Tucked in a valley, at the foot of Round Mountain, among the graceful Maples & Oaks you will find our Little Brown House. Smoke billows from the chimney seven or eight months out of the year, a river rambles nearby, sheep & cows graze in the meadows and turkey's forage along the olde stone walls. Here you will find me, tucked into my cozy studio surrounded by my work. This is Vermont Harvest Folk Art.

~ I am a Punch Needle Embroidery Folk Artist, Rug Hooker and teacher, who is inspired by my love of Early American art. I have a small open studio and shop in our Vermont home, where I hosts holiday events, workshops and individual lessons.~
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

~My first...FINISHED...rug hooking project~



Goode day my deare friends.  Tis snowing here in Vermont this morning.  Our Spring weather has been one of ups and downs to be sure!!!  Yesterday, I sat on the front porch hooking, barefoot & wearing just pants and a light sweater, and this morning, bundled up in hat, coat and scarf, I still shivered as Oliver & I took our morning walk!    I do believe I will have to keep the fire going all day & perhaps bake a little something to keep the coziness going :)….I'm feeling something gingerbread related may be in order.

Speaking of gingerbread, I just realized that my first FINISHED hooked project reminds me of gingerbread.  I'm not quire sure why, but it does nonetheless.  :).  I'm quite pleased with myself in having finished my first project....oh I have several in progress, hooking projects but this is my first OFFICIAL FINISH!!  


My loops are 10 different heights and I'm not really pleased with my color choices but I did what I set out to do, which was to feel comfortable with knowing how to hook.  I'm hoping keeping a steady loop height is something that comes with practice...  (YES???  NO???))   

The stool it is sitting on was made by my niece and her husband (Shopgirl Design Studio).  I LOVE IT. It is angled slightly and is perfect, for resting your feet upon, when hooking and/or punching.



NOW..ON TO MY NEXT PROJECT......

COLORS ARE...from bottom left to right...
deep blue grey/black,
 dark orange and black,
dark greenish brown,
light greenish tan
 light orange.
 This is a design I drew almost a year ago, when I was in Belfast, Maine, and first met my dear friend Connie of Seven Gables Designs AND  got started on this rug hooking journey.  As you can see I had previously hooked the turkey and the pumpkin stem.  Yesterday, I took the loops out, as I feel I can do a better job now than I had done originally...well, lets hope anyway.    

NOW...the NEXT thing and, what I seem to be struggling with the most....

CHOOSING COLORS!!

I feel like I am usually quite good at color planning.  As far as my punch needle embroidery designs go, I love them,  but for some reason...I can't seem to settle on what colors I should use when rug hooking!!!  I don't trust myself, especially after having chosen WRONG with my foot stool!!! 

 I MEAN..IT'S AN AUTUMN DESIGN..THIS SHOULDN'T BE THAT DIFFICULT...… 

 Why am I making this so hard??? 

URN....grey/black?
PUMPKIN.....orange...white...green???????
PUMPKIN STEM...… greenish tan??
TURKEY....UGH.....  red neck...brown/black body...  ?
BACKGROUND....????????  black?... OATMEAL????





I was original thinking a dark green background (because I LOVE green) but I dont' think that is going to work...….  Though now that I am starring at this photo....How lovely would the dark grey look next to that green!!!

UGH....I JUST DON'T KNOW...…

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By the way...this is the first design that I've created specifically for rug hooking!!  I usually design for punch needle FIRST and offer the template for rug hooking :~).
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Okay..i'm off to finish tidying the house then it's a shower and pattern printing for me.  Hopefully, as I walk past all these colors, laid out on the dining room table, the proper color palette will come to me. 

Until next time ~ wishing you JoY, Doreen





Tuesday, February 12, 2019

This is why......


You should never give yourself a hard time for dabbling in different mediums.  When something calls to you, don't question the why, or feel guilty because you should be doing other things, because all of it, all the little stop off's, turns & moments of trying new things, or revisiting old, feed your creativity.   I say all of this as if I am an authority on the subject, I assure you, the opposite is true.  I JUST accepted this fact.  This "knowing" concept that has taken me years to realize AND, to allow myself to do. Case in point...while I was immersing myself in the wonderful world of needle felting (oh my goodness, I SO enjoy it) a new punch needle design started to come to life~~~  Do you see that handsome turkey towering over the little house :). I love it!!  This is the moment when I finally realized, it's okay to mix things up, take time for the new, dabble in the old, let go and just "DO". :)  They ALL are creative and they ALL feed your creative soul and work together rather than separate you from one or the other.  Why did I think they did?????  Why is it so hard to just take the path and not question it. Change is scary....our heads always try to fight it!

 As a business owner, we are always making sure we are doing what's best for our business and from time to time,  the running of things hovers over the creative and creates a cloud that we need/must shake loose and let the wind blow away. The schedules, list and organization of it all, sometimes pins down our creative souls and we find ourselves in business mode rather than creative mode.  Thankfully, my creative soul is a fighter (thank you YOGA) and she makes sure the creative gets through no matter how hard I try to make it.  

What's funny is, I've no idea why I worry so about any of it.  Even though I've been dabbling in four different things, as of late, I'm still managing to keep it all in check.   All orders are going out when they should, whether it be wholesale shop orders for patterns or daily website and Etsy shop orders.  I"m creating new pn designs, dabbling in different mediums and still getting the work done. My house might be in desperate need of a good cleaning and I've a different project in literally every single room but I know it will all, eventually, get done.  It's all good :).
**Pattern coming February 14th**


Okay...as I have just noticed the blazing red sky outside the studio window, it tells me sunrise has arrived and it is time to get this house picked up & for Oliver & I to head out for our morning walk & chores.  We've a big ole snow storm headed our way this afternoon. Hopefully, it will hold off until after I'm home from the dentist & errands!!!  I'm also really hoping to make it to Yoga class this evening, so fingers crossed that still happens :).


Homemade pizza is on the menu this evening..Mark shall have to grill in the falling snow ~ I LOVE THAT!!  :)

Until next time, wishing you JOY my friends.  Doreen