Home » In the Studio series » Page 3

Category: In the Studio series

Time to register for Workshop Week 4!

Workshop Week 4 classes announced; registrations are open!

A little déjà vu…Classes offered for Workshop Week 4

Thanks to Covid, a new type of “art camp” was born last year, one that lets folks from all over come together without worrying about the high costs (in money and germs!) of travel and hotels. Those of us involved in In the Studio – brought together by Karen Miller – had such success and fun, that we did it all over again in Februaryand then again last month. So as not to get too complacent or predictable, we now regularly invite other artists to join us.

Workshop Weeks are a little different than the usual rug hooking camps. While we have plenty of classes involving hooking in some way, we also look to offer new skills to our students. New skills can involve different textile arts traditions. They also might be about ancillary arts and processes that can enhance your hooking or your other artistic endeavors. “Why limit ourselves?” is a big part of our philosophy at In the Studio.

Artists participating this go-around include the usual suspects: Elizabeth (Beth) Miller; Meryl Cook; Susan Feller, and myself. You’re probably familiar with at least a few of our guest teachers: Charlie Dalton (you might know him by his Instagram handle @thehookingcolonel); Yvonne Iten-Scott; Hayley Perry; Jane M. Mason, and Deirdre Pinnock.

Again, all Workshop Week 4 classes will be conducted on Zoom. I know, I know, it’s not the same as being there in person, but how else could you be part of these incredible line-ups? And we’ll have the two bonus sessions again during the week – an evening gathering (February 6) and a panel discussion (January 30).

Just like Workshop Weeks 1-3, there is a wide array of workshops available. Scroll through the document below to find your favorite(s). Feel free to take more than one. Email individual instructors directly for registration and more info. Don’t tarry, as classes filled up pretty quickly last time.

BTW: If you see a workshop that you’d love to take with your guild or other social group, most of us are happy to run our classes again.

 

WORKSHOP WEEK 4 – Scroll away to see the classes being offered. Enlarge image by clicking on bottom right symbol.

Share

Things we’re thankful for

Here at High on Hooking we’re thankful for many things this November.

The Bosque "forest" of New Mexico
See why we love New Mexico? I took this pic during one of my early morning walks with Bowyn in the Bosque.
  • We live in a comfy house in the beautiful state of New Mexico. And we’ve had an incredible, albeit warm fall season. We’ll be welcoming good friends here to celebrate Thanksgiving. Bring on the turkey and the pies!
  • We’re all healthy and have avoided the Coronacootie. (In fact, we just received our boosters!)
  • The kid will make it home Saturday. And she’ll actually be here for Christmas this year! That’s something to really be thankful for.
  • In the Studio Online‘s Workshop Week 3 was a hit in October. Stay tuned for a BIG announcement about WW4 in the very near future. Till then, find out who’s teaching teaching this time around HERE.
  • High on Hooking will be teaching on the road in June of 2022! Stay tuned for more news on the trip.
  • The supply chain disruptions aren’t an issue to us. We’re thankful we already have everything we need for the holidays in-house: each other, food, shelter, music, wine, and yarn and other art supplies. What else do we need?

High on Hooking wishes you a happy

and healthy AND thankful Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for the High on Hooking dogs who love thanksgiving.
And, of course, we are most thankful for the High on Hooking dogs Bowyn and Tynan.
Share

IN THE STUDIO – Kris McDermet on Dec. 8

Join Vermont Textile Artist Kris McDermet as she discusses Textiles and Threads Reimagined – combining rug braiding and rug hooking using silk, wool, tafetta, and wool/silk yarn.

 

Poster of Kris McDermet

Kris learned to braid and hook in 1979, and she’s been combining the two art forms since then. Driving around Boston and the mountains of Vermont as a home care occupational therapist gave her lots of time to dream about career number two as a maker and teacher. She is passionate about both techniques and feels they set each other off to give a richness in depth, color, and design in each finished piece.

Learn more about Kris and see her work at www.krismcdermet.com.

Get your tickets HERE.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event).  If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.  

Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event.  After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.

Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN.

FAQ’s

* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.

* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?

It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.

* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?

During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.

* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?

The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone.  If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.

*I can no longer make it to the talk.  Or, I missed the talk.  Can I get a refund?

Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts.  If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com.  I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it.  All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!

Share

IN THE STUDIO – October is our month!

In the Studio Online logoIn the Studio is having quite the month! Make sure you’re caught up with all that’s going on so that you don’t miss anything.

 

#showingupinthestudio2021

Search Instagram using this hashtag. We at In the Studio are urging folks to jump into our new daily “challenge” that’s not so much a challenge as it is a gift to yourself. As Meryl Cook put it: “Just do something to stretch yourself creatively for the rest of 2021.” And, hey, if you can only do it every other day or weekly, do that. Just do it for yourself. Because I had a show this past weekend to prep for, I only got to join in the fun yesterday. I started an improv stitching mini-project that I’ll work on a little each evening because I haven’t been good at starting a stitching PROJECT earlier in the year like I wanted to. This will put me on a path of exploration so that I can really get into something come 2022. There are almost two months to see where this takes me. Find more examples at @artwools and @karenmillerstudio .

