Sunshine Nebula

This was a total experiment. I started crocheting some crazy little thing, not really thinking much about what it was going to be. I like the yarn so much I didn't care. It's a silk yarn really beautiful colors. Anywho, I got the idea to put it in glue and water and stiffen it and mount it on a canvas. The frame was bought at a thrift store and I painted it black and then gold on top of that. I wish I had just put one coat of gold though and let the black show through a little. I tried to sand it and that didn't work well. So next time. This piece is 10x14. The canvas was originally 11x14, but I had to trim an inch off to fit it in the frame. This is an acrylic and oil on canvas board.

Hooked rugs

Reading "American Hooked and Sewn Rugs: Folk Art Underfoot". In 18th cen. America, people couldn't afford rugs unless they were rich, and even then rugs were reserved for only the best rooms. People would spread sand on their floors to absorb and hold the grease and dirt. They would sweep the sand into different designs, sort of like a Zen garden, but for decoration not spiritual purposes. Textiles were a very expensive commodity in the 18th and early 19th century. The book also says that rugs were used to cover beds and furniture and not to put on the floor prior to 1820.

The picture of the bed rug is from the Met's website www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/need/ho_33.122.htm