Sunflower in a Pot, 16″ x 31″, #6-cut wool on rug warp. Designed by Dianne Kelly. Adapted and hooked by Teresa Matheny, Columbia, Missouri, 2006.
Inspired by the “Sunflower in a Pot” rug pictured in the “Cottage Style Hooking” article (RHM June/July/August 2005) and a rug border featured in a Searsport Rug Hooking ad, Teresa designed her pattern. She decided that her first rug would be a wall hanging since she was fascinated with prodded elements. Teresa found a perfect gold wool jack-et at a resale shop and her mom helped her dip-dye the wool for the sunflower’s petals.
Although Teresa’s mother could have helped her exclusively, she introduced Teresa to Edwina Prinster, a certified rug hooking teacher in Missouri. Teresa considers learning about color theory from Edwina one of her most invaluable lessons. The placement of the triangles in the border represent Teresa’s experimentation with warm and cool colors.
Along with instruction from Edwina and guidance from her mom, Teresa attended local groups’ hook-ins and believes that hooking alongside others was important to her rug’s progress. Borrowing prodding tools, learning finishing techniques and acquiring a wide range of knowledge from the members of the hooking groups, Teresa experienced the friendship and generosity that goes along with being a part of the rug hooking community. “No one else hooked a single loop in it, but so many women were instrumental in my completing that first rug,” Teresa comments.
Teresa completed several projects since finishing her first piece and hopes to begin hooking a “real lay-on-the-floor rug” soon.