Dream

'Dream' That is the name of this design of mine. It will be like some of the rugs I have done- one of a kind- deeply meaningful to me and full of self-expression.

I have had 'Dream' drawn up on paper and hanging in my wool studio (ha! Its more like a cottage) for several weeks- the bulk of the summer. I have looked at it and known that I must do it. When I am finished, I will use it as an illustration when I need to when I want to convey the lesson I learned from a dream I had in the late spring/early summer. The lesson is detachment.

I have a relationship in my life that has caused me soul piercing pain. Should I admit that I have tried to find solace in a counselors office seeking emotion relief from a situation that I have been unable to resolve or make sense of. Last winter, I was over-run with pattern and wool kit orders. I worked from sun up to late into the night every single day. As soon as I would wrap things up for the day, the grief would overwhelm me all over again.

So, one night I had a dream. The dream consisted of three parts. In the first part, I was laying in a hospital bed. There were people gathered around me although I did not know who they were, except for my best friend, Louise. A nurse came in and asked me to roll over and as I did I saw my hands were swollen I knew I was very ill.

In the second part of the dream, I was in my childhood home. I am the oldest and all my younger brothers and sisters were playing and moving about the house like any other day from many years ago. However, in the dream, I was standing in a hallway that never existed in real life. It was filthy. Curtains hung torn and soiled. The floor was filled with debris. I stood there feeling like I must clean it up and that surely I could never just leave it. I needed to clean up that mess. Then I saw a snake in the corner. The snake started coming toward me, growing bigger as it it got closer. I lifted my foot and smashed it. Suddenly, I was in the third part of my dream.

I was in the night sky. I could feel a cool breeze envelope me. Stars twinkled around me and I was running my fingers through the clouds. I felt unbelievable peace and joy inside of me- a deep contentment. I looked and I saw the earth which, in the dream, looked like a cream colored ball. But I knew that that hallway and that mess was beneath me and as I looked at that globe, it got smaller and more distant and I was OK with it because I was so filled with peace.

When I awoke, my husband was standing at his dresser getting ready for the day. I asked him to sit down and listen to the whole story. When I was done, he said, 'I know what that dream means. Yvonne, the hospital represents the fact that you have been very emotionally sick. The second part represents a 'mess' that you so badly want to clean up but you don't know how. The act of smashing the snake means that you are done----done! And the third part is a complete detachment and rising above the whole thing.'

For days, I kept thinking about that dream and the dream became a tool I had in allowing myself to let go of something I have been unable to.

So this rug is a 'snap-shot' of the dream I had- of course, a younger, slimmer me-haha!

Here is 'Dream' in the front and what I think I will call 'The Little Spinner' in the back-ground. The Spinner will be a pattern that I will sell. I intentionally made the face very simple so that most anyone could feel confident in doing it. I know that so many of the ladies that enjoy rug hooking love spinning as well. I hope that they will love 'The Little Spinner.'

Before I say good-night, I have to share with you a picture I took earlier of my Mercedes. That sweet girl. Always by my side- always.

Good night!

A Last Punch Needle Pattern....For A While

Being the oldest child of fourteen, I am naturally pretty goal oriented. When I make a list of things to do, and it comes to something I love as much as creating, I will follow through with that list. I had a few summer goals for myself and one of them was completing a few punch needle embroidery patterns. The above pattern that I have been working on, is what I consider the end of the line for a while unless I just happen to have an idea that sounds appealing to me.

I am eager, EAGER to begin really focusing on my passion and that is rug hooking. Tonight I dyed up some flesh. I have two designs I will be trying to work on together. One will be a spinner and the other a design that I have had hanging on paper in my wool studio for at least a couple months. It is called 'Dream.' It literally is a 'snap-shot' of a dream I had a while ago. It was a dream like none I have ever had. I woke up and felt a deep peace about a painful part of my life that I have been unable to let go of.

The Woolery

The above is 'The Woolery' based on my rug hooking pattern. I could not get a picture that even does it justice. By far, this is one of my very favorites.

This one was really fun to do- I mean A LOT of fun! I loved the applique part- another reason I need to take care of myself so I have many, many more years to do all the projects that I can possibly squeeze into my life time! So much to do! So much to do!

Now, I am so eager to get on my new rug hooking projects that I love so much. I liked the punch needle but I have dearly missed being able to concoct my own 'paints' and 'painting' with my hook what I see in my mind.

