SHOW BINDING WORKSHOP - MONDAY, DEC. 2

This Monday at Women Matters, Lansdowne, Pat Mangeon will be conducting a workshop on how to do Show Binding.

You will need to bring with you;

• Scissors
• Sewing Needle
• Heavy Thread
• Ruler
• Quilting Pins
• The hooked piece that you will be putting the show binding on.
• Wool fabric of your choice.  Enough to go around your piece plus 6" more.  This strip should be approximately 3" wide.  Cut enough strips to that when you connect the pieces allowing for seam allowances, the length will be about 6" longer than the outside of your rug.

WM will have its popular steam iron available, however, it may be in high demand so anyone who wishes to bring an extra steam iron is welcomed to do so.

Workshop starts at 11 a.m. and promises to be fun and interesting.

Thanks to Pat for offering to do this for everyone.

Fibre, Fibre Everywhere

Well, Kim from Cornerstone Fibre, was a big hit.  She brought along a lot of eye candy for us to drool over including, drop spindle kits, felting needles and lots of fibre.

Kim also brought some of her creations to show us.  

Wet Felted Purse

Wet Felted Hat

Pattern on Felted Scarf

Hat knitted with hand spun energized singles.

She noted that these rovings were dyed with unsweetened Kool-Aid.

But the most cuddly chunk of fibre that Kim brought, and the star of the show, was Daisy, a Satin Angora rabbit who is less than a year old.  Kim talked about her experience raising Angora rabbits and noted that a female rabbit is called a doe and a male is a buck.  The females rule the warren and are more territorial than males.  They are also more likely to bite, scratch and kick, as they defend their territory.  Imagine!

As Daisy has been hand raised by Kim, she is comfortable being held and cuddled.  Nancy was quite taken with Daisy and Daisy was very comfortable in Nancy's arms.  But alas, this was to be a short friendship. Kim explained that this was Daisy's last public appearance as she and her sister, Dalilha, would be traveling to their new home on the west coast, within the week. 

Thanks to everyone who came to this event and helped to make it a success.

WHAT IS ANGORA?

Did you know that there are Angora goats ....

and Angora rabbits?

So which one produces the Angora fibre?  It is the rabbit.  The fibre produced by the Angora goat is called Mohair.

If you want to see a fluffier bunny than the one pictured above, then check out this You Tube video on Giant Angora Rabbits.  

Kim from Cornerstone Fibres will have some of this scrumptious fibre among the supplies that she will be selling at Women Matters on Monday, November 4th.  

A BEVY OF BUNNIES

Kim, Cornerstone Fibres, has a bevy of bunnies that she raises for fibre. On Monday, November 4th, we will have a chance to meet one of her furry friends.  Find out what is involved in raising Angora rabbits for their fibre and experience this irresistibly soft fibre .

If you check out Kim's Cornerstone Fibres blog entry of Monday, August 26, 2013,  you will see a pic of the brood that her 8-year-old doe Sarai had in 'one last wild fling'.  Hopefully, the bunny that she plans to bring to Women Matters, on Monday, November 4th, will have a lot more fuzz than these little cuties.  Check it out.

WHAT IS A THICK AND THIN YARN?

It is a great yarn to add to your rug hooking repertoire.  The combination of thick and thin yarn in a single strand will give you variety in surface texture.

A Single Ply Thick and Thin

Imagine the colourful texture that you could achieve if you hooked with this 2 ply thick and thin yarn.  Think gardens in a landscape and colourful lettering.

ATwo Ply Thick and Thin Yarn

Tell everyone.  On Monday, November 4th, Kim from Cornerstone Fibres will be at Women Matters, Lansdowne,  to demonstrate how to make a thick and thin yarn without a spinning wheel.

WHAT IS A DROP SPINDLE?

A drop spindle is a simple, inexpensive device that allows you to design your own yarn for use in your hand hooked rugs.

Use the drop spindle to spin yarn from your hand dyed roving, or to ply two different types of commercial yarn together to make your own unique hooking fibre.  You can even spin your whipping yarn if you want.  And of course, the drop spindle can be used to create a knitting yarn also.

Kim Parkinson, Cornerstone Fibres, will be at Women Matters, Landsdowne, on Monday, November 4th to give us a demonstration on how to use the drop spindle.  Pass the word.

