My daughter-in-law received an old cedar chest as a gift. The top of it was scratched and worn. I suggested to her that we could sand down and refinish the top, or I could make a rug seat for it. After she chose the second option, we had to decide on the design. My daughter-in-law loves flowers, so they were a must. When I signed up for the “Amish” rug class at Sauder Village, I tried to figure out how to combine the two concepts into one rug. I went back and forth with Cindy Irwin, my class instructor, several times, starting with the farmhouse. The design grew little by little, and I got the last bit of artistic instruction from my cousin Joanne Kukel.  READ MORE

This was my first time hooking a face, and I was totally intimidated by even the thought of it. I practiced noticing skin tones and values by painting the portrait in watercolor first. It actually looked pretty good, so that gave me confidence to try hooking it. As I did, I was going through some personal stuff and could barely concentrate. So, I just hooked rather intuitively, and I think it turned out well, partially because I didn’t overthink it.  READ MORE

With Cats in the Paint Pot, I was on a mission to use only worms from my stash—all cuts, colors, and textures. The only wool I cut was for the red, dark blue, and yellow #3 lines (for consistency, although they were all cut from various small scraps) and the dark blue #8 for the outer line and picots. The background was determined by a large, tangled wad of creamy beige/taupe wools of various cuts and colors that I was given years ago. I thought there would be plenty, but I began to run low, and a friendly fellow hooker kindly donated a similar stash of her own. In that way, this rug has been the ultimate recycling project.  READ MORE

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.  READ MORE

I love hooking with 100 percent wool strips, so this rug is all hand dyed by me. The only exception is the metal lic-shot wool in the sky. I swirled the sky to add movement to the piece and to incorporate hearts—for my family members and their dogs—into the background.  READ MORE

I get my daily dose of nature walking my dog in our local verdant forests, and if I am particularly lucky, I get to see one of our wondrous barred owls in its natural habitat. I hope my rug pays homage to the species’ beauty.  READ MORE

I’d been mulling over hooking this scene since I took the photo at a lake escape during Covid. It dawned on me that parts of it would probably be executed best with yarn, something I’d never used for hooking. The timing was perfect. I got to hunt for beautiful skeins of yarn for this piece during our girlfriends’ Nova Scotia hooking pilgrimage in May. I found a wide range of weights, colors, and textures. I used plenty of wool strips as well and love the variety in textures when using both.  READ MORE

This scene was on my mind for months until I began sketching the composition. I wasn’t sure how to hook a black cat, especially in a night scene. I started adding the colors using my colored pencils, which taught me again how important values are in hooked pieces.  READ MORE

Nicky was my daughter’s first dog. I knew I needed to make this rug for both of them. I hooked Nicky in a traditional style using #3-cut wool. I love how her collar with her name tag turned out. To make the collar, I used a braiding technique called kumihimo and tied the ends off in the back for the O-ring. Attaching the tag without ripping the braiding was harder than I thought it would be.  READ MORE

This view is one of many from the Avenue of the Giants, a scenic highway up in northern California. The Eel River and the South Fork Eel River are ever present as you cruise along the two-lane road through the redwood forest. My rug is based on a photograph I took on a trip up to Humboldt County to judge rugs for their fair. My mother came along for the ride, and we so enjoyed the redwoods and vistas of the river and mountains.  READ MORE

I experimented with the ideas of motion and flow through both color and form in creating Purple Haze. I like the areas where the elements reside outside the “expected” dimensions of the piece.  READ MORE

I enjoy visiting the Southwest. One of my favorite destinations is Tucson, Arizona, where I love to hike surrounded by beautiful landscapes.  READ MORE

Normally, I use wool from my own sheep for rug hooking. For Sammy, I needed whiter fibers than sheep naturally produce. I tried buying white, commercially processed yarn, but to get the lightest, brightest white, I had to spin my own processed nylon fiber. I added a touch of Starfire nylon for a sparkling snow effect.  READ MORE

I am always learning how to better communicate my social messages to the viewers of my rugs. While working on Saving Sweet Song Birds, I loved learning more about song birds and the seeds that they eat, which are supplied by such pretty flowers. I also explored the modern issues causing declines in songbird populations.  READ MORE

My initial idea was to make a simple, smaller rug that would fit above my sliding door. I live very close to the sea in Oregon, and sea creatures—especially sea otters, with their playful antics—hold a special place in my heart. As I researched these amazing creatures, I learned that they were once abundant in our waters but have been hunted to extinction in our area. Today, there are no sea-otter communities in Oregon waters. Additionally, sea-otters are gardeners of our diminished kelp population, which has been decimated by purple sea urchins, which sea otters love to eat.  READ MORE

