Category Archives: hooked rugs

Australians Spreading Rug Hooking down under

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Jo Franco and Judy Stephens are literally worldwide travelers in search of rug hooking tools, contacts and inspiration.  We met in Wales four years ago during the Tri-Ennial of TIGHR (the International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers).  I went home to the States as President for the next three years and they headed home to Australia having asked: ” What can we do to spread rughooking?”

Fast track to 2009 and these two, along with Miriam Miller and Jacqui Thomson became the next Board for TIGHR at the Louisville, KY Tri-Ennial.  While on the road members of this group visited suppliers, artists and friends in the States, Canadian rugmakers, attended a retreat in the UK, and worked at a project involving sight impaired rug hookers in Gambia.

Jo and Judy teach both Australian techniques in rugmaking incorporating aboriginal basketmaking and proddy popularized by the English immigrants along with, in Jo’s case, being McGown Certified in traditional styles.

Let the River Run, by Judith Stephens 2010

Visit their website ausrugcrafters.com to see more work, and supplies available in Australia for rug hookers.

Branding Ruckman Mill Farm

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We have chosen a slogan and are using it throughout our advertising campaign beginning in 2011. 

“Everybody needs FIBER.”   and “Every body needs FIBER.”   

Since we are immersed in the textile world specializing in woolen fabric for rughooking, the first version is adressing the “addiction” craftspeople flaunt. We all need FIBER.    Our other time is spent raising vegetables, flowers and poultry on our farm in Hampshire County living as close as possible a sustainable lifestyle.  Every BODY does need fiber to survive.

Follow our ads in ATHA and, as of March, in Rug Hooking Magazine. The website www.RuckmanMillFarm.com will be revamped to reflect this new image also.

2011 Ruckman Mill Farm Branding

Fellow blogger posts hooking rug

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Sharon Bennet has been posting her progress working up this design on her blog moosecraftusa.blogspot.com for months.  It’s finished and she sent off the completed image to me.  I posted it also under More New designs (see Ruckman Mill Farm).  The palette she chose is comfortable, and has an aged feeling with the subtle background hooked in large sections with dark wools as if she had run out of a skirt and chose another one.  Note, Sharon says the blue background areas are a bit more grayed (duller) than in this photo.

Hooked rug 28 x 54 by Sharon Bennett, design (c) Susan Feller Designs

Studio Tour in Hampshire County WV

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The third Hampshire Highlands Studio Tour is over and was another fun way to meet neighbors, travelers and fellow artisans.  Although it was cold and very windy the snow we had last year held off allowing travellers to get to all 15 studios. 

From the reports by the artists we are going to put together a fourth tour.  Put the first weekend in December on your calendar and visit www.HampshireHighlandsStudioTour.com throughout the year to see who is added.  We plan to work with the lodging in our county to come up with great packages including tour a day, dinner in Romney, an art event (theatre or concert) at the Bottling Works and lodging in town.  This will allow out-of-towners who enjoy meeting artists to visit all of the studios and enjoy our other cultural benefits.

MountainMade new work

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Columbia County Carnation and Hand Carved Frame

A trip to Beckley means making a circle and coming back through Thomas, WV, visiting the MountainMade Gallery.  Our work has been juried here since 2004 and we dropped off two of the “perfect” pieces which had been reviewed at Tamarack the day before. (See Fine Craft at Tamarack post)

A visit to the great Mountains of West Virginia this winter should take you to the Canaan Valley wonderland.  While there a shopping trip to Thomas, and on the outskirts, the MountainMade Gallery to fill your home with West Virginia art is a must.  The presentation of our work is spectacular, floating on clear glass shelves suspended from the previous factory high ceilings is shiny glassware.  The pottery sits on hand carved wooden tables and our textiles warm the walls and furniture.  Music plays and you can select food products too.

FINE CRAFT artist at TAMARACK

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Finally!  It took a year but on November 6, 2010 Jim and I travelled 5 hours to Beckley, WV to the afternoon session of jurying at TAMARACK-“the Best of West Virginia” and by 4:30 we got the good news: I was accepted for work in FINE CRAFT.  Six pieces were reviewed for technique, materials, design and I received a perfect score from the jurors. 

