Now you'll have to post photos often so that we can follow your progress. This will be fun to watch.

It will be interesting to see how you'll make it look underwater. How much time do you think it will take to complete the project - when's the grandbaby due again?

That will be beautiful I have no doubt.

Beautiful - can't wait to see it finished.

Very nice design! I can picture the turle in greens and browns and the water in blue,green,aqua,turquoise. What colors for the border and lettering?

That's going to be beautiful! I can't wait to see pictures of the finished product. Actually, as a former "hooker" (LOL), I would love to see pictures in progress also.

Thanks, everyone! If the lettering hooks well, I'll post progress pics. If not, I guess I'm back to Square One. The baby is due July 10.

Jannie, at first I envisioned hooking the turtle realistically, the way you describe. But then I saw the design quilted, and loved the whimsical colors. I figured since it's for a baby's room, I'll give it shot. I'm planning on using the colors you describe for the water, darker on the bottom, lighter on top. The border will be a soft apricot, dyed with a little terra cotta in the color, and the lettering will be navy blue.

Here's the quilted turtle:

That's going to be wonderful! Can't wait to see the finished project.

That will be beautiful! I love the colors. What are the measurements?

Good question, Foggy. It was supposed to be 24 x 36, but given the measurements of the linen backing I had, that would have left me with not enough of a border. While I was contemplating that, I realized if I had any chance of finishing this project before the baby shower, I'd better make it smaller. So it measures 18 x 24. It's intended to hang on the wall, so it really doesn't have to be rug-sized. Putting it on the wall will save it from the eager attentions of Oscar and Emmy, their cats.

Here's a picture I took tonight: some of the wool I dyed today for the ocean. (They're supposed to have a mottled, uneven look.)

That is precious. I like the idea of darker at the bottom and lighter at the top, since that's the way the ocean is.
That said, I like the Twin Sisters background too. Whatever you do will be wonderful, welcoming this dear little life into your family. Truly a labor of love.

Very nice. You are the first person I know that has done their own design and I love the fact that you dyed your own wool. Wonderful and talented!

Anne

Very nice. I'll be anxious to see it finished. Love the turtle you picked!
I like that you post your projects. It keeps reminding me that hooking is on my "bucket list".

Well I'd be even more impressed if you raised your own sheep, sheared them and then carded the wool....and then sold the mutton at the local farmer's market. But I guess you do have your limits.

.............just teasing - of course........

I do admire your creativity especially since I don't have any. I'm organized and capable at many things and I sew and do needlepoint and embroidery but I follow a pattern or color in the lines as they say. Heck - I don't even like my penmanship.

So keep posting your projects because I really enjoy watching what you create.

Maire

LOL I don't know how your post slipped by me, Maire. I might have gone for the sheep shearing 30 years ago, but not the mutton selling. I have my limits!

Being organized is nothing to sniff at. I'm glad that I'm practical as well as creative (I know some people who are creative only, and their lives are quite chaotic), but organization is a struggle for me. I'm always trying, but can rarely sustain it for long. As a result, I often bail my house out of situations of my own making. Being unorganized can be stressful!

On the other hand, I love my penmanship. :-)

Here's a progress report on the rug. I suppose the lettering would look better from a distance, but it is what it is. I'm not unhappy with it, but I'm not thrilled either. Maybe it'll grow on me.

I dyed the peach color myself, using Apricot and Terra Cotta dyes. I probably could have just used Peach. LOL On my screen tonight it looks baby pink, but it's peachier in person. Maybe my monitor needs calibration.

In the process of doing the dyeing, I managed to ruin my favorite set of measuring spoons. It's been years since I've done any dyeing, and I forgot that once something has been used for dye--even stainless steel--it can no longer be used for food. So I'll be buying new measuring spoons soon.

The lettering looks good. There's such a contrast between the navy blue and the peach that the letters stand out nice and sharp. It'll be easy to read from across the room. I really like the design of the letters and the way the top of the 'h' and 'b' curve to somewhat mimic and balance the bottom of the 'g'. The 'E' reminds me of the Book of Kells.

ok, help me understand this, you dye the fabric then pull it apart to make a wool thread, is that right? Sounds like more work than I'd like (can you tell I'm not a patient person LOL), but your project IS beautiful. I can't wait to see the finished product.
Diane

It's going to be beautiful!

Your talent continues to amaze me.

Ron

ok, help me understand this, you dye the fabric then pull it apart to make a wool thread, is that right?

It's not quite that delicate an operation. I cut pieces of wool about 12" long and run them through a cutter to make 1/8" strips. My cutter is manual--you turn the handle, and it cranks out three strips at a time. If I wanted 1/4" strips it would produce two at a time. I could go smaller than 1/8" if I wanted, and get four at a time. Then I hold a strip underneath the linen, and use a hook (like a crochet hook with a wooden handle) to pull up loops.

Most of my wool comes from old clothes I buy at the Salvation Army. I like the idea of "something from nothing." But because I needed small quantities of the turtle's bright colors, I bought most of them from a woman who hand-dyes every imaginable color (Ram in the Thicket). For $1 apiece, I got more wool than I'll need to hook the turtle. Much cheaper than buying the dyes to do it myself--and her wool is beautiful.

It doesn't seem like "work" when you love it, as I clearly do. :-)

Thanks, everyone!

Looks great Susan. Be sure to post it when its done.

That is going to be so cool looking. I wish I had a quarter of your talent, I am so not crafty. When my kids were little we used to get a magazine called Family fun that had a lot of easy crafty things to do, that's the last time I attempted crafts.

I second- what ron said. You're such an interesting person.
Thanks for letting in on your talents.

beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is going to be really beautiful. Is rug hooking hard? I have never done it, but it looks really tedious.

Thanks for all the very nice comments! I think the quilters on this forum are the ones with the spectacular talent.

Is rug hooking hard? I have never done it, but it looks really tedious.

If someone tried hooking and didn't like it, I suppose it would be tedious. But those of us who do it really love it. Some rug hookers buy printed patterns and new wool. That's the expensive way to go, but it gets them hooking immediately. Others like me, enjoy the hunt for old wool clothes and like to do our own designs at least some of the time, and also play with dyes and color. This method requires patience because what we really want to do is sit down and start hooking.

I find the hooking process relaxing. These days I'm working on the turtle rug while "watching" (listening to) old episodes of Law and Order SVU. It's perfect because I recognize all the regulars' voices and don't have to look up very often.

No, it's not hard. Just takes a little practice to make the loops even. I always hear that the best way to start is to get a teacher. But there are no teachers (or other rug hookers) where I live, so I learned from books.

i've done the kit kind with cut yarn...but wow! you have one lucky baby to be!