Category Archives: Current Projects

2025 Guild Fundraiser

UPDATE 10/1/2025 – Rug is coming along!

The rug design for our 2025 Guild Fundraiser has been chosen. The color planning is complete. Now it’s up to our members to add their talent to complete the hooking of the rug. The goal is to have the rug completed and ready for fundraiser ticket sales in late 2025.

We are hoping to have many members add to the hooking by having it available at meetings and sharing out among us. All wool is provided with a color plan.

If you want to help complete this Fundraising project rug please complete this form to help us coordinate the effort: CLICK HERE

Beginner Rug Hooking Classes

As part of ATHA, the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists, the Tin Pedlar of Maine chapter of ATHA looks to promote interest in rug hooking, provide and exchange ideas and new information about the art of rug hooking and to sponsor educational activities to upgrade and improve the quality of rug hooking.

We annually exhibit in the Cumberland Fair, with members providing demonstrations during fair week. Our exhibition and demonstrations provide individuals the chance to get up close to hooked items. There is the opportunity to even try pulling a few loops.

We also plan Beginner Rug Hooking classes as interest indicates and members are available to teach. If you are interested in exploring rug hooking and would like to attend a class please complete this Beginner Class Interest Form

The past few years the Tin Pedlar of Maine chapter offered sign-up for our “Beginner Rug Hooking” class at the Cumberland Farm.

What does a class look like?

Tin Pedlar member(s) would provide instruction to a small group. A simple hoop, hooks, wool strips and foundation piece are provided. The goal would be to have a focused opportunity to pull loops and learn more about the technique and history of rug hooking. For those that wish to explore further they will have the opportunity to purchase the class kit for a low cost that covers materials/tools.

2021 Chapter Challenge

Hello Tin Pedlar Members,

The Board would like to invite you to participate in a “Chapter Challenge” that will be displayed at the 2021 Cumberland Farm.

We are providing you with a pattern that can be adapted in any manner you please as long as the sheep is included in your design! Your sheep project can be any size between 8” x 6” to 32” x 24”. It can be a rug, mat, pillow or stuffed sculpture. It needs to be done for the collection of Cumberland Fair rugs in August.

Here’s the pattern. It is sized for printing on standard sized copy paper – 10” x 8” without additional borders beyond the flowers. We will have copies of the pattern at the June parking lot meeting. Here’s the link to download.

The pattern is drafted on 1” grid to help if anyone wants to resize the sheep alone or the whole pattern.

**Remember this challenge is about using the sheep design/shape found in this pattern. We included a border option as different Board members thought that might provide inspiration for members.

You can also take inspiration from this rug Donna completed as part of a workshop.

Or check out the original hooked piece the workshop was from in Rug Hooking Magazine / Nov.-Dec. 2013: Sheep in the Hills, 18″ x 12″, #8-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Mary Johnson/Designs in Wool, Tujunga, California, 2013.

As always we hope many of you will participate. If you want help with transferring the pattern or getting your idea onto a foundation, please reach out. We have members that are happy to help with design and transferring, you just need the foundation material. We will be together in June at the parking lot meeting, or drop an email and we’ll connect with you to arrange a different time.

Loops of Love Project

Loops of Love for Newtown is a rug hooking project to support the teachers of the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT in the aftermath of the recent tragedy.

Volunteers around the globe will be creating a mat or rug that will given to the educators and support staff to let them know that they are thought of and that their bravery and efforts are admired and respected. We do not need to remind them of the day of horror but want to give them a hug and remind them that the world has beauty. Additional mats donated by volunteers may be given to educators and support staff at the other schools in Newtown.

Volunteers should create a mat or rug that is a maximum of 9″ across. In order to open this to as many volunteers as possible you may be flexible on your size and can create a single or set of mug mats, or a larger mat. It can be square, round, rectangular or shape that is pleasing with the design. It can be hooked or punchneedle, wool strips or yarn, and should be a design that will make the recipient smile and feel like they have received a hug.

This is not the project to show your amazing skills with proddy or modern dimensional art but a time to create something the average teacher would want on their desk or in their living room every day. It is a gift, so should have a finished edge and label with your name and State/country at minimum (but you can donate it anonymously if you wish).

Your mats should be sent to the following address to arrive no later than January 18th. Seriously…January 18th!!! Diane and Lauri will drive the mats to Connecticut the following week.

Loops of Love project ~
C/O Diane Tanerillo
600 West Main Street
P.O. Box 60 Denmark, Maine 04022

Feel free to include a card or other item with your mat but please attach it securely to your mat and do not wrap the mat! Your mats will be displayed so that the teachers can select the one that they want so do not wrap them. We will take some photos of your mats for the website. Please contact Lauri if you would like to participate. Should you have questions you can contact us via e-mail.

Thank you so much in advance!

Lauri Troutman ~ MizT(at)maine(dot)rr(dot)com
Diane Tanerillo ~ Deedeetan(at)fairpoint(dot)net

A Little Challenge Inspiration

For those working on the challenge for the Cumberland Fair. A little inspiration for you Sarah DeCosta Graffam’s piece ~ this is a large piece she’s making real progress on.

Remember need these challenge pieces done and forms filled in by the Sept. meeting.

Finding My Creative Voice Through Rug Hooking with Peg Irish

Those in attendance at the May meeting enjoyed a presentation from Peg Irish after thanking Cheri for all her work as past President, the work of the other officers whose terms were up, and excepting the new slate of officers presented. A big welcome to our new President Lauri Troutman.

Lots of creative work progressing within the group ~

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Peg Irish has been hooking since 1980, when she began taking classes with teacher and Maine Tin Pedlar member Lois Dugal. She was immediately captivated by the textures and colors possible in rug hooking, and quickly knew that she needed to create her own designs and dye her own fabrics. She relies heavily on her own photography and basic geometric designs when creating new projects. Peg’s work has been featured in numerous publications and she is a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Her work has been exhibited in numerous juried and invitational shows. She has curated several fiber arts and hooked rug exhibits on Cape Cod. Peg admits to being an “idea person”, always stimulated by anew creative challenge.

Cumberland Fair 2012 ~ Sept. 23rd – 29th

The Tin Pedlars decided to maintain our connection with the Cumberland Fair and to that end we are working hard to provide a strong showing of our art form, as well as demonstrating our craft to others. People are needed to demonstrate every day of the fair from 9am to 9pm. We have broken up the time into multiple hour blocks with a minimum of 2 people for each block. You are paid to demonstrate and you will have a ticket to get in. A hooking frame, wool and hook will be at the demo site. If you can demonstrate and did not sign up at the May meeting, please contact —.

Part of this effort is the Cumberland Fair Challenge mats. These 10″ x 18″ (minimum) mats will need to be completed by our September ’12 meeting. See previous posting on the Challenge guidelines.

To inspire you ~ one of the pieces members have begun:

If you want to do the challenge, but are feeling unsure about designing your own piece, different members have offered to help with the designing of your idea(s). Leave a comment here before the June meeting and connections will be made.

Our double booth has room to exhibit rugs of any size. We are looking forward to seeing many pieces of work from rugs to ornaments. To exhibit the piece it needs to be clean and never shown before at the Cumberland Fair.

Forms for fair submission will also need to be completed. The link here will allow you to submit online or print off and send in. (Only one form is used to list all items being exhibited per individual). Be sure to include MAINE TIN PEDLARS with your Name, so the rugs will get to our exhibition area.

Look for additional information as it becomes available.