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This rug was conceived after a trip to Longwood Gardens. It has a tropical garden you can walk through from top to bottom. Seeing all the plants from that overview was the inspiration for my drawing; then, I added some of my favorite things in nature. I enjoyed taking an artistic license designing this pattern and making color choices. There is great joy in designing your own pattern and filling it with wool. Enjoy your rug hooking.
I chose wools based on which dying techniques would best enhance the contour shading of particularly shaped leaves or plants. To add layering and depth to this piece, selecting the right values and hue intensities was important. Every part needed to hold its place. The challenge was searching for my stash or dying just the right wool to make sure each motif stood out above the element below. Sometimes, outlines were used to accentuate the motifs.
From the Judges:
Gold star for use of color—just breath taking. The design is rich and complex; there is so much to explore in this piece. The hooking is outstanding.
I enjoy using all kinds of dyed wools, and this piece has many. The ferns were created from marbleized wools, the long-sectioned leaves use dip-dyed wool, and many wool pieces were put together to make value ranges of hues to be used like a swatch. The wool cut I used most was #5—3 and 4 were used in some small details. The best part is how the whole piece layers and fits together. Creating the fern using marbleized wool pieces was fun; I just let the wool do the work!
I finished this piece with a sewn-on wool binding. The process of creating Woodland Tango taught me to trust my eye, trust my wool, and not unhook but instead add shadows and highlights when needed. Value is extremely important in rug hooking. I accomplished my goal of creating depth in my piece and was very pleased with the results.
Woodland Tango, 31″ x 22″, #3- to 5-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Angela Uchman Foote, Barrington, New Hampshire, 2024.
Angela Uchman Foote
BARRINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Angela is a certified McGown teacher with more than 40 years of rug-hooking experience. She runs fabric Foote hooking and dye business. Lately, she has been focusing on her own creative adventure while still supporting the hooking world.