In Silence of the Snow, I made falling snowflakes in the distance with white pearl beads. I wired together small snowflakes using shiny silver Czech beads to add perspective to the front. Although most of the mat is made of #3-cut wools, I used acrylic yarn for all of the white, as it remains a much brighter white than wool. I used tie tacks to add the little bow hunter (my granddaughter) and deer.  READ MORE

I love working with beads and crystals. This dress told me it wanted them. The boots are my favorite part of this piece, although they were a big challenge. Diane Stoffel is a great teacher who helped me work through my struggles with the boots. I finished the dress and boots by sewing a piece of wool directly onto the back of each section. I didn’t want my finishing technique to show.  READ MORE

I love hooking subjects with a soul. Capturing even a hint of the spirit and personality of the subject is very gratifying. To create The Majestic but Elusive Moose, I chose different types of wool cloth along with some yarn. The colors and textures are meant to differentiate between the pelt of the moose and the landscape surrounding him, thus making him stand out. The colors and textures on the moose itself were chosen to create a semblance of movement.  READ MORE

This rug brings me joy. It reminds me of a fabulous trip and is a reproduction of a photograph that I was fortunate enough to take while on a walk in the small town of Reeth. The sheep were very cooperative! The furthest sheep stepped out from the building first, then came the middle sheep, and then the lamb. They stayed in perfect position while I was photographing them!  READ MORE

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.  READ MORE

Totality: All Eyes on the Sky celebrates a joyful and moving once-in-a-lifetime moment in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on April 8, 2024, at 3:28 p.m.—when the moon lined up with the sun to create a total solar eclipse and turned the day into night.  READ MORE

I went sightseeing on Taketomi Island in Okinawa and had a chance to ride on a water buffalo cart. I took a photo of the buffalo when he had a very nice look on his face. I decided to turn this good memory into a rug. This was my first time hooking a large animal, so I tried focusing on my hooking direction and materials. I think that helped me to be successful in expressing the fur naturally. Using a #3 cut allowed me to add detail to the fur on the animal’s back.  READ MORE

Large, functional rugs are my passion. I believe that art is greatly enhanced by sensory experience, and since there’s such joy in walking across a thick wool rug, I generally choose bulky wool yarn for its lushness, resilience, and durability. However, since this design called for more defined texture in the fish, I incorporated a yarn blend of merino, bamboo, and silk. Also, the background water needed to be demonstrably recessed, so I used a finer wool yarn than I normally would for this area as well as for parts of the delicate dragonfly. My foundation preference is always monk’s cloth; its wide width availability allows me to conveniently work large designs without having to piece together backing material.  READ MORE

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.  READ MORE

When I started rug hooking in 2001, I discovered dip-dyed wool. I was hooked, and I purchased it at hooking events and everywhere I could find it. I accumulated a nice collection. A few years later, while at a shop in Iowa, I found this beautiful pattern. Immediately, I knew that my collection of dip-dyed wool would work perfectly for this pattern, especially because of the floral motifs.  READ MORE

Sometimes, hooking a rug you don’t think you want to hook is just the thing you need to do. This was a teaching assignment with the directive that I was to teach “how to hook a landscape.” Never in a million years would I have chosen this pattern on my own. In fact, I might have prayed not to be given this rug as an assignment. But then, this little piece sent me on a landscape journey. I read books on land scape painting and applied what I learned to this rug. I’m actually very pleased with what I was able to achieve.  READ MORE

Friendship is a Sheltering Tree was my third project in rug hooking and my first time using a commercial pattern. I typically enjoy creating my own designs, but using someone else’s as a base was both inspiring and encouraging. It allowed me to connect with the legacy of artist Pris Butler, and I’m grateful for the foundation she provided. It was a rewarding experience to bring her pattern to life while adding my own personal touch.  READ MORE

To create Fruits of the Earth, I used hand-dyed wool fabric in several different skin-tone formulas to help me build the face and create the highlights and low lights. I used wool yarn and fabric for the hair, as I feel the yarn gives the look of strands of hair. I used mercerized cotton to give the sleeves of the dress the appearance of drawn-in folds as in Alphonse Mucha’s art, since this pattern has an art- nouveau style.  READ MORE

