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This rug is based on a photo I took in one of Michigan’s state parks. However, I altered the photo considerably using the Prisma app, changed the colors, did a sketch based on my altered photo, and added the asymmetrical border around the edge. With every rug I design, I find that extra time spent in the design phase pays off in a more interesting and successful finished piece.
I have recently been hooking with a mix of wool fabric, yarn, and T-shirts, but for this rug, I chose to return to wool and wool yarn only, because I think the richness of the colors of those materials suited this scene. I used multicolored wool yarn in some areas to add texture. I also love using plaid and textured wool in landscape rugs.
I am pleased with the middle of this rug, where the foliage and reflections come together, and the way the reflections are broken up by the horizontal, light-colored areas (which indicate floating mats of fallen leaves and aquatic vegetation).I like adding asymmetrical borders around some of my landscapes and then having the landscape break through the border in spots. However, I had trouble figuring out where to have the landscape break through the border on this one, because the foliage is depicted in an impressionistic way without a lot of hard outlines. Specific shapes with hard outlines would have made it easier to decide where the border should dominate and where the landscape should show through. Also, the left border has two layers, including the blue stripe just inside the main border area. I did a little trial and error and may have pulled out some small sections to re-hook. I am fairly satisfied with this aspect of the rug, but it was a challenge to get there.
This was my second rug featuring reflections in water. I approached it more loosely this time, being less concerned about getting exact correspondence between the reflection and what is being reflected. I think this approach was successful. I wanted the whole scene to be impressionistic, a little chaotic, and not too literal, and I think it still reads as a fall landscape reflected in water.
To finish this piece, I whipped the edges with two close values of neutral blue-gray-green wool yarn. I prefer whipping with yarn for wall pieces; I think it yields a sleek, consistent look. Using two tons of yarn helps keep the whipped edge from looking too solid or heavy. With a landscape piece, I don’t want to “box in” the energy with a heavy-looking border.
From the Judges:
Beautiful atmospheric and autumnal palette of fall foliage. The blended textures give a sense of layers to the landscape. The water reflection mirrors the scene with subtle distortions that make it feel true to a crisp autumn day.
Fall Pond, 25″ x 29″, #6- to 8-cut new, recycled, and hand-dyed wool and wool yarn on linen.
Designed and hooked by Martha Rosenfeld, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2024.
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN
Martha lives in Kalamazoo and teaches rug hooking at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. She is retired from a career in legal services and enjoys designing original rugs and teaching others how to do so.