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Time & Tide, 64″ x 52″, #3-cut hand-dyed Dorr natural wool and #3- to 5-cut recycled clothing. Designed and hooked by Fumiyo Hachisuka, 2023.
In 2017, I went sightseeing in Czechia and found the Prague Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square. The big clock is astonishing, with an angel and a skeleton holding a bell and a lantern. I decided to make a rug inspired by this clock.
To start, I dip dyed Dorr natural wool in blue and brownish-red hues for the clock face, which I hooked in a #3 cut using shading techniques to achieve a realistic look. I used my stock swatches of eight values to hook the skeleton and angel in #3 cuts. I used old clothing in #3 to 5 cuts to hook the numbers and the navy-blue background. I hooked many whirls to express the concept of time.
The shape of the clock is my favorite part of the rug. I took some pictures in Czechia, looking up at the clock. So, the shape of the clock was ovular in my reference material. I wanted to make the clock circular, but it was very hard to change the oval to a circle. I don’t have a big enough compass to trace a circle with a radius greater than 50 centimeters. I used a 100-centimeter ruler to draw a circle and sketched the clock face, which was a pain in the back (literally). Next, I had to transfer the sketch onto rug warp. It was hard to transfer the circle correctly. Once I had made the pattern, I was very tired but hopeful that the circle would look right. I am happy with how it turned out.
From the Judges:
Talk about a fashion statement! Your clothing sure hooks up nice! The shading and gradients in the background add a sense of cosmic movement, reinforcing the astronomical theme. Intricate zodiac symbols, Roman numerals, and clockwork elements hooked with impressive accuracy. The use of color, structure, and narrative elements make it both visually stunning and intellectually engaging.
To finish the rug, I whipped the border with yarn and covered the back with wool cloth to protect the rug warp.
It is a great honor to be chosen as a Celebration finalist. I am happy that I could find rug hooking in Canada and continue making my works. Sometimes, life is not easy, but I appreciate that thanks to other rug hookers, I can make hooked rugs today. I love rug hooking and hope many others will find joy in it.
Fumiyo Hachisuka
TOKYO, JAPAN
Fumiyo learned rug hooking under Fannie Sinclair in Toronto, Ontario, and made her first rug, Flower Bell Pull, in 1979. She started teaching in 1985 after the first display of her works in a bank lobby. She has tried to hold an exhibition once a year, and in 2025, her 34th Rug Hooking Exhibition will be held at Nagatani Gallery 1 in Kichijōji, Tokyo, from October 16 to 21.