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About tinpedlar

The Tin Pedlar of Maine Chapter of ATHA (Association of Traditional Hooking Artists) shares a common purpose of promoting the art of rug hooking through education, sharing of ideas and group activities.

A Maine Postcard Challenge Mat Story

Usually the posts here are about presenters and information shared or very simple sharing of information on upcoming events. Today, I’m going to write a personal experience story in the hopes it might encourage some others to follow through with their Maine Postcard challenge mat.

I’ll start off by stating that I was excited when I learned about the idea for this year’s challenge at our August board meeting. I had just completed a long fun filled preschool unit on Maine and had a ton of materials on hand to pull design ideas from. Having only bought 2 rug hooking pattens in all over the 15 years I’ve been hooking, I wasn’t thrown by the design side of the challenge. In fact I looked forward to encouraging members who hadn’t tried designing a pattern to do it with this challenge. For me the challenge would be to hook with something less than a #6 cut. I mentioned to another Tin Pedlar about doing 4 designs and making a Maine pillow after having sketching up multiple ideas and not being able to decide on one. Feeling comfortable and confident.

So, it’s 8 am New Year’s Day and I’ve resolved to get more rug hooking done in 2015 and what better place to start than with this challenge mat due in March. Should be quick and easy. Right?

I had my design set.
I had a wonderful supply of colorful thin cuts that found their way to me and if I needed more colors I could rotary cut them.
I had a full day without a need to do anything else.

Wrong!

The hooking with very small cuts took a little getting used to, but figured it out enough. Not working with a design that needed too much detail the buoys worked up in good time. Then the trouble happened. As you can see from the design I figured the buoys to be hanging on a cedar shaker sided shed – grays and blacks to depict each shake. This would give a simple texture to the background. Good idea, but not one I could get to work. I tried my grays and black. Pulled the black and tried dark gray tweed. Pulled that and tried dark brown. Pulled it all and rethought the background. (Now these tries were not just a line or two, but at least half the background. On such a small mat, need to hook an area big enough to see what is happening and that means most of it.) 🙂

Tried a few sample lines of browns. Nope!

Maybe straight hooked solid background with a tweed. Nope! but closer.

Maybe diagonal lines like laying on a lobster trap. Nope!

Ok, I have now done more reverse hooking than hooking on a what 4″ x 6″ mat with a simple design. Time to laugh at myself, set the hooking aside and step away. Maybe good time for dinner as it’s about 6:30 pm. (Told you I’d done a lot of reverse hooking.) 🙂

About 9 pm I checked out my Pinterest boards for a bit of inspiration searching the Challenge board and a general search for lobster buoys. What I realized is that it had always been about the colors and patterns found in lobster buoys when I’ve seen them hanging, whether in photos, painting or in walks along the waterfronts in Maine coastal towns. What they are hanging on is backdrop. Why had I chosen this buoy design from all I had sketched? I love colors and patterns and the buoys allowed me to do that. So solution – fill the mat with more buoys.

A quick grab of the mat and sketch in some buoys. If you look close enough you can see the red shaker markings. A few black diagonal lines. But finally some extra buoys set under the already hooked ones to work as most of the background. I’d figure out how to complete the background once the buoys were all hooked.

Ok, I’m feeling better and not figuring I’ll have to start totally from scratch or hand over a mat I’m not proud to put my name with. But no more hooking tonight. I should be able to finish this off in a few hours tomorrow. Packed it all away.

Now it’s Friday morning and time to pull some more fun colors to get some buoys hooked. This took no time at all and no reverse hooking!

Once the buoys were all completed there was very little (what I was now thinking of as colorless) background. The way the buoys were hanging I decided to split the piece and have it appear they were hanging on a shed corner with sky. This worked up quick, especially where I went with a larger cut. Probably a #5, so still below my usual width of #8.

My lessons and hopefully encouragement for others is:

feels good to step up to a challenge, because it about learning new things (Yes, I’ll hook with small cuts again, and maybe more detail next time.)
sometimes just have to change directions – STOP and step away!
thank goodness you can reverse hook 🙂
good to refocus on why you wanted to do this design – to clear the direction going (or not going)
when you get it right it just flows!
Creating is fun for me and being able to laugh at myself is a part of that.

