THE ILLUMINATED LIFE OF MAUD LEWIS
Spring flowers beginning to bloom, a warm, sunny day in February........ what a great day! I had the opportunity to attend the monthly hook-in at Betty Krull’s home in Lititz, PA. Betty and four of her hooking buddies started their own group about four years ago. Actually, Vickie, Joyce, Janice, and Helen knew they would have a great opportunity to work with Betty and learn so much more about rug hooking and color planning that this was something too good to pass up. Now, as dear friends, they are there to support of each other with rug hooking and anything else in life that happens to pass through the sunny, light-filled diningroom at Betty’s home.
So, in the past year or so, Betty shared a rug with the other ladies that she was working on titled “Children To School” designed after a painting that was done by Maud Lewis. The group quickly became interested in the Maud Lewis story and they all decided that they wanted to join Betty and hook rugs also designed from Maud’s paintings. Betty ordered the rugs from Canada and the group began the Maud Lewis project. Now, I am told that some in the group were a little unsure of their ability to hook the rugs with the proper shading and colors that Maud had used in her very colorful paintings, but as I look at the rugs, they are just absolutely beautiful! Some are completed and already have been promised to family members, but others are still a work in progress. The rugs definitely show “the reality of simplistic living” as noted by Betty.
If you would like some interesting reading, please check out "The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis". This colorful book gives the history of Maud, a severely handicapped individual who made the very best of her life never saying "woe is me", but fighting on to make the most of her very meager surroundings.
Thank you, Maud Lewis Ladies, for the wonderful day of celebration of friendship, conversation, and sharing in the sunlit kitchen of Lititz.
THE EMBELLISMENTS OF MARGARET WENGER
On May 24, 2011, Margaret Wenger had a program for the Woolwrights demonstrating the use of a wide variety of fabrics, etc. to embellish hooked rugs. As you can see from the attached photos, Margaret is very talented and her rugs are beautiful! "I like to use all different types of materials because it is fun to use something different and it also adds something special for me to the rug . It will be a one of a kind and I like that. I have used materials from silk to paper in my rugs which makes them very special to me."
On May 24, 2011, Margaret Wenger had a program for the Woolwrights demonstrating the use of a wide variety of fabrics, etc. to embellish hooked rugs. As you can see from the attached photos, Margaret is very talented and her rugs are beautiful! "I like to use all different types of materials because it is fun to use something different and it also adds something special for me to the rug . It will be a one of a kind and I like that. I have used materials from silk to paper in my rugs which makes them very special to me."
Deb Burcin, Anne Stevens, and Mary Lynne Naples (left to right)
THE STORY OF THE CHICKEN RUG
Months ago after a trip to a Brandywine Rug Hooking meeting, Anne, Mary Lynne, and I stopped at an antique store on the way home. We saw an antique rug with a chicken design which we all agreed that it would be fun to hook. We decided to hook the rug on our own and when we were all completed, we would share our rugs with each other. So off to home we went. I made a pattern for the rug and gave it to Mary Lynne and Anne.
Then one day, while I was on the computer, I received a comment about one of my rugs on Rug Hooking Daily from a fellow hooker living in the United Kingdom by the name of Jill Dian Izzard. Whenever someone comments on one of my rugs, I look at their information and view their rugs. Well, I was fascinated when I read about Jill and found out she is a fiber artist who is very talented and does unbelievable work. So I wrote her, thanking her and asked if she would be interested in making a donation for the 2011 ATHA Biennial since I was trying to get donations from all over the U.S. and other countries. Jill was excited about making a donation for the Biennial and made wonderful donations to our cause. I found out that Jill and some friends had a newly formed rug hooking group, of about six people, and some had never even hooked before.
So I talked with Mary Lynne and Anne and asked if they would be interested in asking Jill and her friends to join in with us on the chicken rug. We all agreed this would be great fun! So I wrote Jill to ask her if she and her group were interested and they decided to do the same. At this time, I believe there are three people in England working on the same design, but they are hooking the rug in abstract design which the three of us here in Lancaster County cannot wait to see.
