One stitch at a time–that’s all I seem capable of these days. But when you think about it, that’s all any of us are capable of, right? Whether by machine and very fast, or by hand and very slow, we have to take one stitch at a time. And isn’t that exactly what we love about our work with textiles, whatever they may be. The very fact that we can take one stitch at a time, and eventually end up with a masterpiece, if we will just continue on, is a miracle!
Lately, I’ve been taking one stitch at a time on my rug. I made a macaw in flight!
I made an owl.
I put him in front of a moon.
And then one day, the rug was finished. (In case you’re interested, I am still going to “tweak” that sunset section behind the elephants.)
Only, two friends (and myself) agreed that the rug needed a border. I found these wools, dyed a deep green/brown with a hint of burgundy, and they seem like they will work well. One thing about a border, I can work faster in a straight line! I will add the words “He holds all creation together” at the top, and the scripture reference “Colossians 1:15-20 at the bottom. The lettering will be done in that golden/apricot color that is the same color as the cross in the background.
In the evenings, I’ve been obsessively stitching away on this little piece. It became my travel project for the time I spent teaching in San Luis Obispo. I mentioned to one of the workshop attendees that I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. And she picked out a piece of fabric from my stash and mentioned using it as a background/frame. And now I know what I will do with it.
Oh, teaching–I thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching in SLO. The women in the workshop were delightful, and they seemed to enjoy learning and working on the projects that I taught. Is more teaching in my future? We will see, we will see 🙂
Close-ups:
debby quilts 
It is great to see that rug come to life. I love the layering of the animals. It really is beautiful.
Thanks Maria!
My great grandmother, long ago made wool rugs. And no, I do not have one.
My mother doesn’t either.
And one of my best friends hooks wool rugs now. She and five friends just spent an entire day dividing their stashes into six so they each now have a small share of a lot of wools. A lot.
She did the same thing for my mother with her stash of doll clothes fabrics. My mom now has half of the friend’s stash. And my mom is sewing up a storm.
Wow, that would have been cool to have a rug your great grandmother made!
Believe it or not, I do not have enough wool to share.
Beautiful pix. I had to visually hunt for the elephants. I think it might be too close to the same color values. Medium on medium. Once I found them, I continued to be able to see them, however. Curious what you are thinking of tweaking.
Sure, sure, just add on a border…no big deal. 😉 I laugh because you finally finished and yet? Still not done. I do think the border will set the rug off nicely, though…and what a run it is, btw! Really fun to look at and I keep seeing different elements. Love the night sky behind that owl; the way you set the scenes for all of the creatures is really special.
I like the owl and the night sky too. Right now it is one of my favorite parts.
Enjoyed the photos of your exquisite rug. Love the close up of the piece you brought to SLO. It is fun to she how the look of the piece changes as you add the stitching. The red french knots are so lovely.
Thanks Catherine! So great to hear from you. Because of your suggestion for the background fabric, I am anxious to finish this piece and add it to the other, and see what I will do from there!
I love your stitching-it gives lots to look at!