I usually prefer to hook with 100 percent wool, but if a piece requires it, I’ll incorporate other fibers, buttons, etc. In Hare’s to You, I added a pinch of sparkle and velvet to the hare’s eye. This is my favorite part of the rug, as it’s what brings the rabbit to life.  READ MORE

Hooking is my relaxation and my therapy. It satisfies my love for the beautiful, the subtle, the colorful, and the tactile feeling of wool. I only hook what I love. I treasure all the hooking friends I have made through the years, and now I get to share the art with my daughter. This is the ultimate gift to me.  READ MORE

My husband and I both grew up on dairy farms in rural New Jersey. When I saw this pattern, I knew that someday I would hook it to honor our childhoods. It sat in my stash for several years before I was brave enough to attempt it.  READ MORE

This is a beautiful pattern; however, I was, and still am, very resistant to its name. Jefferson Davis was the president 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.  READ MORE

I typically use low-saturation hues in my rugs. This time, I challenged myself by using much brighter and lighter colors than usual. In the end, I was most pleased with the color plan of this piece.  READ MORE

I enjoy trying different materials in every rug I hook. I first saw this pattern at a class taught by Gail Dufresne. I wasn’t immediately drawn to it, but years later, I saw the pattern again in another class with Gail, and it clicked. I was looking for a Christmas gift for my daughter who loves geckos, which made me look at it in a completely different light.  READ MORE

I wanted to recreate a rug that my former teacher Irene Kemner had done years ago in a color palette of my choosing. It’s done in a very traditional style as a tribute to those in the McGown tradition.  READ MORE

This rug pattern is in the style of William Morris. I started it at Cape May Rugs by the Sea in 2013, where my teacher that year was Chizuko Hayami. She has, in my opinion, perfected the William Morris style in hooked rugs. Chizuko taught us that William Morris wallpaper patterns are really just outline and fill. What a revelation this was to me; when you look closely at them, you can see that she is exactly right!  READ MORE

I chose to hook this rug because my husband wanted a rug with turtles in it. Then, he decided he also wanted a mermaid. A friend told me about this design, and I loved it. I decided to use only wool with this project. I dyed most of it myself.  READ MORE

I used #3-cut, hand-dyed wool on a linen backing to create Rose. I used several kinds of dyed-blue wool, including one with very light blue dots. I hoped to create the impression of a stained-glass rose. One element that adds to that effect is the border.  READ MORE

Creating Spring Sheep was a journey. I bought the pattern at a hook-in in Michigan many years ago but second-guessed my skill level and sold it to a hooker in New Hampshire. When she decided not to hook it, she resold it back to me. I gained confidence and experience through all the challenges I faced in hooking this rug.  READ MORE

I chose this pattern because it looked like my favorite botanical art. I wanted to show the details of the plant, so I dyed the wool by myself and cut it with a #3. It took a lot of time and effort to dye the colors I wanted, but I enjoyed the challenge! I feel that I was able to depict the plant realistically— although it was difficult to express the deep, naturalistic colors of the plants.  READ MORE

Thirsty Bandit was hooked as an assigned teaching piece for the North Central Teachers Workshop. I had a year to research and hook the rug with the intention of presenting and teaching it at the following year’s Teachers Workshop. I loved creating a teaching plan on the raccoon and, in the end, found that this piece really could have been taught as a multiday class incorporating lessons in landscape, water, sky, and even fish.  READ MORE

I typically use wool fabric in all my rugs and decided I wanted this enormous trout to look like those my husband catches while fly fishing, I chose to dip dye five sections of wool equal in length and width to the fish. This gave me the ability to hook with smoother color gradation and put most of the work in the dyeing rather than the hooking. In doing this, I used a dip-dyeing method my mother (also a rug hooker) used years ago. Rather than dipping the wool vertically, I dipped it horizontally. (Now, I’m thinking I’d like to explore some other ways of dip dyeing as well.)  READ MORE

In hooking Woodbound Morris Small, I remembered how much fun it is to add materials of different textures to catch the eye and enhance the design. By doing so, I was able to give this traditional design a more modern look.  READ MORE

I so enjoyed hooking this pattern based on a David Galchutt painting. At first, I was intimidated by the sheer amount of detail, but I learned that hooking a pattern like this is like eating an elephant; you can do it if you take one bite at a time.  READ MORE

I usually create my own designs; however, I was drawn to this photograph from the movie A River Runs Through It, and with permission, I adapted it to a rug-hooking pattern.  READ MORE