Can now say I’m proud of my mat, but still not sure if I want to do the 3 others needed for a pillow. 🙂 Think I’d rather work on a new rug design.

So looking forward to seeing what others have done past the designs have seen and hearing their stories.

Shading a Leaf with Casserole Dyed Wool by Cindy Duade

I’m a self-taught rug hooker, no time yet for classes, rug camps, etc. Learning new or fine tuning my skills happens from workshops offered at our monthly meetings. Wish I had known if I would be at the May meeting. Instead of actually participating today, I observed and took notes that I’ll share here. Cindy Duade graciously agreed to let me take photos to share along with my notes. It was a wonderful workshop with clear information, helpful tips and a teacher willing to help and allow time for members to work each step. Members were definitely busy hooking away. We seemed to have a much larger group still hooking after the noon pot luck than usual. (just one of 3 table areas)

The collage above shows what leaves I was able to get photos of as the meeting drew to a close. Will be interesting to see how they all finish up. (Maybe an October Show and Share side bar VPs ?)

Now for my notes and take aways ~

Let’s start with a close up of the 4 hooked sample leaves Cindy had for display. These showed different ways to approach the light and dark of the leaf as well as different backgrounds.

Using a real leaf, Cindy designed a special leaf pattern for use at this workshop. The pattern was copied onto foundation of choice. Red dot is great for that. These who participated in the workshop got an informational folder with such items as the pattern and photos showing progression/steps and casserole dyed wool. It was fun to see what members chose for their pieces. Wool was cut #4 , then carefully placed in order. Tip: use folder with masking tape to maintain the cutting order. Tape over ends or loop the tape so a sticky side is up to just lay cut strips on. One side can be used to organize the cut off pieces.

Work with up to 6 colors on one piece of dyed wool (light to dark). Colors may seem too bright, but they settle in together once hooked. For background just about any wool works, whether textured, as is wool, spot dyed or solid.

NO Straight Lines! Remember a natural leaf has curves, not straight lines.

Veins are hooked in first. Leaf is not outlined.

Leaf points either all start light or dark. Once decide then you are ready to start.

Hook from leaf edge to veins. Cut off unused section of strip and set aside. Once have these main points hooked in, time to start work on center. First draw in additional curve lines into design for guidance. Start at base (vein) with opposite color end than points (dark here since points light) and hook the strip out. (Can see the dark blue in the center along vein. Hooked all the way to a minor point.)

(Can see different positioning again off the center vein.) This also leads to minor points being hooked more with the colors found in the middle of the strip.

With hooking all these first strips remember to never use one you have cut off. Always work with a new strip.

After get some dark runs you start to fill in. To match up the shading/color you can do by pulling the tail out until reach the color you want and start hooking, or you can pull a loop until reach color, start to hook then cut at the starting loop. (I would do pull the tail as you can see with the green strip here.) (I would also be checking those cut off sections to match up colors, as I’m a use every piece type of rug hooker.)

Do Not end each strip on the leaf edge. It is not a look you want. On some turn and hook a bit back along side.

To finish Cindy recommends using ribbon. Tip: to sample the look the ribbon will give once whipped, wrap some around a pencil and check against your background fabric.

You whip through the foundation and the attached finish backing material. Lay pencil along edge of finished hooking to get a nice even, but small edge. Mark and trim. Tip: for attaching backing fabric which often moves around as you whip: Use spray adhesive like that used by quilters. This is temporary adhesive. Also pin edge.

Finished edge.

Tour the Bowdoin Exhibit

The Tin Pedlars just held a wonderful exhibit in a pretty unique location at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME. The exhibit had wonderful reviews from students, visitors and group members that were able to attend the reception and/or the exhibit on their own.

For those that were not able to attend I thought it might be fun to be able to take a video tour, so iPad in hand I toured the exhibit. (Now a word of warning I am no video specialist. I did my best to keep steady and get some closer shots for detail.)

