December at the Library Hooking Rugs

Several of us met at the Library in Cody, WY earlier this month. It was so good to see everyone and especially Laura, whom I haven't seen in years!

Debra started this rug at our camp at the Irma Hotel in Cody, WY. Diane Stoffel was her teacher. I'm in love with this rug!

Debra was very busy needle punching before the Holidays!

Patty started this rug at our rug camp at the Irma Hotel in Cody, WY. Carrie Martin was her teacher. This is turning out great!

 Patty started this Woolley Fox rug at Prairie Rose Rug School. I think her rendition is my favorite. I especially love the blue cabin.

Sylvia finished this 7 foot runner by The Old Tattered Flag. The top shows the colors better. It was later bound in navy.

Sylvia finished this Eiffel Tower rug by Sharon Smith in plenty of time for her granddaughter Aleena's Christmas gift. Aleena loved it!

Good friends and good conversation. What a great way to send out 2018!

Big Horn Mountain Hook-In

The time period for the Big Horn Mountain Hook-In in Shell Wyoming is blocked out on the campsite website so please call for a reservation. There are still plenty of spots available and a few cabins are left.

We are going to have such a great time. Bring the family and they can see the beautiful Big Horn Mountains and all the amazing wildlife. Fishing is plentiful too!

Hope to see you there!

Wild West Rug Hookers in Denver

Three of us were lucky enough to attend the Colorado ATHA Hook In in Denver. It is always a great time with many wonderful vendors.

 Hand woven baskets by Village Crafters is always a big hit. We always have some we bring home.

 Theresa Rapstine had wonderful wools and of course her patterns, which I can't resist!

 Here are two more of Theresa's rugs on the floor. She will be one of the teachers at the ATHA Biennial in Denver.

 Judy Cripps is always the busiest booth at the hook-in. She brings a lot of wool and patterns!

This is part of the Gatherings booth. They sell Maggie Bonanomi patterns among many other items.

 Here are some of the wonderful women there. Last I heard there were 129 in attendance. Their door prizes were the wool trees on the tables. There were a lot of beautiful fall colored ones.

 Here is part of Baa Ram Ewe's booth. I always seem to find a pattern here. Patty came home  with this cute floral pattern.

Tonya also has cute benches and patterns for sale.

 I apologize for not remembering whose table this is. Very cute pillows.

 Here's just a couple of the silent auction items out of Many!

 I had a lot of fun taking to this woman and several others who sat by me during the day. I'm working on Sharon Smith's Eiffel Tower. 

 I can't remember whose table this was but it is an incredible assortment of hand dyed wool!

Patty got the pattern for this cute sheep in Judy Cripps booth.

Patty, Debra, and I had a wonderful time. On Friday we hit IKEA and bought so many treasures we weren't sure how we were going to fit on the way home but thank goodness I have a large trunk in my Taurus.

We are looking forward to next year and especially the Biennial!

Shell Wyoming Day of Rug Hooking

What an exciting day we had in Shell Wyoming Saturday! The weather was perfect for driving and we had our largest group EVER! We had a total of 7 for the day!
All the work we have done at the Festival in Thermopolis is paying off.  Kim was interested in hooking and drove to Shell to buy one of our beginner kits and learn to hook AND a woman who is working at the Shell Campground this summer came by to learn too. Two new hookers!!

 It was especially good to see Carol (left) who is not only struggling with cancer, but broke her hip. She has been through so much and it's so nice to see her still hooking.

 Faye came for the first time since last year. She brought her Stone House Runner and Patty brought hers. Isn't it amazing how similar and yet different they are!

Fay designed this beautiful stool cover. Hers is the shorter one. I wanted to copy hers and close as possible and Patty got creative with hers. They are so pretty together like that!
The original shape is from Cindy Gay's Ikea Stool Course.

We didn't get pictures of what everyone was working on but the day was filled with teaching, laughter, and fun.

There is one extra day added to our schedule with one more day of hooking in Shell on September 29th.

Rug Hooking Fun

There were three of us hooking at the Library in Cody, WY Saturday. We had a lot to discuss at our meeting. We would like to start a Hook-In Camping weekend next summer in the Shell Campground. Shell, WY is nestled just off the Big Horn Mountains. It is truly one of the most beautiful little towns. There are a couple of cabins for those who don't have campers or tents and we want to make it a fun weekend for the husbands and kids too. The campground is right along the river and trout fishing is right at your fingertips. We have a lot to do to prepare for this event, like a vendor or two, but I know it will be a GREAT time for all who attend.

Debra is getting so close to finishing her Beverly Conway rug she started in the class at Old Faithful Rug Hooking Retreat in Cody, WY with Diane Stoffel as her teacher. It is so elegant looking. I know she is very happy with it.

Patty worked on the rug she started at Prairie Rose Rug School in Richardton, ND. Her teacher was Nancy Gingrich. The flowers in the fields and the river turned into a road are wonderful touches that makes this rug unlike any of the others we've seen. Don't you just love the blue house? Her pattern is from Woolley Fox.

I decided I'd better get busy on the purse I will be finishing in Carrie Martin's class at the Denver Hook In. The event is put on by the COATHA group and it is by far the most fun I've ever had at a Hook In. Okay, so it's the only Hook In I've ever been to, but it's still the most fun!

We are working hard to bring rug hooking to more people in Wyoming. Our Facebook page has been successful in finding another rug hooker in Gillette, WY. We hope to meet her soon.

Debra also finished her Saddle Up by Pine Island Primitives. It is truly stunning! I love the directional hooking.

