Mug Rug Exchange - Do it yourself style!

[Geneva C.]

Ok Lorchen, I am so embarrassed to have thought the beautiful work in the center of my mug rug was cross stitch! Elizabethan Blackwork! I have to admit I've never heard of it before. Thank you for teaching me something new!

I'm posting a picture of the center of the mug rug for all to see the beautiful leaf design. I hope it comes out better than the last photo.



I am envious of all you that had mothers and grandmothers who taught you needle work. I learned to sew in 7th grade home ec and have loved it since. My grandmother Geneva was evidently a very good sewist, but she died long before I was born. I like to think that she passed the needle work gene to me.

My mother is not allowed to even thread a needle. She invariably hurts herself somehow! I have a couple of funny stories about my mom and sewing. However, my mother has always been my biggest fan and supporter. She bought me a 1957 Singer sewing machine when I was in junior high and the rest is history! I admire my mom for encouraging and supporting me, even when she didn't understand why anyone would want to sew.
Well, that's enough of that!
Have a good week everyone!

Geneva

[Jane R.]

Lorchen,
That blackwork is amazing...I'm googling it as I write this note. I really like to do embroidery and all mine is by hand also but never knew about the kind you do. If it was cross stitch i would admire it but have no desire to try it. I admit that I quit doing cross stitch and sent all my stuff to my daughter who has the patience that I don't have.

This link came up on Google search: http://www.blackworkarchives.com/index.html

Can't carry a note so never sing in public--only in my car, don't know how to draw and that left some sort of athletic endeavor. So, my other vice :lol: :lol: is golf which I took up so to play with my dad (who has since passed) and my husband (who doesn't play much anymore--difficult with oxygen tubing) but I still love the game although my handicap index has gone up to 18, and play as much as the weather permits.

[Catherine S.]

Lorchen, your blackwork is beautiful. I seem to use that word alot here. But we have so many beautiful things here.
This is my wonderful mr from Norma. Yes Norma, I do love the colors and your quilting is beautiful. Norma also sent me some of the rattail cord and a beautiful postcard she made. Love them all. Thank you Norma.

[Catherine S.]

Well, the ladies in my family have always had to work outside the home so I had no one to teach me. So, when I wanted to learn a new needlework project, I would work and study incessantly until I became proficient in it. I love Hardanger but I didn't spend enough time to learning it to get really good at it. Lorchen, your grandmother's work is wonderful and your Blackwork is great tool.

I do sing, but not professionally. Mostly, my passion is needlework, of just about any kind.

[Nancy R.]

Another beauty, Norma! Your stuff is always so gorgeous!!

My mother grew up on a farm so was raised doing utility crafts. When we were little, she sewed our clothes, darned our socks, and knitted our sweaters, mittens, hats and scarves. This was while also taking care of a very large garden and working full time as an actuary. Not to mention raising us. She didn't quilt, although she did start a quilt in the 70s that consisted of 4" pockets of scrap fabric that were filled with old panty hose and tied in the center. She just made a bunch of these pockets, but never got them put together. We found these after she passed away and I've got them and will make a quilt for each of my sisters and myself. It's been fun going through these since there are fabrics from all of our clothes when we were little and some of my dad's shirts. After I left for college, she started doing cross-stitch, crewel, needlepoint and other crafts. Right now I'm in the middle of finishing up her unfinished cross-stitch.

But I went on my own path. I never had home ec in school and wasn't interested in sewing when I was a child. But when I was in college I had a friend who did cross-stitch, so I picked that up. I also got interested in sewing and bought a cheap sewing machine with insurance money when my father died. At that point I sewed mostly clothes and stuffed animals. I also bought kits and did needlepoint, crewel, etc. I did a lot of crossword puzzles and one of the things you always saw in those was "tatting", so I also bought books, a shuttle and thread and learned to do that. After college I got interested in quilting. Nobody in my family quilted, but I had had friends who had family quilts, and I really wanted one for myself so I got some books and started figuring out how to make one. So that's my path into the quilting world.

My oldest hobby is reading. I've been a voracious reader since I was first old enough to pick up a book. And now I'm addicted to my Kindle. I love movies. I dabble in sports and have competed for fun in softball, soccer, ski racing, rowing, biking and running. Hard to believe since I'm also obese, but I come from tough stock! I'm also a big animal lover, with a dog and 2 cats in my household.

Not very exciting, but that's who I am.

Nancy

[Nancy R.]

Nancy, I didn't realize our paths were so similar, with the self-taught quilting. And the reading.....same here.

No hidden talents here, I'm afraid. Zero athletic ability, would *love* to be able to sing, but do not have the voice for it, and so I design/sew/quilt and that seems to be going well so far I dabble in photography, but nothing more than hobby level with a point-and-shoot camera. These days I'm throwing all my creative juices into quilting, and very much enjoying that, so I think I'll carry on in that fashion for a while

Norma, your tulip mug rugs are just so lovely! I simply adore the shape of them, and how you make each one unique. Lorchen, your blackwork/needlework is outstanding!! I've ever only done one thing of embroidery, and man was that time consuming!!! The embroidery on one 6" quilt block I made, a simple music staff, treble clef symbol and outlines of 2 notes = 6+ hours of work for me. No thank you! Kudos to you managing something so intricate and lovely!

[Norma H.]

Hi everyone. I came home yesterday from a trip to the Netherlands and have not been online while away. What a nice surprise to log on and see, you have received your mug rugs. Thanks for all your nice comments. It's such a pleasure to make them and try to figure out something you'll like.
It is nearly midnight here, so I need to rest now, but I will tell you about my trip later. I have seen an awful lot of beautiful quilts

[wendy w.]

How do you get time to go away looking at quilts while make all of those lovely mugrugs Norma Superwoman with speedy hands

[wendy w.]

Thinking about Terrie and hoping she is doing ok.

[wendy w.]

Me too, thinking of you Terrie xx

[Nancy R.]

Just put a little something in the post to Lorchen.....

Nancy

[Hannelore N.]

Tap, tap, tap........ waiting........ and hoping for a tail wind all the way!

[Maureen A.]

Just back from my 4 day quilting retreat and gone through pages of posts. What beautiful mug rugs that have been posted on the forum since I have been away. Never a day goes by when we don't have a beautiful mug rug to admire. Great stuff.

[E.M. T.]

Now...posting in the right place !! Thank you again, Charae !

[Renata L.]

What a nice mug rug, Marilyn. The redwork really stands out beautifully against the white and the binding really pulls everything nicely together. Good job, Charae!