The first video starts at what I figure is the natural beginning. Rugs were hung in grouping to best show themes and techniques. After the hallway I will enter the plexiglass room.

IMG 1366 from Country Fun Child Care on Vimeo.

This second (short) video will start with a reshowing of a few rugs hoping for better clarity, then continuing through the plexiglass room.

IMG 1367 from Country Fun Child Care on Vimeo.

This next video is of the upper hallway.

IMG 1368 from Country Fun Child Care on Vimeo.

The last video is of what the committee referred to as the Jackye Hansen room. Here were exhibited pieces designed and hooked by Jackye and some of her students, especially around the traditional art of Waldoboro rug hooking.

IMG 1369 from Country Fun Child Care on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and have received a bit of inspiration.

HRMNA “Rug Hooking Artist of the Year 2014”

Hooked Rug Museum of North America is pleased to announce this year’s honorees for the “Rug Hooking Artist of the Year” for Canada and the United States.

This is the second year such an appointment is being made. The winners are chosen because of their special attributes and their contribution to the contemporary advancement of the art of rug hooking and its gradual transformation over three centuries of development in North America. Such provides us with an annual assessment of rug hooking in comparison to an early stage of hooking and offers an opportunity to learn more about the amazing talents that exist in the art.

Thanks to both artists for their generosity in sharing their art with us for the 2014 summer season.

Our Canadian “Rug Hooking Artist of the Year” is Trish Johnson from Toronto, Ontario. Trish has been hooking since 1988. She was self-taught for the first four rugs and then joined the Georgetown rug hooking group. She has taken many hooking workshops and belongs to the teacher’s branch of the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild, the Georgetown Rug Hooking Guild and the Upper Toronto Hooking Guild.

Trish hooks rugs about places that are important to her family history, trying to answer questions about what “home” means to her. Home is where the heart is and all of her rugs are about those things and events that are dear to her heart. She designs her own patterns, mostly from her own photographs; dyes most of her own wool (especially the skies) and likes to use some recycled wool from Goodwill. Trish has been featured in Rug Hooking magazine’s “A Celebration of Hand Hooked Rugs”.

Our American “Rug Hooking Artist of the Year” is Sibyl Osicka from Parma, Ohio. Sibyl’s introduction to rug hooking began in 1982 because she wanted to make a Victorian style rug for her living room. By 1985, she was sponsored for the Pearl McGown Teacher’s Workshop. Sibyl became accredited in 1989, and was asked to teach two different workshops that

year and has been teaching since. She has traveled throughout the USA and Canada teaching and displaying her work. She continues to study and expand her knowledge in all aspects of the art.

She currently is a member of the Pearl McGown guild, Emerald#5; ATHA; and Tighr; and completed her second accreditation in 2003 as a McGown instructor. Sibyl also mentors students and teachers, and has taught classes over the internet. For more information on Sibyl please visit her website: http://www.sibylosicka.com/

Who is Ellen Sullivan?

It’s never good when you look forward to an activity you need to travel to and are greeted by a driveway of ice and nasty rain. That’s what happened for many of our members on Jan. 11th. For those that could travel through the resulting messy roads they enjoyed a look into the life of Ellen Sullivan through her primitive rugs and the genuine personal stories told by artist John Neville. Elaine Eskesen accompanied John to share how Ellen’s work has inspired her journey into rug hooking.

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First, presenters usually bring their work to share, but it’s been awhile since I’ve walked into a meeting and seen so many tables covered with the rugs of one artist. (just a sample)

On closer inspection the wonder increased. Most of the works were not hooked in wool (yarn included).

The binding was misc. pieces of fabric hand stitched in place. Foundation also seemed to be mostly burlap, but a woven red looked like it might be red long johns. John said “Ellen had tried linen, but preferred burlap for hooking on”.

Then you got beyond the fabric to really looking at the designs. Ellen Sullivan drew what she had to have been seeing in her daily life. Would one say she had a talent for drawing, not necessarily, but she definitely fits into a great folk artist.

Next comes the colors. Looking forward to hearing about the why they are what they are. Being one who hooks primarily with recycled wool think I have an idea about this.

