Nature and creativity go hand in hand. Never again will I look at snow covered trees without the image that Susan Feller of artwools mentioned in an instagram post. She commented on how she saw trees as a child, “All dressed in ball gowns” Now that is ALL I see when walking into the woods with the trees laden with fresh snow- the branches heavy with the weight of it all. Ball gowns dancing in the woods when we aren’t looking. What a fantastic image- thank you Susan! thank you

Let’s try something new this year – let’s try a staycation of slow stitching. Need an activity for your kids? This might fit the bill. These kits that are in the process of coming together this week .They are designed for beginners to “get hooked” so to speak. There have been so many very helpful people out there in the world of Zoom, Facebook live, etc that it seems like all of the rug hooking questions are being covered. What could I add to all this information that is circ

Facebook Pinterest Tumblr Wondering how I can possibly help any of you to keep creating. While the shop continues to have more and more offerings for you to use, there is a question in the back of my mind- but how can I HELP? We are living in a troubling time and this is one way to keep you at ease – the simple act of creating art from fiber. Lavender filled pillow Suggestions for the times I can’t help you with the fears of the pandemic– I can suggest that you wear a mask an

As was mentioned in the last post- the sourdough discard recipes are still in full swing here in Maine. This morning a quick batch of absolutely delicious banana nut muffins were made. again, no sour cream in the house- but there was greek homemade yogurt which is a wonderful substitute. Oh man, these are good… Sourdough banana nut muffins Trying Sourdough Naan tonight This nights dinner will have some sourdough Naan to go along with it. I made Naan a long time ago, not with

Hello from home! See where I am so far with my journey into sourdough and sourdough starter. I imagine most of you are at home right now- we are here anyway. Only the essential workers are around but I sure am glad that they are ! There are some local stores that are providing curbside pick up where I can get milk, eggs, flour, handmade bagels (yum) and some more things that have proven to be necessary items in our home. Toilet paper? well, that is another story isn’t it? Bob

project readying If there was ever a need to be creative, now is the time. Many people are being encouraged to stay at home and practice social distancing when going out. This can be troubling and challenging for some people . The short term solution? get creative. Now is the time to start that project you have been wanting to start- read that book you have been meaning to read. I , for one, have loads of ideas and yet still not quite enough time to implement them, but I’ll d

After being , what I feel like has been, an insanely busy time, I was reminded that there are people out there who miss me when I don’t post. So…thanks for the reminder Donna! What has been taking my time? Many things have been drawing my time – family, preparations for the lovely “hook – in” in Damariscotta, Maine, trying to hook some rugs to catch up and of course, my crazy dog, Gracie. What lies ahead ? Some time to regroup. New patterns need to be hooked, new kits need t

Last week it was cold outside- well, it should be after all, it is January ! While I was shoveling it occurred to me that my mother is still keeping me warm. She has been gone since 1999, yet still she cares for me. Wearing wool mittens that she knit when I was probably in college, my fingers kept very toasty and warm. Wearing a waterproof over- mitt kept the mittens dry, although they may have stayed dry without that. That’s the thing with wool- it is very hard for water to

This rug may have been the beginning of my business as it is now – the rug that began it all . My “Welcome Home” rug. I was hooking my own rug years ago at a studio. “oh I love that” how much would you sell it for?? It was mine- I wasn’t sure I wanted to sell it, in fact, I didn’t- but I could possibly make the pattern available for her. I went home and thought long and hard about it- was I willing to share my talents with others? did I want others to hook something that I ha

Lucy in the garden Opportunities are sometimes, under appreciated. There are times when I find myself wanting to be home, working on my rug hooking business instead of waking to the alarm, getting out of bed and driving the hour and a half to help with childcare. In hindsight I look back at all of the opportunities presented to me and am grateful. It feels good to help out this busy family of mine. I won’t say it is all “fun and games” but most of it is! Ethan at the Portland

207 Creatives is a collective of three fiber artists who have joined together to bring you unique fiber events and experiences. We are, what you would call, slow makers- our craft takes time to produce. Planning, drawing, hand dyeing wool, color planning a piece, cutting the wool strips (worms), hooking it all by hand and finally the binding. The three of us run our own shops and businesses, each offering something slightly different than the others. At the end of 2016, we de

Top 60 Rug Hooking Blogs Thank you, Feedspot, for including me on the ‘Top 60 Rug Hooking Blogs’ list! It is an honor, and I will say, a surprise, to be included in such good company. I have been a fan of several of these blogs for quite a while now. Some of my personal favorites are: Karen Kahle of Primitive Spirit Deanne Fitzpatrick of Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio Ali Strebel of Ali Strebel Designs … oh, there are just too many to mention. All of these people have unique works