TABLE RUGS, COLOR, THEN VACATION!

Table rugs, 10 X 13, Lori LaBerge  2012

This week saw the completion of two more table rugs.  For these two, vertical stripes were added on the lower section for a slight change of design.  I tend to veer toward painting the metal parts in a shade of gold, but it just did not fit with the green rug, so I switched over to silver.

Wingnuts stitched to hooking

Coupling nuts (I'm learning all kinds of hardware terms!) stitched to hooking.

While shopping this week, I came across a great book on color. "Can't Fail Color Schemes" by Amy Wax.  The link is to Amazon which has it through third party sellers. Barnes and Nobles has the book available new here.

The book has sections on color meaning and perception, how light affects color and great photos of rooms decorated with various color schemes.

There is an explanation of why each color is used in the room in combination with the other colors. Though the book is on color in interior design, there is no reason why these color combinations could not be used in artwork.

Kami LaBerge, my daughter, will be guest blogging from Los Angeles the next couple of weeks, as my husband and I have set up house sitters and pet sitters and are headed off to Scotland to celebrate our 29th anniversary.   Next week, she will be writing on the colors of Southern California.  She has a bachelor's degree in Art History and a master's degree in Library Science.

I am busy making lists of galleries and woolen mills along with the castles and pubs we plan to visit, so there should be plenty to report on when I get back.  Think back to the wonderful vacations you've had or those in your future and have a great day.

TABLE RUGS FOR DECOR

Yellow table rug, 10" X 13" linen, wool, metal, Lori LaBerge  2012

This week has been a wonderful combination of dyeing, hooking, whipping edges, stitching metal to fiber and designing.   I love the table rugs.   They are wonderful for displaying pottery and look great on coffee tables, sofa tables and chests.  The rugs will be available for purchase at the Carolina Designer Craftsmen show in November.

Full view

The whipped edges were finally finished this week.   After the edges were finished, the various hardware parts purchased last week were poured onto the studio table.   Decisions were made as to which metal parts would go on which rug, then the parts were scraped and painted according to what was needed for the design.

Red table rug, linen, wool metal,10" X 13", Lori LaBerge 2012

Full view

I also purchased some art this week.  My husband and I took a ride toward Banner Elk, passed a little gallery and had to turn around to go take a peek inside.   I'm so glad we did as we had the chance to meet Sally Nooney.  The gallery was full of her paintings, fused glass and jewelry. She was a delight to visit with and we talked about art, painting, glass and rug hooking for at least an hour.

Now at home on an entry wall, fused glass, "The Forest" by Sally Nooney

I love exploring back roads and finding little gems like Sally's gallery. Enjoy a weekend ride near your home, explore new places for art and have a great day.

REUSE OF FOUND ITEMS, COMMISSIONED RUG ARRIVES

"Deception of Beauty", 18 1/2"  X  34 3/4",  Lori LaBerge  2012

"Deception of Beauty" has finished the hooking and embellishing stage and is ready for edging and hanging work.  It's funny how projects change as you work on them. My original plan was to have wires protrude through the center of the piece, but as the work progressed I found myself acquiring various objects found throughout the house.  Some old washers, leftover strands of whipping yarn, and part of an old chain were positioned on the hooked work.  It seemed like with these items in hand, the piece basically finished itself.

Close-up, "Deception of Beauty"  Lori LaBerge 2012

The piece works on the premise that beauty can be deceiving.  The old items used were painted and otherwise improved upon, creating a sense of the new.  The viewer does not see the original appearance of the items or what lies behind the "make-up".  He or she has to determine where the deception comes in.

On another note, the middle of the week held a surprise.   I received notice that the rug my husband and I had commissioned from Alicia Keshishian had arrived.  Not only was the rug done, but Alicia was in town and delivered it herself!

Photo provided by Alicia Keshishian of weavers working on our rug.

Alicia drove over to the house with Laurey Masterton, who was in Alicia's color class at Penland with me.   Laurey runs a restaurant in Asheville, NC.  She is also working on a cookbook with recipes revolving around honey.  Keep an eye out for it on her website.

My husband Pete, myself, and Alicia.  We were excited as the rug was rolled out.  The colors were perfect and the design adds a terrific sense of style to the room.

The rug on its own.  Just beautiful.  The target in the lower left corner is for my husband, who is a competitive shooter and was captain of the U.S. Highpower Rifle Team for seven years and Individual National Champion in 1991.

As the first part of this week's blog was about reuse, I can't sign off without mentioning the Surplus section of Alicia's website.  It is here that she makes use of excess yarns by creating smaller rugs.  

Find some items in your home that are normally put to waste, think about how you may be able to put them to use and have a great day.

RUG HOOKING FINDS AT THE USED BOOK STORE

After taking my parents to lunch at a local cafe a couple weeks back, we headed over to Little Switzerland Books and Beans. This is a wonderful used bookstore and coffee shop located in Little Switzerland, NC. I could easily spend hours searching through the stacks. Little did I know those stacks held some old books on rug hooking and textile art. Here are four of my finds:

This book was published in 1973 and written by Ethel Jane Beitler.  

  I love this photo from the interior as it shows a painting on the left that was made and used as a pattern for the rug on the right.  Unfortunately, no credit was given to the artist. 

Authored by David B. Van Dommelen and published in 1962.

This sample from the inside of the book shows great variety.  Stitching was combined with rug hooking.  Artist: Van Dommelen

Published in 1975 and authored by Shirley Marein.

The photo of this piece in the book grabbed me as it contains embroidery techniques, yarn and photos in the face area of "The Three Graces" by Shirley Marein.

This book is by Lili Blumenau and published in 1967.  Though it focuses on weaving, there are some great ideas in it.  I really like the piece below which actually uses seeds in the weft of the weaving.  When I look at it, I am reminded of ancient texts.

Roam around some used bookstores, see if you find something surprising in the stacks ( I actually found a few good mysteries, also) and have a great day.

ON THE OTHER END OF A RUG COMMISSION

I was excited this past week as FedEx drove up the driveway to deliver a carpet sample of a rug my husband and I are having commissioned. I have done quite a few commissions on rug designs, but this time I am enjoying being on the other end.

Rug sample section of a rug being designed for our home by Alicia Keshishian.

When I took a color class at Penland School of Crafts, the designs of Alicia Keshishian really caught my eye. The entry of our home needed a 10-foot runner, so after classes were finished I spoke with Alicia about a design for this area. She has been a joy to work with. My husband and I e-mailed our thoughts about design to her along with photos of the entryway. Alicia took everything into consideration in creating a look that would fit perfect in our home.

Some of the wool samples sent for thoughts on color. Most of these colors were lightened up in the design process.

My husband is a competitive rifle shooter along with having been captain of the U.S. Palma Team. We have been lucky enough to have had the chance to travel to a number of foreign countries through his sport. I wanted the rug to somehow represent this part of his life. Rather than a straight forward target design, Alicia came up with a great abstracted look for it. This was perfect as it keeps with her own sense of design, yet still speaks to us.

  Close-up of rug design by Alicia Keshishian.  The motifs are in silk wool.

We have given the green light on the final design. The weaving process will take a while and I will post pictures of the rug when it arrives and is placed in the entryway of our home.

Our entryway, patiently awaiting its new rug.

As a rug maker and artist, I would recommend that anyone in the same profession commission a work at least once to be able to see it from the other person's side. It allows you to have a deeper understanding of why a person is asking for specific features in a work.

Try seeing things from someone else's perspective, keep true to yourself and have a great day.