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Born in 1907, Ellen spent most of her life in the Black Rock, Halls Harbour area of Nova Scotia. Growing up in a remote area without close neighbors or electricity her rugs depict images from her daily life. Ellen learned hooking from her mother and maintained at least one lesson from her throughout her years of hooking. “Using green for the eyes will make them stand out.”

Ellen’s rugs were made for a utilitarian reason. They were drawn free hand with carpenter’s chalk directly onto the foundation. They were hooked from whatever material was on hand and much of it was material passed along by neighbors/friends within the community. As John told it, “Ellen would cut apart the clothing, laying it out, cutting and tearing it into strips.” This use of repurposed fabric explains the colors for many of the pieces – she used what she had available, no dyed wools. Looking at the backgrounds you could see how she hooked/worked until a material ran out and then started another.

Ellen’s rugs also often had 2 birds within her rugs. The story passed on was that this comes from a poem: “One for Sorrow”. John remembered it was “One for sorrow, Two for joy, but was not sure of the others verses. Ellen included the images of 2 to represent “Joy” within her hooking.

“One for Sorrow” is a traditional children’s nursery rhyme about magpies. According to an old superstition, the number of magpies one sees determines if one will have bad luck or not. Here is the most common version – One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told.

Ellen’s father was a carpenter who was born at sea on the ship his father was captain of. Ellen lived near the ocean in a salt-marsh farmhouse for much of her life. She also had a brother who drowned at sea. So it wasn’t surprising to see ships in many of her pieces. What caught many’s attention were the works with what appeared to be swimming sailors around the ships.

Ellen wasn’t afraid to hook in the natural state either here or in her Adam and Eve/Tree of Life rugs.

John recalls this rug as being inside the door of Ellen’s home. The family used their rugs throughout the house, but also hooked over the winters to have rugs to trade for linoleum mats/rugs. Interesting how they saw more value in the linoleum than their hand-made pieces.

Ellen sounded very self sufficient – growing her own food, raising food animals (2 cows with those green eyes), and bartering rugs. John had a pencil drawing showing Ellen chopping her own wood. Ellen started selling her rugs when she found herself a widow caring for her two grandsons. She also did some commissioned work. John told us that The Tree of Life was a design Ellen hooked many times with many of them being commissioned. John had a gallery/shop that sold some of her work (never taking a consignment fee). When asked about her prices John responded “It depended on who you were.” Ellen would barter for goods with friends or charge money with strangers.

Ellen did some pieces which included herself within her community. As one would expect with this primitive folk art style the figures are not in proportion. Ellen’s use of outlining with black was also interesting. There were times that it appeared she ran out of black, because the outlining just stopped.

Ellen hooked into her eighties passing at age 87. Most of her pieces were not signed. John had one with an “ES” in the lower corner. John remembered her hooking on a frame made of four wooden boards and C-clamps rested against the kitchen table or the edge of the couch in the kitchen room. I got to try one of her hooks with aged metal shaft and well-worn wooden handle. Hooking a #8 strip it worked just fine. Ellen also knit (find some gloves knit for John in a photo above – clue look for the cat and eagle). In talking with John afterwards about Ellen’s creativity he told me she had crocheted her own wedding gown. She truly sounded like an interesting and many talented lady.

Her work has been included in museum/gallery exhibitions in Canada and Internationally, but she is not very well known. John is very willing to share his knowledge of Ellen’s life and the collection of her rugs he has. Upon getting a check for $500 from a museum Ellen asked John for help. She did not understand what the check was for as she had gotten her rugs back, nothing sold. She asked John what to do. He helped her cash the check as she had no bank account.

