Autumn at Red House Wool Studio~A Photo Tour!

I think we're ready!  Autumn has arrived at the Red House Wool Studio!

Tell me this is your favorite time of year to

add some scrumptious Fall colors to your wool stash!

Here we go.... 

Enjoy the tour !!

We hope you will stop by the Studio soon to see our selection of new hand-dyed wools, patterns, and everything for your rug hooking and wool applique needs! 

We're adding things daily and Fall classes for rug hooking are in progress!

Email me Here for more information on my beginning rug hooking classes!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Cathy G

Hooking Down and Dirty in the Hay Bales!

On Sunday of this Labor Day weekend Jill and I threw a few rugs and our hooking gear together and headed down town to  Heritage Days in Rice Lake, WI.  We were asked to demonstrate rug hooking to the crowds which never really materialized.  Unfortunately the crowds were there Saturday and by Sunday the hot and dusty ground was all that was left underfoot as we sat and hooked and sipped our iced tea from insulated mugs.

Heritage Days had it's humble beginning under a huge white tent with displays of logging equipment and trapping paraphernalia and a couple of ladies crocheting doilies and the town hookers ( me and Jill). Hay bales lined the outer edges of the tent I assumed for folks to rest a bit while listening to expert local historians speak on the logging history and lore of Indians and early settlers.  All interesting indeed... but we were hoping to drum up a few new hookers and lure them to the studio for lessons.

I think we spoke to three possible candidates.

Jill, however, was happy to have a few hours on a hot and dusty Sunday afternoon to sit and hook with her partner in business and crime.

She did a little reverse hooking as well!  LOL!

Me, with the dumb look on my face, made a little more progress on a new rug I started a couple of days ago.  It's a 20 by 40 inch runner with a wild hit and miss border done in all shades of green. 

So tomorrow starts the journey into a new week and the start of the Fall season.

I will get to those studio photos I promised too.

Never enough hours in the day it seems.

Today is a big day for my sweet hubby Dave who loads tables, fixes light fixtures in the studio, takes photos, takes care of friend's chickens while they are on vacation, takes care of his 91 year old Mom, me and the fur boys,  and puts in 60 hour weeks at the newspaper.

He turns 60.

I think we both will be sitting down a few moments to wrap our minds around that one!

Happy Birthday Honey!!

Cathy G

Hello!

It's me!  I'm still here!  Although feeling a bit sheepish about not posting in such a long time!  You know how hard it is to finally post when there is so much that has gone on in life and you want to tell it ALL!  Well.... maybe not quite all! LOL!

Summer is nearly gone.... but this next week sounds like we're in for some super hot weather!  Time to turn on the AC and get to work in the studio!

I have been hooking a little bit and getting the studio ready for our Fall classes here.  In fact I have a few ladies coming next Friday( August 30th) for their first try at rug hooking.  The class starts at 1:3o pm and I could take a couple more students if you have been thinking about taking a class. Just shoot me an Email for more information.

Here is a rug I just completed and am getting ready to bind.  It is a quick design I drew up for something new to hook to get me motivated again!  I hadn't picked up my hook for well over a month this summer!  I needed a fun and simple design that would hook up quick!

  For some reason sunflowers call to me this time of year!

And punkins and blackbirds!

They all made an appearance in this design.

I had to call this rug "Big Sunflower".

I love them and they are so fun to hook!  "Big Sunflower" is about 19 1/2 by 22 inches.   I don't think I will be offering this pattern as a paper pattern at this time  but I will draw one up on linen for you if you should like the design and want to hook your own.  

Email me with your request and I'll send you a PayPal invoice.  

( The cost will be 42.00 plus shipping)

  

  I have some new photos of the shop to show you in my next post!

Now.... I better get to binding.

Talk soon!

Cathy G

Dining Room/Kitchen Make Over

The paint brush has barely left my hand since my last post!  I've been on a painting marathon and mission to paint all dark surfaces in the kitchen and dining area!  

I've even been thinking of painting the floor.... but to tell you the truth I'm a little bit sick of painting right now so that is probably not going to happen any time soon!  

How do you like the old primitive work table I moved in here in place of the fancier oak one? (see last post for before pics)  It is more narrow and seems to fit the space a little bit better. 

Between coats of paint I fired up the sewing machine and sewed some new curtains for the dining area.

  

I used a cotton ticking in an olive brown and cream stripe for the curtains. I always have to custom make curtains for the windows in the dining area because I can never find ready-made to fit. 

I am loving the lighter and more airy feeling in this area now.  I am trying to keep the accessories to a minimum too.  So very hard to do when I've collected stuff my entire life!

Here is a couple shots of the kitchen too.  I used the same buttermilk color paint on the cabinets which were painted an Old Colonial yellow color before.  I still have some touching up to do and inside the open shelves to paint.    Sheesh.... when will it ever end!

As you can see ol'  Orange Sink is alive and well!  He's behaved well through all the painting and washing of paint brushes.  His reward is going to be a fresh bead of caulking as soon as I find the time.

Cathy G

Before the change.... Dining and Kitchen Area

 

Before... old wallpaper border and door with a coat of primer.

I should've never moved that big cupboard into the closet.  It opened a whole new can of worms around here!  There has been nothing but painting, wallpapering,  more painting, moving furniture and collections from place to place  ever since.  

However... I am liking the lighter look of the new textured 

wallpaper border. 

And I like the door painted in the new buttermilk shade that I plan to paint the kitchen cupboards and all the trim around the dining room and kitchen windows.  Needless to say I will probably be painting my fool head off for a few weeks.

With the hot sticky weather and the mosquitos as thick as mud outside it's best to find projects to do indoors.  The only trouble is now I have projects to last well into the next season.

I'll leave you to ponder a couple of photos of my dining area that I took a few months ago.  Things have already changed quite a bit including moving a different table into the space.

So stay tuned....

Cathy G