• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BirdBrain Designs

  • Home
  • contact
  • online store
  • Instagram
  • Leather Gallery
  • hooked rugs gallery

Hooking

rughooking with sweater patches

January 4, 2018 by Birdbrain 5 Comments

For some years now I have been making mittens, scarves and headbands from recycled sweaters. Using beautiful discarded sweaters and scarves fits in to my goal to buy only second hand or hand made clothing. I decided to try to incorporate pieces of these sweaters into my hooking, further extending the use of repurposed fibre. As you can see from the photo below, I sewed sweater rectangles on the linen backing before hooking. I love the rich colours of the cashmere as well as the random stripes. 

Here are my thoughts at the half-way point. I think I might double the sweater pieces next time or add a gentle padding underneath to bring them up to the same height as the hooking. I’d also like to experiment with stitching/embellishing the sweater patches in contrasting colours. I may still add some green sweater pieces for the trees–and break away a bit from the geometric shapes. 

I’ll keep working away at this and post again at the end of the weekend so I hope you will check back. It’s a perfect thing to work on these cold dark January days. Colour and texture always cheer me up. 

Filed Under: Hooking, recycled wool

lake hooked mat

September 8, 2017 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

This summer I have been painting and hooking the views around our lake. This is a small mat of the view from the dock. I’ve painted this many times trying to capture the amazing variety of greens and blues. This is my first hooked attempt. It’s interesting how painting informs hooking and vice versa. For this mat I have used both wool strips and yarn, some recycled some new, many from my leftover bin. 14″x11″

Filed Under: Hooking

northern harbour hooked mat

August 24, 2017 by Birdbrain 3 Comments

This mat is based on an actual harbour. It is a gift, so for now I’m not saying which harbour. It was a different and more challenging experience to try to capture real buildings rather than hook them from my imagination. Still, I’ve taken some liberties with shape and placement, but hope that there is enough accuracy to spark happy memories. The mat is 13.5″ x 9.5″, hooked in a #5 with new and recycled wool.

Filed Under: Hooking

midsummer update

August 1, 2017 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

The blog suffers in the summer, I’m sorry to say. We are at the lake much of the time, and although we have cell service, it’s not robust enough to do blog posts.  My instagram feed (link at top) is a good way to stay in touch. But here is an update of some of the things I’ve been making. 

I’ve put a couple of the travel pouches in the online store. If you’d like one of the others just let me know.

And on the hooking scene, the orange roof trivet and the Fiona mat are both hooked and awaiting finishing touches. 

Filed Under: Hooking, recycled leather

at the cottage

July 10, 2017 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

We were at the cottage for Canada Day weekend and the following week. (The reason for no posts.) This first weekend of the summer is always a weekend of family. Our younger son has always celebrated his birthday at the cottage–and now there are three of the next generation who have joined the tradition. Somehow the cottage affords opportunities for close encounters that don’t seem to materialize in the city. I don’t unusually include photos of family on the blog, but I couldn’t resist posting this picture of a grandson having his first hooking lesson.  I didn’t know we were being photographed but was delighted when my daughter-in-law sent this along. And below–the sheer joy at the freedom of life on the island.

Filed Under: Hooking

Fiona hooked mat almost finished…

June 21, 2017 by Birdbrain 5 Comments

The Fiona mat is just awaiting the date which is about a month away. I’ve loved hooking this mat with its bright pops of colour. The background is my favourite, a series of textured yellows, checks and dots. The rest of the mat is from my leftover basket, combining like colours in the border and using complements in the dancing hearts and circles. It is my preferred way to hook…with serendipity. Using what is on hand seems to always comes out the best. This little mat measures 24″x16″.

Filed Under: Hooking

update

June 10, 2017 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

Here is my progress on the Fiona mat. You can see I am still developing the design. And of course, I don’t yet know the date. I’m thinking of a row of dancing hearts across the bottom and the date along the right hand border. Around the very outside will be a couple of rows of dark to echo the colour of the text. I like hooking anytime, but I find it the best activity when I am trying to process a big trip and return to my life here. Calming, meditative, productive. 

And here is a burst of bright colour from my trip. This is Catalan fabric which is woven in the south of France. When I was last in Collioure in 2011 I bought some of this fabric and made some small pouches. I was delighted to find the store still in the same place still selling their famous stripes. I bought enough to make several totes and will pair the fabric with leather  bottoms and straps. A great combination. The fabric is durable as it is woven for deck chairs and the colour is unbeatable. Stay tuned for these gorgeous totes.

 

Filed Under: bags and purses, Hooking

new mat update

May 14, 2017 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

I like hooking best with a general idea, but not a pattern. I draw as I go. First the text, then the bird. Once they were done, I added the border idea and the coloured circles. I’m thinking of a row of hearts along the bottom and, of course, the date of arrival. And probably a couple of dark rows along the outside border to tie in with the text and ground the mat. It is playing with colour that I enjoy the most, both the variations of the solid yellow and red and the complimentary colours in the circles, each circle its own little creation.

You can see where I started out here. I hope to post an update by the end of the week.

Filed Under: Hooking

studio happenings

May 4, 2017 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

Here are some photos of what is on the go in the studio. First a new small mat for a new small family member. Below that a new size of Keller bag which I hope will be ready to take on my upcoming trip to France. You can see the lining which came from the Textile Museum sale. It will be heavy enough for lots of interior pockets. I hope to post updated photos of  both of these projects by the end of the weekend.

Filed Under: bags and purses, Hooking

using harris tweed for my next hooking project

April 21, 2017 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

I’m starting a new hooking project and want to include some Harris Tweed which I bought on the island of Harris last fall. Getting the pieces of HT out and washing them had me looking at our photos of  Carloway and our visit to the weaving studio. Here is one of the looms all ‘dressed’ with metres of finished woven fabric rolled on the beam. Below is the bobbin winder where the wool is transferred from cones to bobbins; these bobbins fit in the shuttle which gets thrown back and forth between the threads of the warp to make the weft. Warp and weft beaten together make the tweed.

To be labelled Harris Tweed, the fabric must be spun, dyed and handwoven by islanders in their homes on the Outer Hebrides from 100% purse Scottish wool. In Stornoway we could have purchased 60″ wide Harris Tweed, but here in Carloway, the fabric woven is the traditional 36″  width, now a ‘niche’ market we were told. This photo shows the wool ready to be put on the loom as the warp. You can see the beautifully hand-dyed colours.

Here are the four small pieces I purchased, hues reflecting colours of the hillside surrounding the weaving studio. Just handling them brings the experience of that beautiful rugged island back. I look forward to incorporating them into a new mat. More on that soon.

Filed Under: Hooking

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 20
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Available in Store


melon pouch 1

Archives

  • October 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework