Showing posts with label spring-loaded prodder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring-loaded prodder. Show all posts

Friday, September 11, 2009

PACKING FOR THE SHOW ~ ~ ~

Yes, that's what I'm doing today!! Just thought I'd give you an overview of the many crates ~ there are also five plastic containers full of wool!! I actually packed the crates ready for display ~ so that will eliminate some of the work in setting up ~ after about 28 or 29 years of doing shows, I might be getting the hang of it!!

Sonny just brought these frames in from the shop ~ two walnut and two wormy ash (similar to wormy chestnut)! I love the dark frames ~ they're just such a rich color ~ Sonny's frames and stands are nicely finished and they look like a piece of furniture ~ you don't mind having them sit out even if company is coming!

The proddy tools just arrived yesterday (yay!) and I also have Hartman hooks in three sizes ~ 9 mm, 8mm and 6 mm. I'll also have linen and monk's cloth packaged in one yard pieces ~ something for everybody, I hope! I even have two more dye pots going ~ just in case!!

We'll have some of Sonny's hand-carved spatulas and spoons for sale as well! They're made of applewood and another wood that I swear I can't remember right now! I think he has seven finished pieces ~ that, along with his frames and stands, keeps him busy ~ and of course, his day job which is home building and remodeling!! We don't like him to have too much free time!!!!!

Yesterday, I was walking out to Sonny's shop and this WORM was walking across the driveway! I ran and got the camera and picked him up on a stick so I could get him in a better light ~ and snapped his little picture! If you double click on the picture, you can see all his beautiful colors ~ orange speckled antennae, yellow things and blue things and when I turned him over, he has blue feet!!!!! We think it's a big fat tomato worm and if that's so, he has been overeating for sure!!!! Just wanted to share this colorful guy with you!

So that's it for today ~ I'm going to start carrying up crates and boxes out of the hooking room into the garage so the old guy doesn't have quite so much to do when he gets home!! I need the exercise and he doesn't!! We'll pack the truck and maybe I'll get a little project or two done yet this evening. As always, there were things I was going to make and didn't get done ~ but most of all I need to get a good night's sleep! We'll leave around 6:30 a.m., drive an hour and be set up by 9:30 or so!!! I always act like it's my first time ~ I can get pretty frazzled by the time the customers start to arrive! As I said yesterday, there's nothing like an outdoor show when the weather cooperates ~ now they are saying rain in the early morning ~ I hope they're wrong! I love doing shows and it's a happy day for me when customers come and love what we're doing! So, if you're in our area, stop by and say hi, shop till you drop and enjoy a beautiful day among the herb gardens at the Quailcrest Herb Fair!

Monday, August 4, 2008

ANOTHER PRODDY SHEEP ~ ~ ~


As you can see, I like doing proddy ~ proddy sheep in particular! This is one that I did at Barb Carroll's in one of her mini's , a couple of years ago. It is her Flag Day Sheep pattern but when I decided to do the sheep in proddy, the design took on a life of it's own. Barb added the flag background and then I added the braided border and voila! ~ this is the end result! I really like this guy, too!

I tear my proddy strips 1" wide and then cut them 3-4" long on an angle, so that I get this really shaggy look. There are 4 or 5 different wool textures in the body of the sheep. For me, a spring-loaded prodder works best and it's all done from the front of the pattern, which I hold in my lap or maybe work off a table.

My braiding is pretty rustic ~ I tore strips maybe 2" wide, sewed the strips together by hand, and then folded the edges in and braided at the same time. This whole rug was done in 3 days, including the braiding ~ when I returned home, I attached the braiding to the rug (the tricky part was blending the ends of the strips into each other at the end) and then bound the rug with wool strips. I have to say, one more time, that I just love this rug ~ but I really love most every rug I've done. The rugs that are displayed around our house are rugs that I've done at class or camp ~ there are others that I do for shows and with that in mind, I don't have a hard time parting with them. I do give a class on proddy in my home studio and sell the spring-loader prodders ~ anyone interested can contact me at gfraizer@neo.rr.com!

Just a note ~ right after I started this post, my darling Mr. Kitty jumped on the surge protector and shut the electric off to the computer!! I have to call him 'darling' so I don't say the bad thing that was running through my brain!!!!

We had a quiet weekend at the lake. Went for dinner Friday night with friends, went to an Art in the Park Saturday morning, came home and watched TV and napped ~ the entire afternoon!!! And ate ham sandwiches for supper!! We were definitely a couple of slugs that day!! Sunday, we had friends from home, up for the afternoon and went out for a fish sandwich before they left! Evidently, we needed a rest!!! And I didn't work on binding Mr. Catfish!! But that got started this morning!! So back to the hooking room to work on that ~ have a good day and thanks for reading!!
Alice