We kept our colors and ideas for our rugs completely secret, never seeing the other rugs. So recently we got together for the big reveal at lunch and just had the best time seeing how each of us made our choices in colors, cuts, and finishing.
But the best part of this whole project is that now we have new friends from another place in the world and continue to correspond with stories and photos weekly!
(Story and photos to be continued when we hear
from our friends in the United Kingdom)
Months ago after a trip to a Brandywine Rug Hooking meeting, Anne, Mary Lynne, and I stopped at an antique store on the way home. We saw an antique rug with a chicken design which we all agreed that it would be fun to hook. We decided to hook the rug on our own and when we were all completed, we would share our rugs with each other. So off to home we went. I made a pattern for the rug and gave it to Mary Lynne and Anne.
Then one day, while I was on the computer, I received a comment about one of my rugs on Rug Hooking Daily from a fellow hooker living in the United Kingdom by the name of Jill Dian Izzard. Whenever someone comments on one of my rugs, I look at their information and view their rugs. Well, I was fascinated when I read about Jill and found out she is a fiber artist who is very talented and does unbelievable work. So I wrote her, thanking her and asked if she would be interested in making a donation for the 2011 ATHA Biennial since I was trying to get donations from all over the U.S. and other countries. Jill was excited about making a donation for the Biennial and made wonderful donations to our cause. I found out that Jill and some friends had a newly formed rug hooking group, of about six people, and some had never even hooked before.
So I talked with Mary Lynne and Anne and asked if they would be interested in asking Jill and her friends to join in with us on the chicken rug. We all agreed this would be great fun! So I wrote Jill to ask her if she and her group were interested and they decided to do the same. At this time, I believe there are three people in England working on the same design, but they are hooking the rug in abstract design which the three of us here in Lancaster County cannot wait to see.
We kept our colors and ideas for our rugs completely secret, never seeing the other rugs. So recently we got together for the big reveal at lunch and just had the best time seeing how each of us made our choices in colors, cuts, and finishing.
But the best part of this whole project is that now we have new friends from another place in the world and continue to correspond with stories and photos weekly!
(Story and photos to be continued when we hear
from our friends in the United Kingdom)
"Chicken Rug" - Designer Unknown - Hooked by Jill Dian Izzard
We have heard from our friends in the United Kingdom and things are progressing along very nicely. They are all members of a rug hooking group called Hooked-In-London Rug Makers and live in or near London.
Here is their website address: www.hooked-in-london.blogspot.com. They have included the Woolwright's website address on their blog. Take a look and see what our new friends are doing!
Jill has sent photos of her chicken rug and it is quite beautiful. She sent photos of the front and back. What brilliant colors!
The project still continues and hopefully after annual vacations in August, we will have more photos to share from England.
Here is their website address: www.hooked-in-london.blogspot.com. They have included the Woolwright's website address on their blog. Take a look and see what our new friends are doing!
Jill has sent photos of her chicken rug and it is quite beautiful. She sent photos of the front and back. What brilliant colors!
The project still continues and hopefully after annual vacations in August, we will have more photos to share from England.
Ruth's Cockerel, Jill's rug, & Margaret's Coaster
Notes from Jill: "The original pattern you sent was given to all but was just used as a 'starting point' for abstract ideas to flourish and take over! As you can see Chicken Designs have been interpreted in very different ways. But it has been such good fun and there will be more to come later.
We have all used different fabrics to hook our creations. I used mostly old T Shirts/vests which I dyed to get an 'antique look' to my rug. Then when the rug was finished I sheared off the top of the loops. The chicken itself is quite fluffy because of this shearing."
The following photos were all started as a result of our project all with the theme of The Chicken Rug!
We have all used different fabrics to hook our creations. I used mostly old T Shirts/vests which I dyed to get an 'antique look' to my rug. Then when the rug was finished I sheared off the top of the loops. The chicken itself is quite fluffy because of this shearing."
The following photos were all started as a result of our project all with the theme of The Chicken Rug!
