travis brought a dozen or so rug hookers from San Antonio to visit in our home and hook here and see my rugs and All seemed to have a good time. Surely I did, even though I went to bed each day as they left! This has prompted Trish to offer to schedule a few workshops here the way Rita Rundquist did for me. I do not have to do any of the business part, just enjoy the rugs with the guests and share all I can with them to help with their projects. All will hook only my designs, as that makes it easier for me, not because I think mine are all the good ones in this world!! We plan a 3 day workshop, with the participants probably driving from SA daily, though some may book lodging here in Fburg if they like. We would hook in our house, and break for people to leave and eat lunch. I can nap at the noon break.

So with this small window of opportunity this past week, I took off with Debbie F's idea of inviting people to hook on some of the rugs I want to have and cannot hook a lot on myself due to problems with my thumbs. Starting with your Moby Dick, I set the pattern on the dining table and had out cut wool, as well as a few of the motifs started, and a number of people hooked a few lines. Remember they were all here just 2 1/2 hours each day, and did a lot besides hook on my rug! The doll collection was a major attraction for one thing.

In the several evenings I worked a very little, plus those two days, several motifs are under way. Trish then asked to take the Moby rug home with her to hook further. It is a beautiful runner and sized so well for the center of our dining table. I Like nautical things and have several in that room. I am lucky and grateful to have friends who will do this for me! Thanks to Debbie for thinking of this!

One I am excited about is the big new Hadley! As soon as I get a pattern from you on linen, I will start to accumulate and cut the wool and get it in bags. The rug will go in our living room I hope. It is much the same design as the welcome, just more of it. I love the huge tulips.
I still have the 1790 eagle rug only started, started 4 years ago to try to replace the one lost in the fire. It is in my room in a basket, and I must get it out! Stay in touch when you can, thanks again for encouraging me, as you always inspire everyone around you! Love. Edyth

Rug hooking is great for a cold day like this one!

With the young ones inside more, this is a lovely opportunity to pass down the handcrafts we love. These pictures show Elizabeth and Hailey in years past. So far Elizabeth has done a significant weaving, 2 hooking projects, (partial) some knitting and a bunch of small crocheted pieces like hair bands, a simple purse etc. She also paints often. Hailey is very competitive with sports right now but in the future she will know that she can hook or knit when she has that inclination.

One project in our family at present is making a rug for the little brother Elizabeth is expecting soon. The little boy will be my second great grandchild. Our hooked rug for his cowboy themed nursery is a Texas flag, and 4 generations of us are hooking on it, (just a tiny bit in my case) and it will have initials from each of us.

Next September I will teach a class at the Star of Texas Rug camp here in Fredericksburg. I am having fun designing some new rug patterns. Barb Carroll of Woolley Fox prints and distributes all of my rug designs. I hope to show some here on my blog soon. I have sold almost all of my book, "Red Cape Rugs" now, and am selling on the last two boxes of them. Thanks everyone who bought one!! If you need a copy, email for directions.
I am having a wonderful time in a painting class this week for just 4 afternoons, painting with Chuck Mauldin, a local artist whose work I admire. Art is a never ending learning experience, open ended joy. A quote I can't give proper attribution to, goes something like this: "Art is too much fun to be confined to those who are good at it!".

A Run on Blackeyed Peas!

Did you eat your black eyed peas today? You weren't alone! Our daughter Tanya called us early this morning to say the shelves of our local supermarket were bare of black eyed peas..every other type of bean was available in great supply, pinto, baked, kidney, ranch style etc. Seems like an unusual number of Americans are taking no chances, we are all looking for luck in this difficult time. I did locate 2 cans at a smaller store in town. We are not superstitious, but we ate our Black eyed peas! Best wishes to each of you in the coming new year! Edyth