CLEANING OUT THE CLOSET!

It's spring - time to think about that spring cleaning. For the closet in my bedroom it was way, way late in happening. When my daughter and I moved into this house six and a half years ago, I was recuperating from a heart operation and was unable to help her move. In the process, many things were left behind and I never looked back or regretted the things that we could not bring. I admit I did often wonder what had happened to some of the things never dreaming that they would one day show up. In addition to my clothes she put a number of bags on the shelf and on the floor of my closet. Over the years I have added to the shelf and the floor. About a month ago, I told my friend Traci that I could not stand the closet any longer and she volunteered to help me clean it out. I had put so much "stuff" on the floor you could hardly shut the doors. This is a large closet - semi walk-in - a real mess. I do periodically go thru my clothes and send those I can no longer use to a women's shelter in Baltimore County. Traci said that her church would like to have the clothes and I was tickled to give them to her. We started by taking out the bag that I keep to put outgrown clothes in and adding a few things to it. Then we started on the floor. Shoved in the back corner we found two bags of hooked pieces that I never expected to see again. The first ones shown here are from 1975-76 and were teacher's workshop projects. A Rosemaling design - the colors in this are beautiful and typical of
Swedish design and color planning.

A sweet small piece of birds and flowers.

A simple geometric that was hooked in inovative wools. The light tan color is onion skin dyeing. The multi colored stripes are odds and ends of leftovers.

The assignment for this piece was to make a beautiful but unusal leaf. This is my interpertation of the assignment.

The next 3 photos are of a 6 foot by 7 foot primitive rug we found way in the back of the closet. I had completely forgotten about this rug. Traci fell in love with it - she loves the colors I used - there is much paisley in this rug - and she insists that I finish it. Well, I'll add it ot the five year list of things to do.

It wasn't possible to photograph the whole rug - I guess you would need a step ladder to do so but perhaps you can get the idea of the rug from these pictures.

A close up of some of the leaves and a large flower. All of the motif's in this rug are very large.

Check out the size of this leaf! I started this rug in 1978 under the supervision of a wonderful teacher named Josephine Parker who lived on Long Island. I first met her at St. Joseph's College in Maine where we struck up a lasting friendship. I spent many happy hours in her home on Long Island hooking with her. This rug is all hand cut. I am very grateful to Jo for teaching me how to hand cut for rugs which I am prone to do to this day in spite of owning a Townsend!

This following rug, is very unfinished as you can see. It is a lovely design - a Currier and Ives piece called the Happy Family. This is the first piece I ever hooked at a hooking camp. A 1976 piece started at the old McGown sponsored camp held at the Garrison School for Girls in Baltimore.

A closeup of mother quail.

A close up of her babies.

All of these pieces need to be vacumned and steamed again. Of course, the ones suitable for pillows need to be mounted and used.

I seem to have been having many trips down memory lane recently. I went to lunch yesterday with old friends - one a special friend of my daughter kristen - more on this in a later blog - and several weeks ago I received a box of my late brothers memory possessions.

It's a rainy day - a good day for remembering the happy moments of your life. I hope you have enjoyed the trip down memory lane of my early hooking endevors. In addition, to these few pieces, we found 4 large envelopes of my rug design ideas, visual aids, and way back in the back corner of the closet 5 of my original designs blown up to 3 x 5 rug size by late husband. What a treasure trove the closet turned out to be.

It pays to clean!!!!

Doris