Welcome to My Red Cape. Long ago in another time my husband Jack and I lived in a little old red house. It was the stuff of dreams to us for the few years that we were there. I live there still a number of hours every day in imagination, with old dolls and paintings and fabrics and feather trees. I draw inspiration and happiness from the memories of that space in time and share some of it here with friends who remember how to step with Alice through the looking glass and take delight in whimsies and antiquities. ~Edyth O’Neill

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A Lyon for Rose Ellen




My friend Rose Ellen from Maine wrote that she is color planning "Kingdom Come." Here is how I painted that lion 21 years ago..And I think I would consider the lamb in soft blue greys, with darker accents. The blue gray should have light plaids in it too. This little 9 x 12 painting hangs in my daughter Beth's home and has a companion ram, not lamb with it. Now I would not make him so white as I did then. Rose Ellen I hope you like seeing this color way, and if not what you want, I know your own choices will be wonderful as ever.

Jack has made a corner cupboard to hold Penny's new flat TV. Here is how it came out. The gray blue is wonderful against her gray log walls. Best, Edyth

Monday, March 9, 2009

Weaver's Lion



The concept of a LOGO, a symbol to represent a business or an artisan, is a very old one, rooted in a past when many people could not read. A customer might find lodging at the “sign of the Silent woman” or at the “sign of the Black horse”. A pewterer would often sign his work with a touch mark that included an eagle or another symbol.
In this tradition, some weavers of Early American coverlets had charming designs in the signature corners of the great Jacquard coverlets, so treasured by collectors now. Several early New York state weavers used wonderful folky little lions as symbols to identify their work. I have seen at least four different ones. I have wanted to hook one of these for years and years. Recently I included one adapted for hooking with a group of new patterns to be printed by Barb Carroll.
And now I am hooking him, in small increments that I can manage. This saucy little cat has already found a favorite perch on a small sofa upholstered in a coverlet design. Sized for a small pillow, he would be a quick project for most rug hookers. I can see him in a mixture of brick reds and tans or this blue and brown palette. With either color choice, I would like to have a great deal of variation in the background to add interest, as he will be viewed from close up.
Barb has printed this pattern, called “Weaver’s Lion”, and another pattern showing a lion and lamb titled “Kingdom Come”, plus “Cape Ann”, a large rug in my Hadley series, mentioned in another post. As soon as anyone has worked one of these I would love to put it here on my blog. Best, Edyth

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