NOVEMBER 4th PROGRAM

Kim from Cornerstone Fibres will be our guest speaker and vendor at Women Matters on November 4, 2013.   We have asked her to come to Lansdowne with her fibres, spindles, needles, and her favourite furry friend, one of the Angora rabbits, which she breeds for fibre.  

The following program starts at 11 a.m. so bring your camera, pen and paper to take notes and capture ideas.  Kim will;

• show us how to make a hookable, thick and thin yarn without the need for a spinning tool,
• demonstrate her drop spindle technique,
• talk to us about breeding Angora rabbits and how she uses their fibre, and
• give us a chance to shop from her stock of fibre items.  

Spread the word.  Everyone is welcomed.

THANKSGIVING MONDAY, OCTOBER 14

Please note that Women Matters members will not be meeting on Thanksgiving Monday.

We look forward to getting together again at the Community Centre, on Monday, October  21, 2013.

PLAIDS, PLAIDS AND MORE PLAIDS

Oh my good golly! Who knew that there was so much that you could do with recycled plaid fabric?  Sheila B knew.  On Monday, Sheila's workshop on hooking with plaid fabrics was an eye opening experience for all.  She started by showing us so many wonderful examples of pieces that she hooked with plaids.  She noted that she will often use a piece of the original plaid fabric somewhere in the project, either as a backing, binding or part of the design. By seeing a sample of the original plaid, we were able to better understand what she has done to achieve such fantastic results. 

 

Then she, with the help of her lovely assistant Julie, showed us a large rug that she had hooked with lots of recycled plaids.

She taught the techniques, demonstrated what to do and provided individual coaching on how we could use the plaids that we had brought to the workshop.  She also had hooked samples of the patterns that we would be hooking.   Sheila left no stone unturned as she shared her knowledge and enthusiasm  for  plaids.   

A huge SHOUT OUT goes to Sheila for all the energy that she put into this workshop and for the enthusiasm that we now share for her love of plaids.  Thanks Sheila for opening our eyes to the possibilities that plaids offer to those of us who desire more options when hooking our rugs. 

ELEANOR B'S FRIENDSHIP RUG

As you will recall, we decided to hook a friendship rug for our 90-year-old friend, Eleanor B.  The rug is progressing quite nicely.  

In order to keep everyone up-to-date on its progress, we have put a list of  'who has hooked what' on our Pages link which can be found to the right of this post.  Just click on the 'Friendship Rug' link and you will be taken to the list.

We hope to bring a smile to Eleanor's face when we present the rug to her later this year.  Anyone interested in hooking a square can contact Rhonda.

NATIONAL STITCH-IN-PUBLIC DAY

The Embroiderers' Association of Canada, Inc.  has proclaimed Friday, September 27th, 2013, the National Stitch-in-Public Day. Notice in the above advertisement that rug hooking is included.
This Friday, why not take your rug-hooking project to your local shopping mall, library or other public place and promote our craft while you make new friends.

Perhaps next year, we can plan in advance to participate in this national event.  For more information, click on the Stitch-in-Public link.

HOOKING WITH PLAIDS

On Monday, October 7, 2013, at 11 a.m., Sheila B is giving her workshop on Hooking with Plaids.  Come learn how to take one piece of plaid fabric and separate it into light, medium and dark values and use a coordinating colour for the outline of you design.  Using a #4 - #6 cut, you can choose to hook either a 5" square design called "Spring Tulip" or a 9 1/2" square design called "Tumbling Blocks'.

Material Required:

-Hook, hoop or frame, rug hooking scissors, sewing scissors, rug hooking cutter
- plaid wool fabric.  (recycled shirts, skirts, etc.)
-a coordinating solid colour wool fabric.


In preparation for this workshop, please put one of the following two patterns on your choice of backing material.  If you need help with this, please bring your backing to your hooking group and some one will surely assist you.

Here is a picture of each of the designs.

Tumbling Blocks

Spring Tulip

TO PRINT YOUR PATTERN

1. Choose the design that you wish to hook.
2. Look to the right of this post and you will see a heading "Pages".  Under this heading you will find a link to each of the above patterns.  
3. Click on the link for the pattern that you wish to use and you will see the actual, appropriately sized pattern.  
4. Print it and use it to put the design on your backing.