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After meeting John at an event around Art Inspired Knits, Elaine Eskesen, author of “Dyeing To Knit” and owner of Pine Tree Yarns opened in 1990 in Damariscotta, Maine (now added Wool for Knitters and Hookers Rughooking Supplies), became inspired to try rug hooking seeing Ellen’s work. After becoming involved with rug hooking communities in Canada, studying under different teachers and following her love of color Elaine has taken her original inspiration point and is creating …

It was fun to hear how she cannot draw. She paints out her design and then John has been drawing them on the foundation. Elaine is highly allergic to burlap, so hooks on linen. A TP suggested for her to try painting directly onto the foundation and then just hooking. Elaine found that interesting. She has been primarily hooking #8 but is starting to work smaller. Having been initially taught in Canada she worked in yarn, but is now enjoying working with wool strips. Fun story on her “Dog” rug. Her daughter who lives in New York was having apartment trouble because of her dog. To help, Elaine suggested the dog come to stay in Maine over the summer. Without seeing the dog, she designed what she expected. She joked that dog is still in Maine.

(* please note that “quotes” attributed to John may not be perfectly word for word. They are quoted here, so it is understood they are part of the story John told us about Ellen. – Debbie A.)

Rose Ann Hunter

At our Nov. meeting Rose Ann Hunter presented on Heirloom Rug Techniques Traditional Rug Making 1790-1850

As her site mentions, Ruth Ann was chosen in 2005 as craftperson-in-residence at Old Sturbridge Village. She lectures at various museums, conferences and guilds throughout New England and the US. Ruth Ann has adapted and developed over 30 techniques of rug making.

For this presentation she shared rugs and other handcrafted items showing many of these various techniques. Part of the presentation was explaining her journey in rug making and researching these rug making techniques.

Following the general presentation Ruth Ann offered a mini workshop where members were able to experience first hand (with guidance) some of the basic techniques while making a small sheep hanging or ornament.

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If interested in information on standing wool techniques check out these linked YouTube video demonstrations by our current President: Stitching a Standing Wool Mat (Part 1) Stitching a Standing Wool Mat (Part 2) also found in our How To page.

Our How To page also has a written description for making a Shirred Rug from a Tin Pedlar member.

Molas with Norma Batastini

(my thoughts – Deb A.)

When I heard our program this year included a presentation on Molas I was surprised. I knew a little about Molas having made some paper ones as part of summer art projects with my child care and wasn’t sure how they fit with rug hooking. Needless to say I looked forward to this presentation and was not disappointed. (disclaimer* In over 15 years of rug hooking I have never bought a pattern or kit until now – 1 kit and 2 patterns)

Oct. Tin Pedlars 018

To start – walking into our space one noticed all the wonderful color with the wools for sale and the rugs spread out. (As those in the group know I love color, scrappy and geometrics.)

The presentation by Norma Batastini explained how she came to research Molas as part of developing a program (I believe she said was for Teacher’s Workshop). While talking about the history of molas Norma shared slides depicting the Kuna Indians of Panama and molas made by the women. The women wear these molas on the back and front side of their blouses. Oct. Tin Pedlars 001 There was an explanation of the sewing/applique process and examples were passed around for the closer inspection Oct. Tin Pedlars 006 needed to see and appreciate the detailed stitchery.

Oct. Tin Pedlars 010

Through the presentation these are the points that gathered my attention:

background same color as design. It’s all about the outline colors.
duality
need white for the eye. Mouths often have a white part to them.
intensity of color for the balance, not always the same color – but same intensity
darker burgundy background is common
dull color used to balance the brights
shapes, cut-outs, labyrinth for filling in background
designs adapting for tourists
always a border at the top
for hooking dip and dye work well
majority if not all work done with solids, not plaids
build design – add leaves, sea, etc.
figure out the number of outlines want, then how will fill in space

For more information you can check out this link to Norma’s article on Magnificent Molas found in the November/December 2011 issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.

Before beginning my mola I wanted to see other examples and found this nice site with history and examples: Panama Mola. However, this was the site that I found the inspiration I was looking for in regards to finishing off the kit I had purchased: Molas of the Kuna Indians. I had in mind to make a pillow from my kit, so after hearing about the borders used in attaching the mola to the blouse I wanted to add a border and even a representation of the blouse. Need even more inspiration? If you are on Pinterest try typing in molas. If not check out what I found when I typed it in.

Here is the progress I’ve made with the added border. I used a #8 cut which spread the design, but that was ok by me, just needed a little adapting on the filling in. The area outlined with white will become the blouse and I plan on using a variety of greens for that.

