March Meeting

Three of us hooked together at the library in Cody this month. Patty, Carol and I (Sylvia) had a great time. It is always so enjoyable when we get together at the library. April, however, has been canceled. There is a lot going on at the library in the month of April so we are trying to get a date in Shell, where Patty lives, to get together.

Carol has been working on the background of her elk for what she considers "forever". It is turning out so amazing. She is a new rug hooker with no fear. This is Carol's original design!

 Patty started her Crock pattern. It is really coming along! I just love to see how different textures of wool makes the crocks come to life.

 I have the crock pattern too but decided on this Sharon Smith design. I needed something smaller that would fit next to the Sheep and Sunflower rug on the wall. This is a pattern I have always wanted to do and I'm so glad I chose to hook it.

I used wool that I had already dyed for other rugs and it worked out perfectly. This rug is hooking up quite quickly. 

Don't forget....No meeting for April....yet.

January Get Together

Only three of us made it to the January Hook-In but we had a great time. Seeing friends is always so inspiring and fun.
Patty and I were both working on the binding of our rugs. We each used the Cindy Gay Fold Forward Finish. It is the only way I have ever finished my rugs. I liked it, so I never tried anything else.

 I haven't steamed my "Buck" rug yet. I'm waiting until the basting is finished. I'm not sure if I like the border or not but since it is going to my son, I won't have to look at it and I know he loves the rug.

The colors didn't turn our quite right on the rugs but I adjusted them as best I could. Patty's heart is more vibrant than it is in this picture. I'll try to get better ones later. Joanne Reckwerdt was Patty's teacher and dyed the wool for her Lacy Heart from Hill Country Rug Works. It is truly a beautiful rug. Great job Patty!

 Carol has been working on her elk rug. It is her own design and she is a beginner hooker. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Carol.

We had a great day chatting and hooking. Remember that everyone is welcome. There is no membership, you just need to show up with your rug hooking and lunch. We are always there to help beginners.
2015 started out great!

Post by Sylvia Gauthier

Sheep and Sunflowers Rug Finished

Sylvia finished the rug she started at Prairie Rose Rug School in Richardton, ND in August. It was finished last month but we are just now getting it on the website.

We are so excited about the new rug hookers who are joining our group. We learn so much from each other and in such a remote area for rug hookers it is so wonderful to find other kindred spirits.

Our meeting for November will be on the 15th at the Park County Library from 9:30 to 4:30. All are welcome so please stop by and join in on the fun.

September Wool

September has been a busy month for wool. The Paintbrush Piecers put on a great quilt show called Yellowstone Quilt Fest where I was a vendor under Woolin Rouge Designs. Kathi Charles was a wonderful helper and insisted I bring my Sheep and Sunflowers rug to display in the booth, even though I didn't have any rug kits for sale. It really was a great idea. A lot of people stopped by to look at the rug and a few were interested in learning to hook or wanting to finish rugs they started years ago. I will also be the guest speaker at the Paintbrush Piecers meeting this month to talk about wool. I plan to bring my rugs, wool applique quilts, and Woolin Rouge patterns and kits to sell. 

Wild West Rug Hookers also had our hook-in at the Park County Library. It is always such a pleasure to chat and hook with such a fun group. We discussed having a class in Powell, other rugs we were going to hook, and problems and solutions to rugs we are working on. Gardens seemed to take the bulk of time for most of the hookers in the past month, but we still found time to do a little bit of work on our projects.

Patty Tyrrell has really made some progress on her Lacy Heart. She got a lot of the blue done. I love the way she is outlining is a size 4 and hooking in a size 7. 

Carol Messerli has been working on her background behind the elk. She had a lot of berries to make into jelly so hooking had to take a back seat, but she is sure getting a lot done. Keep in mind that this is her second rug and is a design from a photograph. I'm so impressed with her work.

 In between working, weaving, and life, Barb Pearson has been working on her background of the design she created using Laurel Burch elements. I absolutely love Barb's eye for color!

 This is my (Sylvia Gauthier) Sheep and Sunflower. I have a little bit of the background left to do. I had to lighten the blue around the two red sunflowers up because the values of the petals and background were so similar that the flowers got lost. I did a lot of work on the sheep's face and with the help of my future daughter-in-law Shelby Olsen I think it came out great.

 Craig Pearson is moving along with his Lamb and Ram rug. I especially like the way Craig hooked peach colored apples instead of the red. He isn't afraid to put in purple strawberries instead of the traditional red either. If a different color accomplishes the feel he wants, he'll use it. That's a good lesson for all of us.

Kathi Charles started a top for a footstool but somehow we didn't get a picture of it. I'm hoping that by the next meeting she will let us show her progress.

We would all like to invite anyone wanting to learn about Primitive and Traditional rug hooking to stop by the Park County Library in Cody, WY on our hook-in days to see what we are up to and hopefully join in our fun. New rug hookers are always welcome. Our time and meeting days are posted on the sidebar of this blog. We only book the room three months in advance, but try for the 3rd Saturday. Come join the fun!

