Leaping Hare  designed and Prodded by Jane Cook Cumbria  60cm x 90cm.

This rug is 10years old now and it came about after a frenzied natural dyeing spring. I came across a book called 'Traditional Scottish Dyes'  by Jean Fraser.
My first session was with Knapweed which grew in abundance on a nearby banking, it was easy and produced a lovely mellow yellow, I was hooked and went on to try Ragwort, Heather tops (very smelly) Nettle tops, young Fern Fonds, Larch Cones and lovely Blackberry and Elderberry.  I learnt by this time to put the leaves, roots, berries in old tights to keep all the bits off the wool blanket.  The mordant used is Alum and Cream of Tartar and some of the dye bath's can be pretty smelly so a sunny day with the kitchen door wide open is best.
Having got a reasonable stash of wool blanket now dyed I decided it had to be used all together in 1 rug and came up with this simple design.
It has faded over the years and I never place it where it would get strong sunlight.  
The rug is a reminder of all the hard work it involved, I was working full time then,so not for the faint hearted and I cant imagine I will ever repeat it!

Pink Passion

Pink Passion  is 30"x 20" It was deigned, made and is owned by myself Jan Newton. I made this rug in 2010 after attending a class run by Jenni Stuart-Anderson in the Midlands. This was my first piece and I used a loose weave hessian and remnants of cotton furnishing fabric. I started in the middle of the heart and worked out wards as I was not sure how far the darker red would go. Once I had achieved a shape I was happy with with I used random strips of the mixed cream and pink fabric. Although I made this rug for my guest bedroom it is often on display at Monkton Elm Garden Centre, in Taunton where I teach occasional classes. Since making this rug I have coveted other assorted rugs and wall hangings but using either the hooking technique or a mixture of both to gain different effects.

Cornwall Proddy

 

 

Proddy made from crimplene (yuk!) I guess in the 60's. It is 5'x3' and was given to me so I have no idea who made it. I can't imagine it would ever wear out and has been washed several times. Unfortunately it wasn't made properly..there are gaps between the clippings so they tend to work themselves out of the backing. I actually really like it because it is so colourful. Owned by Diane Cox, Cornwall.

In the eye of the Beholder

 

 Made, designed and owned by:Elaine Foster

 Size: approx 3’ x 2’ Made from: Wool fabric in 2008 made in North Yorkshire

My local rug group was in the final stages of planning an exhibition, and we were deciding on titles for our rugs. My rug, especially made for the exhibition, depicted ,I thought, two rams butting horns. I was struggling to think of an interesting title and turned to a friend for inspiration. She immediately came up with “Happy Elephants”.

 The rug never looked the same to me. Once the image of trumpeting elephants, albeit with somewhat skinny legs, had been implanted, it was always lurking in my mind. Some time after the exhibition I reworked the rug, changing the image to one of a single sheep

Blue Heart Mat

Made in Guernsey Size 18” x 24” Materials Used: Hand dyed and “as is” woollen material  Designer, Maker, Owner Alison Teed made in 2011

 

Red Hot Pokers

RED HOT POKERS

Size 30"x19"

Materials used: cottons, polyesters, leather and suede pieces

Maker:  Alison Teed

Owner’s Name: Alison Teed

Designer’s Name: Alison Teed
Made in 2000 in Guernsey
This rug was made after seeing a clump of Red Hot Pokers in my neighbour’s garden and thought how beautiful and elegant they were. I enjoy added leather or suede to my rugs for a bit of added texture.

Calgary Bay memory rug designed,made and owned by Jane Rushworth circa 2011. Size in inches 38" x21"  Materials used a mixture of woollen sources including blankets, tweeds and woollen jumpers. The rug was made in North Yorkshire

The story about the rug.  This rug is a memory rug of Calgary bay on the isle of Mull. I wanted to try using a wider range of colours and thicknesses of woolen fabrics to create more variety within the rug. It is also a memory rug including blanket from my Mother and material from friends and fellow rugmakers. It also reminds me of a fabulous place to be with beautiful blue sea and white beaches. The colours include pinks, greens, blues, purples, yellows, creams, black and grey all of which are as sourced. The thickesses are varied and the rug includes tweeds notably blue and purple ones.