Before I say good night, I have to introduce you to one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

Yes, that is me with my Doberman Pincher, Mercedes. I have dreamed for most my life of owning one. Every time I have ever seen one, I have always had to rush over to admire what I see.  About five years ago, my husband and I were up in the mountains. We had just got onto a trail and a jeep pulled up. Something inside told me that a Doberman would be jumping out and sure enough! there was one! The owner, a very husky and no nonsense man got out and I had to talk to him. He encouraged me to pet his dog and he shared that he was a veterinarian and had owned Dobermans most his life. As we talked, I watched his dog prance through the woods and my heart was melting. What a beautiful creature! His parting words to my husband was 'Go buy your wife a Doberman!'

A month ago, I found a Doberman girl- six years old. I really was nervous as I drove to meet her. Do I need another complication in my life? In the middle of everything, do I really need a rabid dog? They say this breed needs a confident and strong owner- I am the epitome of a nervous Nellie! Scatter-brained! As my son has teased, ' Mom, you zig zag through life.' LOL

In the month I have had her, my nervous heart has shed a few tears about how dear she is and what a friend she has become to me. She never leaves my side. While I am hooking, her head lays on my hip and she'll push her nose in for a little stroking which I love so much. When I go back and forth all day between my house and my wool studio, she's right there. Her funny antics keep me laughing every day. Everyday I just look at her and wonder where she has been all my life. I dread the day she is gone. I simply dread it. 

Anyway, this is Mercedes. 

Will be following up soon with the progress of the two designs I am dyeing wool for right now.

Harvest Blessings

'Harvest Blessings' 

A piece of wheat. That is where this one started. I saw a picture of a piece of wheat. Later that night as I lay in bed, I started wondering about wheat and colors I dye. Which formulas would work? Hm..I wonder how beautiful it would be if I dip-dyed a gold color to use as wheat? Blues and golds look beautiful together.....Wheat needs a sky. What to go on the sky? Cream and my 'Overcast Sky' that I always use. Those colors would be so soft and beautiful together. What time is it? Nearly one a.m. Oh well....cream.....a scarf...a scarf. OK. Did I turn off my coffee maker? Wait a minute. What about a girl carrying wheat? Oh yes! Ok and this will be a pattern and so to keep it simple, she will be facing away. Hm..hm. Wheat in a border- I always have those borders. 

As I lay there, I started visualizing my idea. The rug you see is what I had in mind as I started to doze off. I was tempted to get up to quickly sketch it all out but was convinced that I loved it so much that I would remember it and I sure did.

See those hills in the back-ground? Where I live , they surround me. You will notice that most all of my backgrounds show those purplish-blue hills. A back-ground is not 'right' without them to me because it is where I live. 

What was also exiting was that in the days that followed, as I drove about in the area that I live, wheat fields were being harvested and because of my plan, they seemed to have an excitement to them as never before. My eyes were studying the colors that I was seeing and through out the days that went by, I sampled different dye colors until I could not contain myself any longer and I BEGAN.

Doing this rug was a lot of fun and the best part was seeing something that happened in my head late one night come to life as I hooked away!

I almost for got to tell you that as I worked on this rug, I also was working on a little punch needle design to 'compliment' the rug design. It is a softer version and I like it very much. I used what I had of my growing collection of Valdani floss. I have to say I really love that floss. It has a naturalness to it. To me it is like hand-spun wool vs. acrylic- that's just my opinion. I very much love it- mostly those variegated collections they have. Here is a picture of the punch needle version of 'Harvest Blessings.'

Both of these are available in my Etsy shop. Both are available as kits if you prefer.

My Etsy Shop

One last thing! I made my own web-site! Yes! I had my old web-site but found it so very frustrating. Someone was managing it. Every time I wanted to update it, it became a matter of me remembering to do it. And if you are familiar with how lousy I am at texting and messaging, you might guess that one simple change became very daunting for me and very frustrating. I am just someone that needs something right in front of me in order to focus on it. That is why my Etsy shop works so well for me and now I have a web-site that I can manage all by myself and keep focused on. Here is a link to it! Please check it out!

Vintage Heart Rug Design

New Punch Needle Embroidery Designs

A few months ago, I made a list of things to accomplish over the summer months.

A Web-site I can manage myself.

20 Half Yards of hand Dyed Wool

One or Two Magazine Submissions

 Punch Needle Patterns

These are the latest two.

Above is 'Fancy Needlework' that is based on my rug hooking design, 'Fancy Needlework.' 

Below is 'Flower Market.'

