Two student rugs.

This rug is from Debbie Clemons who wanted a five foot roundish rug for her husband, who was in the Airforce Reserve. I designed it and this is what she finished.  Great work.  She is one of those who hooks perfect loops.  This was started at Hooker Hill in 2012.  I will be back in 2014 and cannot wait.

Patty Tyrell did this rug when I taught at Prairie Rose in August, 2013.

We worked on "glow" around the moon.  She definietly got it.

Reiter Retreat 2013 Fall

There was a good time had by all at Goldbar, Washington, this year at the retreat.  It was casual and inspiring.  

This rug is one from Lorraine Owens with messages sewn on from her new dog.  What fun!

This rug is from Maureen Towner who found a similar one in a magazine. Love the horse.

This rug was popular and from Joy Anderson who got it from Primitive Quilts and Rugs magazine.  There will be more of these coming to the next retreat I think.

This was a pillow finished by Suzi Jones and hooked by Pattit Chapman.  The pumpkin looks so real.

Rug show walk at the end of the retreat.  They all do a great job.

ATHA BIENNIAL AT LONG BEACH

I had a wonderful time with friends at the biennial.  Jay and I stayed at my cousin's house and I was dropped off everyday at the conference.  I helped with hanging rugs and then attended the annual meeting.  I was able to reconnect with my friends from Australia and we had dinner together at the TIGHR gathering.  It was fun seeing everyone and chatting. I took the braiding class from Diane Tobias and Kris McDermet.  I have put a braid on a hooked piece before but was not sure how to do it properly.  There was a video I watched to learn how to do it.  This time it was nice to have expert help. It is a work in progress.  I decided to make chair seats that match the material I used to recover my chairs in the new studio.  

I also gave a tour at the rug show and  only had two people but had fun discussing the rugs.  Here are some of the rugs I saw at the show.

Amazed at Nola Heidbreder's president project.  These are simply amazing and done in such a short time.

Love Gail Becker's dog.

 

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Jay was able to visit with Bonifacia who we met in Mexico.  She is the leader of the Augustine Gonzales group which hooks rugs to help their families in the village and sell them in town.  The colonial town is San Miguel de Allende.  A beautiful city which has many expats living there.  She was teaching a class on how to hook without using a frame.  Jay got to practice his Spanish.  Bonie said Jay needed to come back to Mexico as his Spanish was rusty.  Charlotte Bell was the interpreter for her. Charlotte has been helping the ladies for many years now and has been their advocate.  This was such a great experience for Bonifacia.  It was her first plane ride, first shower, first elevator, first bath, etc.  The rug in the picture Boni made says 100% Mexican, which is a joke because no one is 100% anything according to Bonifacia.

  After we returned Jo and Judy from Australia came for a day to our house on Hood Canal for a visit.  It was a nice, sunny day and they took the tour of our house and studio.  Good friends and lots of laughing.

HOOKER TAT

Thought, while waiting for ATHA biennial to start, I should get a tattoo so here it is-----

ATHA BIENNIAL AT LONG BEACH

I am in Venice Beach right now visiting my son and his fiance.  It is always good to spend time with your adult children.  Jay and I will be attending the ATHA conference next week.

TRAVELING TO TEACH

On my way to North Dakota I stopped in Yakma and then traveled through Idaho by way of Lewiston.  It is a beautiful drive following the Snake River but the rain along with thunder and lightening started making the trip longer and more difficult.  I was scheduled to meet a childhood friend in Missoula, Montana at about 7 pm--it was now 9:30 pm and I was driving on fumes as there were no gas stations open for business at that time of night.  I finally pulled over into a pothole covered lot where I could see some bright lights.  I thought it might be a gas station.  It was a bar and grill.  It was pouring down rain so I ran into the bar, went to the bathroom and then asked some patrons where I was.  They told me, Lolo Pass, and did not know where the next gas station was located.  I talked to some ladies at the bar but got no where.  I could not call my friend or home because I had no service.  In the meantime my friend had spent four hours at Perkins in Missoula and had called the state patrol to find out if there had been an accident.  Unfortunately she did not know my real name only my nick name as we have known each other since I was 7 years old.  She did not know my married name, my husband's last name or what kind of car I was driving.  We have known each other for over 50 years.  I was going to sleep in my car but a guy came out and poured in a gallon of gas so I made it to the next gas station.  There it took me some time to find my credit card as I had not put it away since I had gotten gas in Washington.  My friend lived one hour north of Missoula so I was to meet her at the Dairy Queen.  Relying on the navigator I waited at the wrong one.  We finally met up and she drove my car to her house.  I had a lovely visit with her and stayed two nights.

