Feather Your Nest (Printable Pattern)

Feather Your Nest, approximately 15 1/8″ x 14″, #8-, 8.5-, and 9-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Lucille Festa, 2017.

BY LUCILLE FESTA/AMERICAN COUNTRY RUGS

Spring comes late to Vermont. At winter’s end, we have about four weeks of what is commonly known as mud season. When, finally, the dirt roads dry and the gray sky gives way to blue, the temperature starts to rise, and in the blink of an eye, spring is gone and summer arrives.

With summer’s arrival, I turn my attention to my garden and am delighted when the birds return to nest. I am always amazed at the long distance these small, beautiful creatures travel and how they always return to feather their home territory.

My computer sits in front of a large window that faces the yard and woods, and the birds are a constant source of entertainment. I can see several feeders and birdhouses (no vacancies!). They inspire me every day, and this primitive bird is my latest inspiration.

Preparation

The pattern measures approximately 15 1/8″ x 14″. I use a primitive linen foundation. In most cases, I’ve used a #8, 8.5, or 9 cut. See the fabric selection table for the exact width of the wool used for each element.

I used many small pieces of fabric for all the bird-related elements, making it a perfect project to use leftover wool.

All of the wools used are low chroma, in mellow colors; when hooked, the colors meld into each other.

This rug is perfect for a pillow, chair seat, wall hanging, the back of a chair, or a small space on the floor. However, you may enlarge the pattern to suit your needs.

Hooking the Pattern

BIRD

1. Start by hooking the bird’s head. Hook one loop for the eye. Outline the head, hook one loop for each dot, and fill in the head following the outline.
2. For the tummy, I chose dusty, old-looking red/salmon wool. For the dots, use the same wool that was used in the bird’s head.
3. Outline one row around the bird’s upper body. In the next row, alternate the aqua stripe and the green/ blue heather wools, filling in here and there with one then the other.
4. Hook two rows of aqua honeycomb wool around the wing, then fill in with the green/blue heather wool.
5. To hook the wing and the upper body, use a collection of textured wools that were all dyed together.

FLOWER

The outline wool for the petals of this simple daisy is a gold/red check. Fill in the petals with the same gold/red dot wool used in the head. The center is hooked with a slightly deeper red than the tummy.

BRANCH AND TENDRILS

The branch is a significant element in the design as it positions the bird and provides a setting. The texture and color of the branch enhances the bird’s prominence. I used a mellow blue-green/red check to draw attention to the bird, not the branch. The deeper red salmon at the end of the tendrils creates contrast and adds a bit of whimsy.

BOTTOM STRIPE

The one-row stripe at the bottom of the design is hooked in the same dusty old salmon red wool. It accentuates the bird and adds color and interest while breaking up the background.

BORDER

When a rug does not have a defined border, I hook one row all around the rug outside the black border line on the linen with a wool color that was used in the rug. I call this my “one-row border.” In this rug, I hooked the one-row border with one of the background colors.

BACKGROUND

To create a unique, old look and to add movement and interest, use many different fabrics of all textures and colors in your hooking. Since this rug is small, I limited the background to about four main colors and used random strips from a bag of dark strips.

Finishing the Rug

To create a nice, finished look, steam your rug, then snip all the strings that appear on both sides of the rug.

Look on the back for large, empty spaces, commonly known as “holidays.” Fill in or rehook those spaces.

Re-press your rug.

TIPS FOR HOOKING FEATHER YOUR NEST

• When hooking the head, use similar colors to capture the primitive look.
• When hooking small flowers, do not limit the number of fabrics you use, but do keep the colors similar. The colors should meld into each other.
• Keep leftover strips of wool in bags, organized by color. They are great to have at hand when you only need one or two strips.
• When hooking small shapes that accent a larger element (in this rug, the branch), use wool in a deeper, rich color for an eye-catching effect.

Have you hooked Feather Your Nest? Share photos of your creation on the We Like Rug Hooking Magazine Community Facebook page.

This article originally appeared in the June/July/August 2017 issue of Rug Hooking magazine.