Rainbow of Trees by Susan L. Feller

This means that rughooking will be represented in upcoming gallery shows at TAMARACK.  I am proud to represent this craftform to an audience geared toward seeing craft at its finest..as ART.  The extra work I put into finishing the backs of the stretched pieces, and overall presentation added to the value and worth of the textiles.  One fine artist when I showed her my stitched cloth backing,  said “That looks professional.”  I will share these tips with rughookers in upcoming workshops and to anyone who inquires here.

Designing Challenges in Indiana

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Bev and Susan

The  last week of October took me out to Indiana, and Bev Stewart’s Whispering Pines Designs in Clayton.  Bev coordinated two wonderful classes filled with talent and eager people. In three day sessions they worked through the Basic Elements and Principles of Design.  The classes included three generations of fiber artists, and another mother, daughter pair along with people who were pulling their first 1000 loops to those who had spent thousands of hours enjoying wool.    

Bev and the locals coordinate a very successful hook-in the second Saturday of September, bringing in a wide variety of vendors and over 300 eager rugmakers.  The efforts of this organizing group validates the passions thousands have for pulling loops through backing whether the fabric is wool strips, yarns or plastic bags.

The wonderful Arts and Crafts home of Jim and Bev Stewart welcomed me along with its inhabitants.  Jim was “treated” each morning to a bowl of oatmeal I had prepared and the animals seemed to enjoy another person around. 

Kit Cat in Studio at Bev Stewart's

I will be back in May of 2012 to teach two more workshops. Interested students should contact Bev ..at Whispering Pines Designs 6583 S CR 400 E, Clayton, IN 46118 or see Calendar under About Susan Feller

Mountain State Fiber Artists Meet on Farm

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October 16th dawned a beautiful FALL day. 

MSFA meeting Fall 2010

By noon 22 members and guests of the Mountain State Fiber Artists had arrived at Ruckman Mill Farm.  They unloaded with desserts and salads (note the desserts were listed first, and were the most in both categories contributed).  And also brought along finished hooked , needle work and quilted, items which were displayed on the front porch during our show and tell. 

Leaf Peeping Season by Susan Feller

  We have accepted the ATHA challenge to make  a 9 x 12 mat inspired by the color RED.  Completed pieces will be shown at the Morgan County Fair next August and then contributed by members to the ATHA Bi-Ennial in Lancaster, PA October 19-22 to benefit the Education Committee.

Faces and Friends

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The newest batch of R.A.M.P.S jewelry has been received at TAMARACK, the Best of West Virginia in Beckley, WV.  Included are a variety of friendly faces, all hooked with wool strips of fabric through a woven backing and finished off with wool fabric and a pin back. 

Face Pins hooked by Susan L. Feller

These join the hooked mats and small rugs which were juried in last November and have been selling very well.  Another batch will arrive by early November, please stop on your journey through the southern part of West Virginia along I64 and I79 just outside of Beckley, WV.

Off to St. Louis

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After Sauder, I went on to St. Louis to teach for Nola Heidbreder.  Her studio is in a section referred to as The Hill, a charming walkable neighborhood of Italian eateries, grocery stores, cafes and bocci clubs.  This is the second time I have been to St. Louis, and it was enjoyable revisiting some favorite restaurants and eating my way around the Meditteranean.  Spanish tappas at Modesto and great Italian seafood the next night.

St. Louis student's work in progress

The workshop was designing a rug with the folk art influence. Each student created a unique pattern and over the three days we colorplanned and with their efforts, saw the rugs evolve.  This class really applied theirselves and I am looking forward to seeing the finished works. 

My trip back home took me on Interstate 64.  I went through Louisville around 8:00 pm admiring the multitude of bridges and clustered skyline with little traffic to hinder the trip.  Remembering the last visit just a year ago when we hosted the TIGHR tri-ennial in Louisville and the end of three years as host country.  Sorry not time to stop and visit this time.