Hooking is completed on the birdie rug. It was a great learning experience. Next one will be bigger, working on a design now.
This wound up being 14" x 22".
So excited to find a rug hooking group in my area and there is a hooking event coming up in October! Can't wait to meet other hookers and see what they are doing. Also now in the market for a large standing hooking frame.......
It's exciting to be working on my first hooked rug. I am obsessed with this new medium. Once the sky is completely filled in a border will be added. I designed it so that parts of the branch and bird will extend into the border. This is 100% wool and when finished will measure 14" x 20"
I have been working with bird images lately so it was a natural progression from painting them to drawing one on special rug hooking linen to hook.
I posted a picture of the bird on linen to some rug hooking group pages on FaceBook and have so far had about 400 people love/liking and many comments, and so am considering selling patterns of my designs. My daughter knows how to get images into PDF files so people can just download, print and tape together.
Once the drawing was done the hooking began.
I've recently been interested in rug hooking as an art form and wanted to learn how to do it. I bought a special hoop and started watching tutorials online. As the world works in mysterious ways an email from Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsman mentioned an upcoming Rug Hooking Workshop in Lancaster PA. Not too far from me and a lovely drive. This is my fourth workshop there (sewing, silkscreening, and fraktur drawing). Off to Lancaster a couple of weeks ago to learn how to hook rugs!
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| My hooptie |
We worked on bird coasters. When I got home I sewed some more material on it so it would fit into my hoop. The backing that you hook into is heavyweight linen which feels really nice to the touch. AND apparently lasts forever. It takes a long time to finish a large piece so you really don't want it to fall apart. Apparently the ones from years ago were made on burlap which does fall apart.
After a few tries, this was my best coaster, and once it was cut out and the back put on it was mailed to a special friend. I'm not even going to show a picture of the teacher's sample! I kept threatening to take the it home and brag to my family "Look what I made today!"
After finishing the birds, I just went crazy thinking of all the possibilities for integrating this into my art, and started assembling all the materials needed to make large pieces. Serious rug hooking is a big production.
Say hello to this professional nifty gadget that cuts wool into noodle strips of varying sizes, depending upon which blade you use. Thank God for my dear husband who figured out how to change the blades. (Of course I bought a used one with no manual). I already bought the beautiful hoop that allows you to hold it in your lap and put your hand underneath to feed the strips into the hook that you hold in your other hand and pull up. I've amassed a good stash of wool including blankets, skirts, big mens suit pants etc from thrift shops to cut up. They have to be washed in hot water and dried in dryer to prepare for cutting and hooking. Eagerly awaiting the first issue of a rug hooking magazine subscription, also bought several books on how to hook and how to dye wool, plus ordered some high quality linen. As soon as the linen gets here a big piece will be coming down the pike!
Right now it's all practicing, making coasters for my family whether they need or want them or not, but the master plan is to use my own images from paintings and drawings to create large wall pieces. One of the best features of rug hooking is that it is completely portable and can be worked on anywhere. These coasters were hooked while shlepping aprons at our local farmer's market today.
Birdie #4. Bird paintings will be available for sale at Kimberton Craft Market, across the street from Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton on Saturday Sept 3rd, along with my latest wearable art aprons, fiber bracelets, dresses, coats/jackets, and more.
I love bird art so decided to paint some birds. I'm going to make ten paintings. These are the first three, in the order of their appearance, 11" x 14" acrylic on canvas;
One of the highlights was creating a traveling photo booth with separate pieces so people could walk around and take pictures! It was so fun to make these and they went to Frog Hollow Art Show the following weekend. Next stop for these flowers will be a Race Amity Picnic this weekend, and a Cultural Diversity event in July. I am hoping to make some more flowers for it, and maybe even a bee or butterfly. It's amazing what can be done with cardboard, hot glue and paint.
We also made little booklets with beautiful papers to create personal action plans, as in what we do personally, within our families, in our communities, and in the world to be of service. I didn't get any pictures of that because I was busy working on the weaving a new world project.
I love getting together with this particular group of artists twice a year for our Frog Hollow Art Show. Upcoming is next month. New twist! We are adding a Friday preview show!
This is a lovely setting on a beautiful property with historic farmhouse, lots of decks and outdoor space, beautiful French Creek trail to take a stroll on.
Hope to see you there! www.froghollowartshow.com
”I love people and I love to make things”
Painter, collage, mixed media and fiber artist
"I love people and I love to create all kinds of things. I picked up a pen at the age of 16, started to draw and knew how. Drawing led to acrylic painting followed by sculptural cloth dolls, paper and fiber collages, plus various wearable arts. My 2 ft long accordion coloring book features The Golden Rule from 9 different sources. (A needed reminder for all times, but especially these times). It comes with colored pencils and is a lovely activity for ages 5 to 100."
I am currently accepting bookings for
Collage Art Workshops and Mandala Design Workshops
for Spring and Summer 2022
Wearable Art Aprons, Cuffs and Fiber Art are available at
at 6 Gay Street in Phoenixville.
My next in person appearance will be on April 2nd at the 2022 Homeward Bound Arts Fest. (Artists at this event are by invitation from West Chester University Department of Art and Design.)
I've had the idea to make 3D cuffs for awhile now....... so this is what I'm working on now.
