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This is a beautiful pattern; however, I was, and still am, very resistant to its name. Jefferson Davis was the presi dent of the Confederate States and a slave owner. I tried hard not to think about this as I hooked the rug, though I wish it had been named something different.
I used Dorr wool—naturals and pastels—for my swatches and spot dyes, overdyeing them to get the colors and values I needed for the roses and ferns. The roses were hooked in dyed and as-is textured wools to create all the values in each of the colors I used. My teacher Betty McClentic suggested I use light spot dyes over pastels for the ferns. This worked wonderfully.
They look realistic, and they were fun to hook. She also suggested that I dye plain navy blue over natural and pink wools for the blue flowers. This made a slight difference in the color, which made an impact on the rug. I have been dyeing for years, but she gave me some dye tips I would not have thought to use.
From the Judges:
Harmonious color palette that complements the realism of the design. Shading and highlighting on each element are well executed. A timeless classic that is thoughtfully presented. Well done!
The background was made with dark brown and dark red brown wools overdyed with the primary colors to create spots of color that enhanced the movement in the large background. I loved hooking the roses. They were hooked in a painterly style using between eight and ten different, but closely colored, swatches of dyed and textured wool, matching values of each color in order to shade each petal from light to dark. I find that a painterly technique keeps me thinking, both as I assemble the swatches using different colors and textures and as I hook, ensuring the values work together.
The sheer size of the background was a challenge. I worked through it by hooking it in swirls so that I could see the differ ing colors of the dyed wool pop as I hooked them in. It would have been less challenging had I started hooking the background as I hooked each motif.
To finish the rug, I used four-inch-wide strips of the background wool sewn over cording, which I hand sewed to the edges and back of the mat.
Jefferson Davis (Pearl McGown OSV 608), 81″ x 46″, #3- to 7-cut dyed and as-is wool on rug warp. Designed by Pearl K. McGown and hooked by Benita Watford Raleigh, Norwalk, Connecticut, 2024.
Benita Watford Raleigh
NORWALK, CONNECTICUT
Benita is a certified McGown instructor, codirector of Country Inn Rug School, and Ontario Hooking Craft Guild-accredited instructor. She is president of the Goodwives Chapter of ATHA and treasurer of the ATHA South Rug School. She has taught workshops and classes throughout the Northeast over the last 20 years, as well as weekly classes in her Norwalk, Connecticut, studio, the Fancy Work Rug Barn. Benita loves hooking and teaching all types of hooking styles, from fine cut to primitive, but specializes in teaching florals, portraits, monochromatic/achromatic hooking, and painterly hooking.