Post written by Sylvia Gauthier

Some Rugs from Prairie Rose Rug Show

One of my favorite things about going to Prairie Rose Rug School is seeing the amazing work of other rug hookers. Just looking at other rugs a person can learn so much about backgrounds, borders, shading, or even the beauty of a very primitive piece.
Our teacher Joanie Reckwerdt took us on a tour of the rug show to discuss different sky techniques. Lessons in art are all around us if we take the time to look. When you look at the sky do you pay attention to how it flows, how the clouds look, or what colors you see? When you look at a tree do you see how the branches grow, or whether you see leaves or just color? The lessons are there if we take the time to see them.

 Sue Cunningham designed Chief Black Hawk. He is a very large rug and the only way I can describe Sue's work is insane OCD. She is as meticulous as they come. She also designed the purple geometric below. This is the rug she was working on last year at Prairie Rose.

 The owl is a rug that Catherine Vance hooked as part of her McGown certification. Notice how she hooked the background up and down with the dip-dyed wool instead of across. Beautiful.

 This little guy wasn't in the show but I had to get a picture of it anyway. JoHanna Hergenrider hooked the Blue Gill and she was finishing it at Prairie Rose.

One of the teacher at Prairie Rose, Sharon Saknit, designed and hooked this outstanding colorplay rug called Geometric Squares. Perfection is the only way to describe this rug.

Terryl Ostmo hooked this 1790 bed rug adaptation called Norwich. This is such a dramatic rug and beautifully hooked.

 Doodle Dala is a Jane McGown Flynn pattern beautifully hooked by Bonnie Pelczar. 

The Carpet Bag designed by Karen Kahle was hooked by Darlene Buckner. You can see part of Carol Messerlie's floral rug in the background to the right.

 Darlene Buckner also hooked this beautiful Primitive Squares. Darlene is as much fun as she is talented.

 Valerie Begeman designed and hooked this stunning sunflower design.  Beautiful design Valerie!

 The Day Lily Pillow is designed and hooked by Caroline Godfread. All of Caroline's work is original designs. Anne Bonney hooked the floral rug in the foreground on the right. Stunning work ladies!

 Caroline Godfread wanted to try her hand at a wide cut so she designed and hooked Karen's Rocket. You can just feel the movement in this rug.

This concludes the rug show for today. I need to find better picture for the rest of the show before I try posting them. We all know my photography skills are lacking.

Post written by Sylvia Gauthier

Prairie Rose Rug School 2014

Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota is the perfect setting for a successful rug school. You can't ask for better hosts than the Monks who call the Abbey home.

Patty Tyrrell , Barb and Craig Pearson, and I, along with another Wyoming rug hooker Sue Cunningham, from Laramie, Wyoming, all shared Joan Reckwerdt as our teacher. On our first day of class Joan told stories that were so funny my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Besides her ability to tell a great story, she is an outstanding teacher.

 Joan is the teacher behind Barb Pearson's crewel rug. Barb has taken classes from Joan at Friends, in Oregon as well as at Prairie Rose. Joan has been the teacher throughout this outstanding rug.

Below is the rug Craig Pearson was working on and below it is a pictorial he got a little help with also. The pictorial is mind blowing. He also did another pictorial that is in the rug show but my picture turned out very blurry. Maybe Patty took one that turned out better. If so, I will show it later on.

Joan color planned and dyed the wool for Patty Tyrrell's Lacy Heart by Bea Brock. It has a stained glass feel to it. I can't wait to see it finished. We made the comment that Patty seems to like burgundy since her last rug had burgundy also. 

 I know the angle of this photo is upside down but I wanted to show the pattern right side up. On the left is my Sheep and Sunflower rug. My other two sunflowers will both be red. I learned one major lesson on this rug. Never draw on your pattern with colored Sharpie. It will bleed on to your wool when you steam it! Since I will be adding a dark background to the rug, I will be hooking a white face on my sheep. I changed her face with the red sharpie so I spend the first night of rug camp washing the red out of my face.

The rug s next to mine are done by Katie Knoelke. She was in Ingrid Hieronimus's class and I was so impressed with the backgrounds she used at Ingrid's suggestion. One stripe went horizontally and one went vertically with a red line and the background extending out from it. Ingrid has a plethora of background and border ideas as well as being a fabulous teacher.

Carol Messerli, our other Wyoming rug hooker's elk came to life in Ingrid's class. Carol learned so much from Ingrid and I can't wait to see how this rug looks when it's finished.

Our other Wyoming gal Sue Cunningham, who has been going to Prairie Rose for years, was working on a beautiful Poppy design that Joan was helping her with. Sue's work is meticulous and I will show more rugs from her and others in another post.

The week went so quickly. The company was wonderful, the food amazing, and the teachers were all top notch. Suzy Jones did a fabulous job as our Director and we can't wait until next year.

