Several years ago as I was paging through a magazine, I came
across a photo of the most wonderful folk art wool appliqué piece. It turned
out to be an antique child’s bed rug sewn in a crazy quilt style embellished
with animals. I was completely taken by it and decided that, in order for me to ever have something like
it, I would have to make it myself.
This is what began my journey into the world of wool-buying
and collecting.
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| Tulip Wooly currently available for purchase. $95 |
Up until then my experiences with wool had been through my
mother, an avid rug hooker and textile artisan. She would comb through stacks
of wool while I stood by, admiring the beautiful colors and textures. As I
watched and waited patiently for her, I never thought I would have a reason to
buy any. After all, I was a painter! And as such, I had an endless supply of
ideas and did not like sewing in the least. As a designer and color consultant,
I have always appreciated all that goes into the textile arts and certainly
loved using them in my home. But I was
not about to produce them.
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| Wooly Heart Pillow $55 |
All of that changed when I fell in love with wool appliqué.
I decided that I could not afford the high ticket price for the antique wool
appliqué and determined to make my own. What began a s purchasing enough wool
to reproduce one piece ballooned into collecting wool. Collecting so much wool
it seems that I could use another room in my house just to store and organize
it.
No longer can I pass by wool without it catching my eye. I
have to make sure I don’t miss anything to be added to my collection. Tucked
away in every cupboard and closet is a basket of wool. Large market baskets of
it live beneath my couches, and a corner is currently housing my most recent
additions.
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| Large Table Rug Wooly $385 |
What do I do with all of this wool besides just store it?
Well, it has become an extension of my folk art business. I design and create wool appliqué pieces based
on 18
th & 19
th century motifs. All of the wool I use has been repurposed,
and I also dye or over-dye most of the wool using natural as well as commercial
dyes. My pieces range from table rugs
and pillows to sewing notions and boxes. Recently, I have begun to offer a line
of kits and patterns featuring my designs.
With all of these projects, and all of this wool, I realized
that I need just one more room. And that will suffice, until I find my next new
obsession.
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| Variety of Wool Applique pieces |
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