You will  notice in the 'Flower Market' design, a wooden crate. One evening my husband suggested that he make a tongue and groove box-end for me to attach my piece on. I LOVED the idea! There is a lavender tag that I aged. I have been pretty exited about that.

I have limited  kits for either design and patterns are available as well. I also have the boards that can be ordered.

So what have I accomplished on my list? 

Website is one page short of being finished.

Working on a Magazine Submission.

I have a half dozen punch needle designs done.

And I am slowly getting that wool done. I will not get caught off guard like I did last year- holy moley!

Either design and others are available in my Etsy shop!

Refinement

I have been in a deeply contemplative mood the last few weeks- contemplating life, my life and the things that matter to me. I have been feeling peacefully alone in my thoughts.

I have been thinking about the different times in my life that were painful and yet, refining- things I have gone through that on the surface seemed like I came out a tangled mess but, in time, I found that I was made better, softer...made 'less.' And how many times have I said, 'Less is more!'

I have been thinking a lot about my work and what exactly it is I want it to be. I want it to be considered, 'less.' 'Less' meaning truly authentic and simple. Just simple. No bells, no whistles, nothing loud or ostentatious. Just true. And being 'true' is being vulnerable because it is the stuff of the heart. Have you ever had a rejected heart? I have discovered that rejection, if you let if make you better and not bitter, leads to more refinement- it makes you 'less' in a 'more' sort of way.

When you are 'less', you 'see' more- I see how much my husband adores me. I see that he is the love of my life. I see the stars in the night sky because I am looking up to God for answers and consolation. I see my own father's face as my children look at me. I can do this because of the refining and uncluttered 'quiet' in my heart.It makes me realize just what this life is- it really is so simple and wonderful and painfully.........refining.

"God, thank you for the refinement you have brought to my life. May it be expressed in all I do and all I am. 

Yours truly, Yvonne"

The last month I have been working on punch needle designs as requested! Now! Nothing can captivate me like rug hooking but I will create some punch needle designs. I started using the DMC flosses but have noticed (and how I have noticed!) the striking difference between the DMC and Valdani. So, now I am waiting for my Valdani to arrive and then I have a design that I am very exited to begin.

In the meantime, I have been  reproducing a rug that I have so admired. I do not know what it is called- all I know is I see a sweet lady , a dress, a handsome man and possibly cupid or a jealous man and I am mush- where is my hook? My basket of dyes? This design, I just found out this morning, was part of a series commissioned by James and Mercedes Hutchinson between the years of 1925-1945. Authentic and true and refined- and is admired still today!

'Handiwork'

I have sold out of the 'Handiwork' kits that I had available and I have more floss on the way for more kits. I have more punch needle designs coming. The next one involves a French Flower Market. Last night my husband came home and had a suggestion for a certain board for it to be mounted on and I was floored at his genius. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

While I wait for the floss to arrive, if you are interested in a kit, please let me know and I will reserve one for you. I have been surprised at how fast these sold and I hope to have enough for 15 more kits.

Feel free to contact me at yvonne@vintageheartprimitives.com or hooknwool@gmail.com.

Thank you so much!
~Yvonne

Punch Needle Embroidery Patterns

Stoneware Kitchen

During my life, I think I have tried my hand at countless arts and crafts. Calligraphy, ceramics, paper mache, all sorts of painting, knitting........of course, rug hooking............pottery, punch needle using yarn and the Amy Oxford punch-needle. I have done quite a bit and really enjoyed each one.

Then there is this punch needle embroidery. Hmmmm..............

I have been asked so many times about converting some of my rug hooking designs into punch needle. The thought of such tiny work has seemed very unappealing to me. All I could envision is wads of tangled floss and knots and forgetting to write down floss numbers. It just has sounded so tedious!! Not to mention how difficult it is on my eyes looking at such fine detail.

Well, where there is a will, there is a way. I have come up with two punch needle designs for you and I am half way liking them. The turning point was when my best friend introduced me to her reading glasses. 'Ohhhhh....so is this the key?? Ha!'


I have two patterns that I have done. 'Stoneware Kitchen' and 'Handiwork.' Both will have in the weeks to come complimentary rug hooking designs.

'Handiwork' is mounted on a board that I thought up- I love scalloped edges on anything and so why not? I would sure be glad to make you one if it is something you are interested in.

Handiwork

I am working on having two rug hooking patterns to compliment these punch needle designs. I really looking forward to doing them.

Here is a link to my Etsy Shop:

My Etsy Shop

I hope you have had a great three day Memorial weekend!

~Yvonne