Be sure you check out our Facebook page Wild West Rug Hookers and join our group. We want to hear from you!

Demonstrating Rug Hooking in Wyoming

We had a very successful weekend demonstrating in the Master Craftsman Tent at the Folk Festival in Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis, Wyoming. We considered this our most successful event so far.

 Visitors at our booth not only learned about the history of rug hooking in North America, but were able, this year, to get them the tools they needed to start hooking right away. We had several beginner kits available for purchase that have everything they need to complete a mat except a hoop and a hook. We also sold the Moshimer hooks. We had several sign up for our Newsletters.

 In the very right hand corner you can see the mug rugs made by Debra that were for sale. Behind Debra you can see two of her rugs. Patty's footstool is peaking out from under the table.

 Debra was so happy to show the process of rug hooking to anyone who stopped by.

 Here is a woman who was very interested in our craft. Notice the Lincoln Bag of Patty's next to her chair. It is all hand hooked!

 You can see some of our kits available for anyone wanting to learn how to hook. Our favorite customer was an adorable little 10 year old girl. Her mom was a vendor at the fair so we lent her a hoop and she hooked the afternoon away. She was a natural! Her mom also got a kit and they will hopefully come to one of our hooking days at the Library in Cody.

 Patty is telling a visitor about the history of rug hooking.

It was so nice to show so many people, who had never seen rug hooking before, what we do and promoting rug hooking not only in Wyoming, but to people from all over the world. We had the most amazing time and we even learned from other craftsman as well. Debra and I came home with beads and jewelry from a wonderful woman who demonstrated Lampwork glass beads.

A Native American sang songs beating one of the drums his son had made. His son Cole demonstrated his drum making ability while his father told stories and sang. Cole is learning the craft of making drums from his father through the Mentor-ship Program through the Wyoming Arts Council. Now the Lone Bear family will be known as the drum makers of the Shoshone tribe.

Von Ringler showed leather work and sold his amazing goods. There were two men tying flies, and a woman demonstrating horse hair braiding. The booths were filled with art, jewelry, crocheted rugs, hand made goats milk soaps and lotions, and many many other things. Music and stories are always going and the food and drink vendors are SO good!

This is an event that is definitely worth traveling to!

Rug Hooking in Cody, WY

Three of us met at the Park Co. Library in Cody Saturday and we all had such a good time. Patty was working on the footstool that was designed by Faye Schilling using Cindi Gay's Ikea stool pattern outline.

I love her Mountain Bluebirds so much. She had built a Mountain Bluebird bird house a few years ago and this year was the first year she actually had the bluebirds nest in it. This is the perfect way to have the bluebirds with her all year long. Faye designed a wonderful stool cover and Patty is hooking it beautifully, as always.

Debra was working on the rug she started at Old Faithful Rug Hooking Getaway right here in Cody Wyoming at the historic Irma Hotel! Diane Stoffel was her teacher and Debra is hooking this in a very wide cut. It is so beautiful. I wish the colors turned out better on my phone camera. The basket is just stunning with the colors she used.

 I (Sylvia) finished hooking the rug I started at the Old Faithful Rug Hooking Getaway and I was whip stitching the outer border. I wish (again) that the colors had turned out better. My quail and inside border are much prettier.

The weather was perfect for traveling since both ladies come quite a distance to come hook. As I always say, we are so blessed to have such a great group of women.

We will be demonstrating rug hooking at the Festival in Thermopolis Wyoming on August 4th and 5th. It is a wonderful festival with so much fun for everyone of all ages. We would love to see you there! Just look for the Wild West Rug Hooker sign in the BIG tent.

Beautiful Day In Shell, Wyoming

We had a wonderful day of rug hooking in beautiful Shell Wyoming. Debra, Patty, and I held our very first meeting of the Wild West Rug Hookers Guild. We are in the process of joining ATHA . One of the other ways we have tried to reach new and existing hookers is by having a Facebook page. Please come join it at Wild West Rug Hookers.

Debra is working on her saddle blanket designed by Sally Kalin. I just love the directional hooking she is doing . 

 Patty is working on a footstool cover designed by Faye Schilling. It is truly beautiful. I just love her color choices.

 Patty also send a picture of her Stonehouse Runner, by The Old Tattered Flag, beside her bed. It looks like a picture from a magazine! Beautiful work Patty!

I am still working on my Birds and Berries by Bea Brock. I started it at Old Faithful Rug Hooking Getaway with Carrie Martin as my teacher.

We had a visit from our dear friend Carol who has been going through Chemo for Mesothelioma. It was wonderful to get to see her. She looked surprisingly well for all she is going through. Prayers are always welcome for her recovery.

And another Debra came by for a visit and ended up buying a kit that Debra I. and I have made up for beginner hookers. She sat and hooked with us for awhile and Debra I, gave her a lot of pointers on hooking.

One of the things we felt was important was for us to have beginner kits ready when we demonstrate at different venues. Debra and I designed some kits, cut the wool for them, and include some directions. Hopefully they will make it easier for beginners to start hooking.

Debra designed the buffalo. It is a finished 10"x10".

 She also designed this adorable old Cowboy design. I just love the colors she chose.

 Her daisy is just as adorable.

 I designed a kitty in the penny flowers.

 And the sheep eating the flowers.

Debra also designed this wonderful star.

Another thing we have done is get our own email address at wildwestrughookers@yahoo.com. We have sure come a long way from a few years ago. I hope we continue to grow and for rug hooking to grow too.