On my way home I decided to take the northern route through the Washington Cascade passes as I had not been on those roads for a long time.  I also wanted to see my friends finish their art certification in LaConnor.  It is another beautiful trip through Eastern Washington but long.  I could not find a place to stay as all the villages were full.  On my way over North Cascades Pass it started to thunder and pour down rain.  On my way down the pass I came upon  a family of four whose car was stuck in a massive mud slide.  I turned around and found a camp ground to settle in for the night.  I had found a spot to park but discovered it was occupied.  I told them my story and they let me stay until the early morning.  My car is packed so I took out some wool and spread it out on the front seat of my car to sleep on.  My knees honked the horn twice during the night as I turned in my sleep.  You do not get much sleep this way but enough.  I left at 5:30am and started up the pass again only to find more mud slides.  I gave up and back tracked my way through Blewitt pass and Snoqualmie pass and eventully home.  There is always some excitement on my trips.

Prairie Rose-Assumption Abbey-North Dakota

I had a wonderful time at the Abbey teaching this year.  The weather was perfect and the students could not have been nicer.  I made a pattern of the Abbey and sold a couple patterns.  I hope to see them done sometime.  The setting overlooks the farming valley below and this year, because we had a novice in the class, we toured the monestary which is just up the road.  The food is good and the company is wonderful.  I will be back in 2015 for sure!

   

Western McGown Teachers Workshop

 I had a wonderful week at Western McGown Teachers Workshop dressing up each day to present the program, telling jokes and stories and getting an assistant to help me.  We filled most of the spots for teaching and I met the new owner of Charco patterns.  Jane is still on board with making new patterns.  I always look forward to the next year.  We have very talented artist at Western McGown.

I taught Herez again to the trainees. It is to teach color planning.   A very good and talented group.  I did not take many pictures as usual.

 Here is my audience for each morning meeting.

Here are just a few photos of the projects.  Kathy Stephens did this art deco one to look like different kinds of wood of the time.

It was William Morris day.

This was done by Val Flannigan.

I took this class from Tanya Graham.

Art Deco Day and I took Gitta's class who did this rug

I loved this art deco reflections by Lynne Powell.

We also had Kilim day.

Loved Vivily's poppy

I did finish my Snowy Egret which Bonnie Pelczar taught for her teaching assignment.  I changed the background.

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art - my hooked pieces

The two pieces I sold are being displayed at the new museum.  I am thrilled.

I finally was able to demonstrate at the hospital today.  Met some new people and taught my helper how to hook.  It was fun!  Hope I get to do it agan.  I forgot to take pictures. 

WINNER OF PEOPLE'S CHOICE

My "Ram Tough" rug was entered into the Port Gamble Fiber Festival and WON People'sChoice.  I was very happy and a little richer with the cash prize.  

ART AND RUG HOOKING

I just sold two pieces to an art patron.  I was planning on joining the art gallery so I could demonstrate at our local hospital where I have been volunteering for 9 years.  In order to do the demonstrations you have to belong to the art galery.  In order to belong you have to be juried into it.  In the process of doing this, a member of the group and a supporter of a new art museum bought the following two pieces.  The "RedTent" and my art journal "Poets".

New Studio and Shrimping on Hood Canal

Here is a picture of my granddaughter standing next to a large bucket of Hood Canal shrimp.  My son is shrimping this year and these are large and very sweet tasting shrimp.  They truly are the best I have ever had.  One can only shrimp four days a year and only from 9am to 1pm so it is very limited in scope but so very tasty.

The other pictures show the progress on the new studio.  I have the second floor for my studio and it is slowly coming together.  I built my house and now this rebuilt garage with recycled material when I can.  The garage has more new stuff like lumber and roofing material than the house does but when I can find stuff at Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill, then it goes into the studio.  The top studio will be Jay's upholstery studio, etc. and of course he will have the bottom floor for automobiles.

HAPPY EASTER

Here is my little Easter granddaughter wishing you a Happy Easter.

2013 Puget Sound Rug School and announcing the 2014 teachers

We had a wonderful time at Dumas Bay.  All students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the instructors.  Dumas had a new chef and it was the best food I have ever had at any event.  I cannot wait to eat there again.  The weather was delightful with sun, some fog, mist and wind, but mostly sun.  Good weather to take a walk around the park and to the beach.

Next year we will be hosting Donna Hrkman, Liz Alpert Fay and Nola Heidberder.  It will be very hard to choose just one.  These are fantastic teachers and they have not been to the west coast, except for Nol who was there this year.  What a line up!  I am very excited.

Puget Sound Rug School

March 15th through 18th are the dates for the rug school.  This year I will be teaching "hooked books".  Tantya Graham from Canada will be teaching composition in rugs and helping students look at their rugs from an artist's perspective to improve their art.  Nola Heldberger will be teaching a class on how to use "off the bolt" wool.  This will be wonderful for studying values in primitive wide cut rugs.  

www.nolahooks.com is her site and she has many patterns.

Missing journal pages

I have lost all of my pages so I am starting over on this web site so stay with me.