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Hook-in held at East Palmyra
As Ruth Hennessey of Walworth explained it, 'The Hook-In is the show-and-tell of rug hooking. We display our latest projects, check out suppliers, watch demonstrations, get the scoop on everything that's new in rug hooking, have lunch and generally enjoy our common 'interest and projects.' Members from around western New York including Romulus, Geneva, Lyons, Newark, Palmyra, Phelps, Walworth, Canandaigua, Rochester and Mendon attended the event. Some are veterans with more than 20 years experience, while the newest participant has been involved only two months. Their projects include rugs, pillows, chair pads, Christmas ornaments, purses, pins, garment embellishment and other applications. Charlotte MacLaren of Newark started hooking 18 months ago, after she saw an ad for classes at L.W. Emporium in Ontario. She attends the Monday ROTFL group meetings held at the Alling Coverlet Museum, William St., Palmyra, September through May. She said the members usually work on their individual projects, but they also have workshops and demonstrations as well as helping each other. She expects to have over a hundred hours into each of three projects she is currently making for her grandchildren. Most hooked projects are made from wool strips arranged and hooked through a backing material of burlap, linen, monk's cloth or hookable wool. Although many members design their own projects and make their own strips from wool cloth, patterns and supplies are available from vendors like Peggy Green of Paragon Sheep and Wool Farm/Thomas Galloway B&B in Palmyra. She also holds workshops and classes in quilting, knitting, spinning and sells wool from her own sheep. Although the craft is practiced predominantly by women, rug hooking is not just for women, as proven by Marty Wagemaker of Palmyra. He said his mother taught him and his sister to hook when they were children but he had lost touch with it. After retiring, he again became interested and began practicing the craft three years ago. He designs his own patterns, which include his original 4 x8-ft. creation entitled 'With Flying Colors,' a tribute to the World Trade Center 9/11/2001 tragedy, that is now on display in the Shelburne Museum near Burlington, VT. Chosen as one of ten 'People's Favorites-2004', Wagemaker's rug will be on display along with 300 others made by members of the Green Mountain Rughooking Guild at their show April 16-24. According to Guild school director Diane Phillips of Rochester, this year's show will feature an exhibit entitled 'Art Rugs: The (Art) of Playing Cards.' It consists of 55 20x 26-inch art rugs depicting a deck of playing cards hooked by internationally known fiber artists. Most rug hookers use their own projects. For example, Gayle Henry of Canandaigua began hooking 10 years ago when she moved to the area. She moved into a hew home and wanted to personalize it with her own rugs including 13 stair pads she designed and is making to go along with the many floor rugs she has hooked to date. She said each pad takes approximately thirty hours to complete after dying and cutting all the strips. While most of the members concentrate on hooking, some pursue other crafts. Newark's Annette Grant began hooking three years ago, but she has been quilting more than 20 years. In fact, she recently received third-place honors for the memory quilt that she designed, made and entered in a quilting contest sponsored by Country Marketplace, a national magazine. (Annette is pictured with a pillow she recently completed.) Her quilt will be featured in the August issue and will be available locally. She got 'hooked on hooking' three years ago when she attended classes given by Paige Stoep, a Certified RH teacher from Lyons. Phillips said rug hooking is coming back into popularity, much like quilting did about 30 years ago. 'It's not only a way to make useful artful items for personal use or gift giving, but it's also a great stress reliever. We have many younger members who are working professionals who practice the craft for relaxation. ... It's getting more popular every day.' Information about the Rug Hookers or rug hooking in general is available by calling Ruth Hennessey at 524.8728 or Shirley VanZandvoord at 597.3573.
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2005 |
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