A few other members had worked on their kits/patterns and brought them to Nov.’s meeting. It was fun to see how the same pattern/kits worked up. A few members planned on designing their own Molas and one had theirs on hand.

If we can get members to share their Molas on completion we’ll post them in the gallery.

If you like color, exploring other forms of artistic expression, or just challenging yourself you might find a mola to be perfect for that.

Dyeing for Primitive Rugs with Jeanne Benjamin

Jeanne Benjamin started our 2013/14 year off with a lot of Bob Dylan references as she walked us through her dyeing of antique colors.

Some quick hints:

most important thing is to not make MUD (primitives do not need to be dirty and dull to start with)
Do want contrast
No white – use oatmeal, light mocha, or light dirt
to dull a color use it’s complement (opposite on color wheel)
the darker the base neutral the deeper and muddier final color will be, especially with grays
dyed wools are lighter when done/dry

Jeanne shared some of her finished pieces with us as the wools from our members played in the dye pan.

When dyeing always recover your dyes immediately – no inhaling desired.

Jeanne on average dyes 50 yds a week on her commercial gas stove with pots that handle 3 yds at a time while listening to Bob Dylan. With all that dyeing it helps having a separate cooling section. She’s now including secret messages in her rugs – Bob Dylan quotes.

In a primitive rug not everything is the same value and need some textures.

Jeanne believes you learn more by doing and playing than just reading or watching. She loves to play around with no set recipe just seeing what she gets. Doesn’t like – just continues playing with it. When dyeing a color can come out too strong, so use black or compliment color to dull.

Drive-by dying – is not starting with a totally clean pot – just keep using that dye pan for some fun results.

Jeanne recommends clearing your dye spoon in citric acid between dyes. Once that solution gets “black” enough do not throw out save for adding when dyeing antique blacks. She feels citric acid helps pick up dye better replacing vinegar. It also easier to haul around.

Altering colored wools ~
RED: dull with green; deepen with black; adding blue gets you cranberry to purple

ORANGE: add red for oriental red/orange; purple gets copper tone; yellow gets warm red; rust or brown dyes for pumpkin colors; blue softens; spot dyeing for great fall leaves

YELLOW (versatile wool): spot dye for fall leaves; add red or orange for warmth; blue get greens; green gets green; dull with purple; brown gets warmer brown

golds brings a little glow or sparkle when over dyed

GREEN: red will gray and dull; yellows swing to yellowgreen; blue swings to bluegreen; purple is just interesting; bronze/olive/browns also interesting variety

BLUE: dye with yellow(gold) get greens; bronze and browns for leaves; reds go to purples

PURPLES: most colors are nice over lavender, except yellow; yellow grays; deepen a dark purple to eggplant

NEUTRALS: light or pale tans, beiges, grays, oatmeals look good with just about any color

gray fabrics are great with red dyes

BLACKS: dark plaids and odd leftovers in dark colors make best antique black

Black is nice when it’s finished color is black enough, but still light enough to show some of the original colors/texture.

Take a mix of darks and into the dye pan. Add some black dye (cushing runs to purple – prochem black is truer). Add a couple of complementary dyes like blue and orange to soften.
Dyeing one wool only. With a black watch plaid you would use prochem black and red, as the red complements the green and the black deeps it. Works for red plaid also only use black and dark green dye.
Dyeing antique black with a green cast just use green wool and black dye. Or take dark neutrals and over dye with green and black.

Cumberland Fair 2013

This year we had 29 rugs for the fair. Here’s a collage of some photos of the display area.

3 members also submitted pieces for the fair’s banner challenge.

Florals Side Bar

At our monthly meetings we have “Side Bars” as part of the presentation. These side bars are a chance to share hooked items with the membership. Some of these are composed of the presenter’s rugs. Some are exhibits of challenge mats. Or like this month’s they are all demonstrations of a theme.

This month’s theme was “Flowers”. Members were encouraged to bring in any hooked item that contained flowers. As usual we had wonderful variety representing the knowledge and variety of hooking styles of our members.