Workshop Weeks 3 and 4In the Studio Workshop Week logo

Last year the In the Studio artists began Workshop Week (WW) to fill a hole that Covid dug. Sure, we couldn’t attend workshops and classes in person, but we put our heads together and technology to work and managed to come together anyway. It stuck! We’ve realized that getting together via Zoom allows students and teachers (most of us have played both roles) to meet one another and learn new techniques for a fraction of the cost of traditional schools. (Not that we’re giving up on those, but WW is a nice complement and the only thing available to many of us.) We don’t limit ourselves to rug hooking, but encourage the presentation of other arts and complementary techniques and subject matter. If you haven’t perused the WW3 options, check them now as classes have been filling. Personally, I have room in my October 23 session of Hooking with T-Shirts. Contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com if interested. We are currently soliciting proposals for this winter’s WW4. Teachers, find more info here.

In the Studio Online with JESS STEPONAITIS – October 22

Join Nova Scotia textile artist, Jess Steponaitis, as she discusses how she uses bold colours and unique designs to approach the traditional craft of rug hooking with a fresh perspective! You can find tickets for this online talk HERE.

In the Studio presents Jess Steponaitis October 22.About Jessica Steponaitis:

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Jessica has been designing and crafting hooked rugs since 2002.  Her work is best described as “contemporary folk art” or “folk art meets pop art,” and she frequently creates work inspired by her proximity to the ocean and all of its creatures.  All of Jessica’s work is created using linen foundation cloth.  She cuts all of her wool by hand and frequently dyes wool to create custom colors.  The edges of each rug are carefully finished using locally sourced wool yarn.

Jessica’s work was featured in Rug Hooking Magazine in 2020 and she has been invited to participate in the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival.  She is also a member of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia.

To learn more about Jessica and to see her work, you can find her on Facebook and on Instagram @rughookerjess.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ FOR ALL IN THE STUDIO TALKS:
The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event).  If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.  
Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event.  After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.
Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN (EST).
FAQ’s
* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?
Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.
* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?
It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.
* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?
During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.
* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?
The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone.  If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.
*I can no longer make it to the talk.  Or, I missed the talk.  Can I get a refund?
Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts.  If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com.  I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it.  All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!

The artists of In the Studio – Karen Miller, Susan Feller, Beth Miller, Meryl Cook, and myself – hope that you’ll join us for at least one of these events in October!

Share

Change coming this fall

Change is good. I really believe that. Most of the time. Unfortunately, occasionally it’s painful.

Photo of neon sign reading "Change."
“Change”: Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash.

 

Case in point: The US Post Office and other shipping companies announced that they’ll be instituting a surcharge on shipments come October 1. That is not a good change. Worse, this means that I’ll have to change, that is, raise some of my prices slightly to compensate. I don’t anticipate having to do it for small items – like mug rugs and the sunflower wall hangings and similarly sized items – but the shipping costs for larger items are WICKED these days even without a surcharge.

Please be advised that I won’t do anything till October 1, so if you’re interested in something, order it on Etsy NOW! Or message me to let me know your concerns. I’m sure we can get a rug to you somehow. In fact, if you wish to purchase anything in the shop before or after October 1, contact me directly rather than going through Etsy. You’ll get a bit of a price break anyway as then Etsy won’t take their bite out of it.

Also note that I’m reviewing options to Etsy, including WooCommerce and other such apps. If you have any words of wisdom or other advice for me, please, please share!

Unfortunately, our two forays this year into public sales (one outdoor, one indoor) haven’t had the best results. Damn you, Covid! While we usually do the Fall Fiber Fiesta in Santa Fe, I’m just not that sure it’s a good bet given the virus and its mutations. It’s indoors and three days and a lot of driving or hotel rooms. I usually love this event, but maybe next year. Another bad change…

Now that the unpleasant stuff is out of the way, I’m reminding everyone of the coming In the Studio Workshop Week 3 in October. I’m teaching two sessions of Hooking with T-Shirts. I have a few spots left in each class (both on Saturdays, October 23 and 30). Some workshops are full or almost full, while others have some room. Contact each teacher if you’re interested in their class. More info HERE. Besides myself, teachers include the very cool and fabulous: Susan Feller; Karen Miller; Beth Miller; Meryl Cook, Carmen Bohn, Charlie Dalton; Anastasia Tiller; and Lisa Meecham.

 

No change here, two dogs on hooked rug.
No change here – Tynan and Bowyn bring you the current WHAT’S ON THE FRAME. It’s the rug that I started while traveling and have finally gotten back to (repurposed t-shirts on monk’s cloth).

So, how’s your fall shaping up? Are you back to the usual stuff or is Covid still cramping your style too?

 

Share