The Ship is Launched!

"Forty Fathoms" - the ship is launched! (Patricia Winans in collaboration with Claude Roussel ©)

 

 

 

 

 

Happy to say that I am over half finished with "Forty Fathoms" for the opening of Les Hookeuses du Bor'de'lo et Roussel that is happening in August -  and all is going well. The deadline for the photo shoot is coming up and I am going to make it! I think that I will replace the white cord that I used for the boat with a softer cord as the linen backing is showing through a bit and also some of it isn't as white as I would like it to be. I wanted to used a cord of some type to give it a distinct nautical look.

Some detail of the design

I'm using a 60" Cheticamp frame to support the linen backing for the mat. I sewed the backing to the webbing on the frame at the top and bottom and then attached the linen on the sides by using extra long pipe cleaners (you can also twist two together to give extra length) secured to cup hooks on the end pieces of the frame. This idea came to me from my friend Lucy Richard (www.thewoolymasonjar.com) who is always coming up with lots of hints for rug hooking.

When it comes time to move on to hook the next section, it is easy to remove the pipe cleaners, roll the mat and then re-secure the sides with the pipe cleaners. Also, if you want to unroll what you have done to take a look at something you have already hooked, it isn't a big task to loosen the pipe cleaners and then secure them again. I can manage the tension better too - versus having a continuously running cord to secure the entire side.

Sides of work secured with pipe cleaners

Hope to have this mat finished by the end of March - then it is on to my piece of the mural!