Give a GiftDear Creative Rug Hooker,
There are as many types of artistic inspiration as there are articles in each issue of We Like Rug Hooking. One featured rug hooker has embraced rug hooking as a way to create visual, lasting memorials to loved ones. Get a designer’s-eye view of this creative process.
Heather Etches believes incorporating personal messages into our art is as good as therapy. So what better way to honor the memory of loved ones than through the creative process of rug hooking? That’s what got her thinking about a design that could best express her intention.
Heather designed two stained glass window rugs to serve as her memorial pieces—one following the traditional style of cathedral stained glass windows; the other with more of a focus on strategic color placement and the energy of the figures in the rug. Both pieces were designed to bring a different kind of light to a windowless room and keep the memory of her loved ones present.
The larger piece is big enough to be a real stained glass window: almost 20 inches wide at its base and 40 inches long as it tapers to its elegant arch at the top. The two figures in this rug bring a soft energy to the piece. The female figure in the lower corner draws your eye immediately against the colorful background. You can feel her energy as she looks up and appears to be moving toward a spiritual figure near the top of the window as if receiving a blessing.
Heather drew and hooked the figures first. Then she drew in her stained glass pieces. Her goal was to avoid having two of the same color groups next to each other. Using #7-cut black wool, she hooked around the border to stabilize it, then used the same wool to outline her stained glass pieces.
She used a primitive form of shading that also let her use up most of her wool and yarn stash in various cuts. The variations in texture and shading in each color group create the look of sunlight coming through the stained glass.
For the smaller window, Heather used softer outlining and kept her design true to the style of cathedral windows. Dark gray for the outlines more closely represents the leading of a stained glass window. You’ll appreciate the flow of color and the way she evokes the feeling of two windows inside one frame. The same use of varying shades of each color provide the feeling of light coming through the window.
This smaller window had some added sentimental features. Each piece of stained glass represents a different loved one. The decoration in each piece—a button, a piece of jewelry—personalizes the piece with something that reminds Heather of that person. This is a great example of taking your rug hooking a step beyond to fully realize your design.
Of course, no rug is finished until you sew the last stitch in the backing. Sturdy cotton fabric suited this project perfectly. When it came time to hang her memorial windows, Heather hammered very fine finishing nails in the wall and then gently pressed the rugs onto the nails so they could hang freely and evenly. The window effect was magical.
Heather chose to make her memorial pieces decorative. You could choose to design and create something functional—a pillow, a seat cover, a rug for a special spot. If you’re inspired to design your own memorial piece, just know that there’s no right or wrong way to approach it. Let your creativity be your guide.
Learn more about the creative approach Heather Etches took to create these beautiful memorial pieces. Read Hooking Stained Glass: Two Designs with a Personal Message, as the designer takes you through the steps. You may be inspired to design and hook your own memorial piece!
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Happy Rug Hooking!
Caitlin Eaton
Editor, We Like Rug Hooking Magazine
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