TESTIMONIALS | The Blue Tulip

Karen:
Just wanted to let you know I have finished my project. It took a bit longer than I anticipated because it got hot here (tough to work with wool when there is no AC!) and baseball started, which made it tough to have time to work on my project in the evenings.

I attached a piture for you. As you can see, I made a couple of minor adjustments to the design. I had trouble with the plaid-gold wool you sent for the circles/small flowers so I subbed some other gold wool. I also did spirals on the sheep as I tried the squiggles and wasn’t happy with the way they were coming out.

I think if I did this again I would try and do more swirls in the upper corners of the background to match the curves of the lower areas around the sheep and flowers. Overall I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I really appreciate your help with advice and thank you SO much for the extra wool. That allowed me to go back and pull out and redo some areas where I had not done a very good job initially. This was a great learning project for me, although probably slightly larger than I should have selected for a first project! I also have a better idea of what kind of frame I need as well – the one I have is pretty good but it is a little large for me. I have some trouble with rows at the top of the frame, as my arms are not long enough to be able to get under the frame and reach to the top from underneath. I may eventually end up with something smaller that rotates as well as tilts.

tami-sheep I think there is a hooking meetup in July in Denver and I will be able to get some help to finish this off so I can hang it up. In the meantime I am going to take a breather and start something new in the Fall when it cools off a bit.

Thanks again for getting me started with this…. I think I am addicted to this now, lol!

— Tami

Hi Karen,
During the fall of 2008, I was first introduced to rug hooking. Early one morning at about 6:30, I was on the internet and decided to purchase a Gruber frame from the Blue Tulip website. Once I hit submit, I realized that I made an error on my order. I decided to give a quick call to leave a message with the hope that someone would hear the message before the order was shipped. To my pleasant amazement, Karen Worthington answered the phone in a warm and pleasant voice. Yes, at 6:30 in the morning! I was quite surprised someone answered the phone. She very politely said there was no problem and she would take care of it. Looking back, I am glad I made that error on the internet. That first conversation we had left me with the feeling that I would like to do business with her again. Since then I have found Karenï¿½s prices to be reasonable along with wonderful customer service. She is a knowledgeable teacher of her craft who has a refreshing personality. I am glad our paths in life have crossed. I wish her only the best in her business.

— Peggy M. Sheffler

I contacted Karen after reading about her in Create and Decorate Magazine, and I am so glad I did! Karen is a wonderful teacher. She is very knowledgeable about rug hooking, and explains techniques in a way that is simple to understand and follow. She encourages her students to finish their projects, and offers plenty of opportunities to do so. Karen seems to have an endless supply of energy and creativity. Her home is inviting and full of her own creations. I love looking at her completed rugs that are displayed in her home, as well as her work in progress. Karen has a nice collection of wool to choose from, including hand dyed wool, and she makes the process of choosing the right project and colors uncomplicated. It is easy to see that Karen loves what she is doing, and I plan to be a customer for years to come.

— Kim Koch

I first met Karen at a colonial fair. I had never seen rug hooking before. When I came upon her booth I said “I have to have one. ” They were beautiful ! The designs and the colors were just awesome. Then after I bought one I said “I have to make one.” She said she gave lessons, so I went to her house. Her selection of wools is just pretty to look at…and her rugs make me want to start a new one every time I go there. I had never done anything like rug hooking before…I don’t knit or crochet… Karen made it easy to learn and offered great advice. She always makes herself available if you should need help and offers many classes or one on one meetings. The classes are really fun…even if you already know how to hook it’s fun to do it with others. I have completed one small rug and I’m working on another. Karen is also designing one for me for a specific room. I’m hooked!!!

— Heather Schofield

Hi Karen,
I just wanted to tell you that four days after delivery of the kit, my mother-in-law is still raving about your hooked rug kit. I really can’t thank you enough for all your time, effort, and attention to detail you provided in assembling the kit. She has never before gotten a kit that was so easy for her to understand (and we buy them for her for birthdays, Christmas, and Mothers’s Day). She already has one of the sheep finished. Most kits have the wool all rolled up together and intermixed which is harder for her. You are just fantastic and she has already marked two more of your kits for future purchases. At age 97, you have made her life bright.

Thank you again, straight from our hearts
— Barbara

Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for the information. I started my project yesterday and I’m almost finished. I love it, it is so much fun. I’m sorry that I haven’t found this sooner. I do just about every other craft, sewing and needle work that you can think of. I plan on ordering a rug kit next. The directions that you wrote out for me, made me feel very special. If you treat all of your customers this way you are going to have a thriving business. By the way, I love your boxes. Thank you so much, you’ve “hooked” me as a customer.

— Robin Fonville