HERDING WORMS

Although Claire is relatively new to our rughooking group, she has quickly caught on to our philosophy of reusing and recycling.  Here is photo of her recycled veggie tray that she uses to organize and transport her worms.  

HERDING TURTLES

Many of our members are busy hooking a turtle pattern for the Brockville Thousand Islanders'  Christmas exchange project for 2013.  In the meantime, the St. Lawrence District Medical Centre asked for hooked donations in support of their fund raising efforts to expand their facility.  As a result, some members decided to hatch a few more hooked turtles to support the Centre's fundraising efforts.  

Herding turtles is easier than herding cats.  Here is a sample of our herd of turtles.

WHAT IS THIS???

As a rughooker, you never know what you might find in your washing machine.  Eleanor A's washing machine refused to drain so Doug went to work trying to find the cause of the problem. This is what he found.  

Eleanor had been washing some new wool in preparation for dyeing and it seems that this cord-like felted mass of fibre debris ended up wrapped around the blades of her washing machine's pump, jamming it up and preventing the water from draining.

We would normally expect to find fibre lint on our clothes dryer's lint trap, but we do not expect to find it clogging up the pump of our washing machine.  This is something to keep in mind the next time you wash your wool fabric.  But how can we prevent this from happening?  If you have a suggestion, please enter a comment on this post.

Well Done Gill

Today, 18 of us gathered to hear Gill's creative talk and discussion on Combining Hooking and Needlework.  Gill has the most creative brain and that was made clear to all of us who got to hear her talk and see her amazing creations.  A big thanks to Gill for sharing her talents with us.

One of Gill's Amazing Rugs

SPREAD THE WORD -- WM Now Has Demos/Creative Talks/Mini-Workshops, Oh my!

Starting this September, Women Matters will be conducting a free learning opportunity each month in Lansdowne.  This might be a creative talk, a demo, a short workshop, etc.  We would like to hold these on the first Monday of each month but that may need to be changed due to holidays and the availability of the person who is facilitating the event.  Nonetheless, in the interim we will give this a try.  We will also try to make these events on the Monday that the Algonquin WM group does not meet so that they too can participate.

Mark Your Calendars
On September 9th, (Okay, this is the 2nd Monday in Sept. but the first one is a holiday.) Gill W. will be giving a creative talk on Combining Hooking and Needlework. This fun and creative workshop will open your eyes to a combination of mixed media, hooking and needlework.  Gillian has created some wildly imaginative items with combinations that you are sure to love.

Here is a sneak preview of what you can expect.

Creative Loops by Gillian W

ELEANOR'S FRIENDSHIP RUG

As a special gift to our well loved member, Eleanor B., Women Matters members have decided to hook a friendship rug for her.  This is a rug that is marked in a grid and each participating member of our group will choose a picture to hook in one of the squares.  The picture that the member choses may represent something that is significant to both the member and Eleanor or something that they feel has some relevant meaning to the project.

To date, individuals have expressed an interest in hooking a square as noted below.

Judy P -- Nova Scotia Flag
Pat H --  Nursing
Gill Wi -- Green Congo Bucket
Sally G -- Golf Flag
Linda H -- Pink Roses
Rhonda  -- Poppy
Janice  -- Gan Arch
Nicole -- Tea cup and recipe
Betty -- baby
Mariette -- sail boat
Gill Wh -- map of Nova Scotia -- Done
Pen -- schooner -- Done
Pat M -- Grid, plus
Jane G -- some finishing
Nancy Mo -- lighthouse
Jill C -- red hat -- Done
Julie -- elephant -- Done

We know that once the summer holidays are over and more Women Matters members are around to discover this project, they too will want to hook a square.  Anyone interested, can contact Rhonda with information on what they wish to hook and she will add you to the list.  This list will be updated as required.

Also, watch this site for pics of the rug as our hooks keep flying.

Wouldn't it be great if we could have the rug completed in time for Christmas?

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY ELEANOR B.