In 1942, American artist Stuart Davis (1892-1964) designed Study for Flying Carpet, a gouache inspired by his first travel on an airplane. It is meant to represent the view from the airplane. Davis created the design at the invitation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which invited 10 contemporary artists to create designs for rugs. Those designs were fabricated and exhibited alongside the original art at a 1942 exhibit at the museum.  READ MORE

It is easy to recognize a van Gogh by his use of yellow and gold—and also by his depiction of sunflowers. I adapted Four Cut Sunflowers from one of van Gogh’s lesser-known sunflower paintings by the same name. My hand-dyed yellows and golds gave me the values to distinguish all the sunflower petals. The as-is wool gave me the texture I needed for the sunflower centers. The values in the blue give movement to the still life and make the branches come forward.  READ MORE

I love the meditative pulling of loops and the fact that you can correct anything you are not happy with in rug hooking simply by pulling out a strip. I really enjoy adding unexpected elements or materials to a project and live by the mantra of “a pattern is only a suggestion”—even if I’m the one who drew the original.  READ MORE

I always hook with 100 percent wool—maybe twice have I used a different fabric. I used all wool to create Know Yourself Troll. The troll’s eyes and clothing are my favorite parts of this piece. His eyes are mesmerizing; they grab you, pulling you into his world and his thoughts. His clothing has that earthy—yet regal—quality to it. He is a troll who knows himself and his surroundings.  READ MORE

My granddaughter was named after her paternal grandmother. In Arabic, the name “Mona” means “a peaceful, safe place or feeling,” and she embodies that to me. She is the light of my life. I had wanted to make a rug of her for years but needed to build up confidence to do it.  READ MORE

Coming from a musical family, I was exposed to everything involving classical music and musical instruments from an early age. One of my favorite stories was the German fairy tale “Town Musicians of Bremen.” On the road to Bremen, the four ageing animals come upon a house in the woods. They climb atop each other and, peering through a window, sing to the men at the dining table.  READ MORE

Using many different techniques on a rug can add much interest and appeal. However, it is somewhat of a challenge to know which technique to use for a particular detail. The end result can be rewarding when all the techniques come together to make a unique rug with dimension. To create My Day Complete, I used a variety of techniques, including hooking, needle felting, trapunto, embroidery, coiling, sculpting, hand sewing, and clipping. I used wool strips for the bird, tree, flowers, background, and border and opted for hand-cut wool fabric for the border leaves and flower centers.  READ MORE

This is my first portrait in rug hooking. I hooked it from a photograph I took of my father more than 25 years ago at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games on MacRae Meadows in North Carolina, where he had recently accepted the position of president after 40-plus years of volunteer service. To signify his interest and love of Celtic history, I encircled his portrait with a Celtic-knot border. I contrasted his sepia-toned portrait—in which he wears a Scottish tam (hat)—with the traditional Morrison tartan in the background. The tartan represents his lifelong dedication to celebrating our Scottish heritage.  READ MORE

The painting Prairie Sentinels by Calgary artist Mark Farand, whose work is annually showcased at the Calgary Stampede, was the inspiration behind my hooked rug. I have spent most of my life between the prairies and foothills of big-sky country, and the sky in Mark’s painting evokes the feeling and memory of the prairies of my youth. I have wanted to recreate that sky in wool since purchasing the painting in 2012. Mark gave me his permission to use his sky superimposed behind the elevator I created for my rendition. I designed and hooked Prairie Sentinel as my teaching project for the 2024 Western McGown Teachers Workshop. I attempt ed to be as true to Mark’s sky as possible using dyed wool. The material selection was, in part, dictated by a need to keep costs at a reasonable level.  READ MORE

I have an abundance of scraps of vintage wools that I inherited. After pulling my chosen palette of colors for Salt Glazed Crocks, all the wools were married in an onion-skin bath, making them unique and one blended family.  READ MORE

My daughter Shirley’s two girls have beautiful red hair, and I wanted to see if I could capture it, which was one of the reasons I took on the challenge of hooking them.  READ MORE

Sunrise at Cape Porpoise was a joy in a time of stress. My hooking style is painterly, and I look for photos that inspire me to create my adapted works. Playing with textures and colors is what thrills me and has kept me going through hard times, lifting my spirits. The flow of painting with wool brings such satisfaction. It has opened my eyes to see beauty all around me.  READ MORE

Victorian Painted Lady is the result of experimenting with adding color to an achromatic subject, fully hooked. I’d experimented with smaller pieces using dye and wanted to achieve the main goal of creating an entire rug that looked like those old photos. This rug is the culmination of that ideal, and I’m glad I figured it out.  READ MORE