Post written by Sylvia Gauthier

Prairie Rose Rug School Here We Come!

All 5 of the members of Wild West Rug Hookers are going to be traveling to Assumption Abbey in Richardton, ND to attend the Prairie Rose Rug School. Barb and Craig Pearson have been attendees for many years, Patty and I were newbies last year, and Carol will be attending for the first time this year.

This is the beautiful Assumption Abbey where we will be hooking and eating. The monks take such great care of us while we are there serving the most amazing meals and snacks.

This is our view looking out of the wall of windows in the room where our classes are held. We see wildlife strolling the grounds as well as may visitors that walk by while touring this amazing facility.

The dorm rooms we sleep in are beautifully decorated and the beds are so comfy. I can't say enough about how wonderful Assumption Abbey is and how great we are treated by the monks while we are there. All five of us are so excited to spend the week with great friends, old acquaintances, and new faces.

Post by Sylvia Gauthier

Pleasant Surprise

Patty Tyrrell had a pleasant surprise at the Women's Tea in Shell Wyoming the other day when a former student of hers, Carol Miller, brought her finished footstool to show.

This is Carol's first piece of rug hooking which was started in a class taught by Patty. When I saw Carol at Patty's house one day she stated that her son was making her a footstool for her finished rug.

Well, Carol's son must be an outstanding woodworker because this footstool is beautiful. Carol's hooking and the footstool are a perfect match!
The pattern that Carol chose is from the website I Love Rug Hooking and it is called Cat and Ball by Fredericksburg Rugs. The kit is in the Beginners Section on the website. All of the kits used in Patty's class were purchased from I Love Rug Hooking and I was so impressed with the quality of the wool in each of the kits in the class.
Congratulation Carol on a job well done, and congratulations Patty on being such a great teacher.

Blog Post by Sylvia Gauthier

 

Summer Meeting of Wild West Rug Hookers

We have had such a great summer so far. Our May meeting was in a VERY small room at the Park County Library. They had double booked our room so we graciously gave the large room to another group.
There were 4 of us who barely fit in the small room. My daughter Shelly brought us a fan because that tiny enclosed space was stuffy and hot. We couldn't open the door much because the main part of the library was right outside the door and if there is one thing I'm not, it's quiet. Even though we were confined, we still had a great time. We are so lucky to have such a great group.

Barb Pearson was hooking this outstanding Jacobean rug at the May meeting. She is using a #3 cut and the rug is amazingly hooked. Barb has such a great way of keeping track of each flower and how it is hooked. She is amazingly organized.

Craig Pearson, Barb's husband, was working on this one. I wish I had taken a picture of it after he finished working on it at the June Meeting. He uses a #5 cut, I believe. Both he and Barb are such an inspiration to be around.

Patty Tyrrell was working on an Encompassing Designs pattern of crocks at both meetings. She had started a heart rug but has since decided it would make a great project for Prairie Rose Rug School in August.

I was still doing the border of my dog rug, and Carol Messerli was working on her elk. I am sad I didn't remember to get pictures of Carol's elk rug. She is really doing a great job. I promise I will have pictures of in in July.

Speaking of Prairie Rose Rug School, it is the first week in August at Assumption Abbey in Richardson, ND and all 5 of us are going this year! It will be Carol's first time, the second time for Patty and I, and Craig and Barb have been many times. It's hard to believe how far we have come since this time last year. Patty and I were nervous and could be since we had no idea what to expect. We hadn't met Craig and Barb yet and we certainly hadn't started our hooking group.

Barb had just been through so much with her breast cancer and they missed last years School. Barb is now a cancer survivor and I can't tell you what a blessing it has been to know such a wonderful woman.

Patty and I are now "experienced" at hooking school and we are even more excited than ever for school this year. What a blessing that Carol is going to join us. I can't wait to share that experience with everyone!

And for a little bit of eye candy, here is another antique rug of Sheering's grandfather's.

Don't you just love it! I know I do. Her grandfather didn't make the rug but he sure had great taste.

Antique Rugs

Sherring Burke from Shell, Wyoming, a friend of Patty Tyrrell, has some wonderful old hooked rugs that she was willing to share.

This is a rug Sherring purchased. I love the simplicity of the design and the color combinations. It shows that a design doesn't need to be completely filled in with elements to be an effective design.

This is another of Sherring's antique rugs. Her grandfather had this rug in his cabin so it was used for many years. Again, such a simple design with so much impact.

Sherring purchased this rug showing maple syrup production in Vermont. She sure has a great eye for old rugs!

Now this is a rug given to my friend Kathi Charles by a real estate client of hers.  His mother hooked the rug but it needs help on the edges. Kathi is going to add rug tape to the back to stabilize the edges which are rotting away. Besides being a great design, I love how the hooker chose to hook the inside frames.
There is so much we can learn by looking at the old "Masters" of rug hooking.