On July 15th, more than 20 of us celebrated Eleanor B's 90th birthday.  Clad in her tiara and "Birthday Girl" sash, Eleanor was all smiles and thrilled to spend her day with good friends.  So that Eleanor could enjoy some extra hours of hooking rather than in the kitchen, everyone brought a meal or food item for her pantry.

Eleanor and Ellen 

Eleanor shows her latest rug "Paisley".

JUDY'S NECKLACE

After our day making wet felted balls, Judy went home and kept on felting.  Here is a pic of the necklace that she made.

Photos For Our Last Post

For some reason, the photos from our Easter gathering did not publish, so here is a repeat of that post.

With Easter just around the corner, we decided to try a new and easy method to make wet felted wool balls using a plastic Easter egg container.

First you fluff out two small portions of wool roving and then lay one fluffed fibre bundle over the other at a 90 degree angle.

                                   

Roll this fibre bundle into a loose ball and place it into a plastic Easter egg.

Add some hot tap water and a small amount of soap.  We used a bar of olive oil soap.  Close the plastic easter egg container and shake it like crazy.  You will soon notice the wool fibres begin to felt up and form a ball.  You may need to pour out some water as the wool shrinks.  You should keep shaking the egg until the wool forms a firm ball.

You can start the felting process in the egg and then finish it by rolling the wool between your hands.

Shaking the egg to felt the wool can take a bit of time so during this process, we decided to entertain ourselves with a little song and dance.  Here is our version of the Hokey Pokey.

After a few rounds of the Hokey Pokey, some exercise in the form of dance and lots of laughs, we had some very colourful felted balls. 

These can be used to make jewellery, to add a pom pom fringe to a rug, or to string together to make a mobile.

  

EASTER EGGS AND WET FELTED, WOOL BALLS

With Easter just around the corner, we decided to try a new and easy method to make wet felted wool balls using a plastic Easter egg container.

First you fluff out two small portions of wool roving and then lay one fluffed fibre bundle over the other at a 90 degree angle. 

Roll this fibre bundle into a loose ball and place it into a plastic Easter egg.

Add some hot tap water and a small amount of soap.  We used a bar of olive oil soap.  

Close the plastic easter egg container and shake it like crazy.  You will soon notice the wool fibres begin to felt up and form a ball.  You may need to pour out some water as the wool shrinks.  You should keep shaking the egg until the wool forms a firm ball.

You can start the felting process in the egg and then finish it by rolling the wool between your hands.

Shaking the egg to felt the wool can take a bit of time so during this process, we decided to entertain ourselves with a little song and dance.  Here is our version of the Hokey Pokey.

After a few rounds of the Hokey Pokey, some exercise in the form of dance and lots of laughs, we had some very colourful felted balls.  These can be used to make jewellery, to add a pom pom fringe to a rug, or to string together to make a mobile.

  

Women Matters -- Alive and Well

We are back in action!  

Well, actually, we have never been 'out of action'.  Women Matters has been meeting regularly and our membership is growing.  What has changed is that we have decided to use our blog to record our activities on a weekly basis.  There are so many great blogs online, we want to be a part of the colourful, creative world of arts and crafts blogs.  

Follow this blog to keep up-to-date on what Women Matters is doing. You will discover new techniques, fibres and supplies, while we explore the various ways to resolve challenges and share      tips and tricks that we have learned to use in the creation of our beautiful rugs.  

Here is a sneak peak at some of the projects that our members are working on.  

Each week, we learn something new.

This past Monday, Judy shared with us, one of her favourite things.  It is a very convenient, tiered, carrying tote.  Made of durable, see through plastic, each section measures the same length and width but varies in depth.  They can be easily stacked.  

Shallow containers hold her threads and beads.

Notice her cheese?

Larger sections have air vents along the sides. This section holds her projects and lunch.

Transporting the various parts is easy.  Just stack and clamp the sections together, including the lid. Judy bought two tote boxes which she mixes and matches, and then stacks as one carrying case.

Although she bought her cases at Jo-Ann Fabrics in the States, the rumour mill has it that you might be able to find them at Michael's or Walmart, here in Canada.

With a case like this, I imagine myself getting up in the morning, packing each section with a meal and then sitting down with my hooking project to spend a whole, uninterrupted day doing my two most favourite things, hooking and eating.  Now, that's a good thing.

Thanks Judy for sharing this with us.