Category: rugs

August 5, 2020

Sunflowers – hopefully they’re a neutral subject

SUNFLOWERS

Hooked Sunflower Rug used as a bench cover — “Melinda’s Rug” shown as a bench cover. It was hooked using recycled t-shirts.

I decided to talk sunflowers , mostly because I’m pretty sick of all the negativity surrounding us today. And yet…I bet there are folks out there that can find something disapproving about one of my favorite flowers. Too bad! Because, as I will remind you all, I AM THE BOSS OF MY RUGS. AND MY BLOG.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can go on. Sunflowers are starting to bloom here in New Mexico. The garden varieties and the ones that I find on my walks in the Bosque, the woods running along the currently almost non-existent Rio Grande River here in Albuquerque. Sorry! I’ll try to get back to being positive.

New Mexican Sunflower — This is the first sunflower that greeted the kid and me as we crossed over the Texas border into New Mexico five years ago last week.

I recently finished “Melinda’s Rug,” and many of you have seen it on my social media accounts. It’s pretty in pastels. Just the colors that Melinda loves, particularly the turquoises. (An aside: It’s a housewarming present for the house she and Gary build over two years ago. I’m a tad tardy.)

But it’s not the first “sunflower” rug that I’ve hooked. In fact, I like to make at least one per year. And I always do one, a mug rug, for the silent auction at Mountainair’s Sunflowers Festival. Which will not be taking place this August. Thank you, Coronacootie. 🙁

I decided to take a look back and see the progression of this series of mine.

BTW: I’m not a botanist. So don’t hold me to a strict definition of sunflowers.

Round sunflower hooked rug — I’m pretty sure this is the first sunflower rug I hooked. It says 2013, but I think it’s older, that that’s when I took a photo to get ready to sell it. Some lady told me that I should’ve put elastic around the edge so it could be used as a toilet top cover. That was after she told me how she used to hook. In the 70s. I really wanted to tell her a few things…

Sunflower hooked rug — After blue I decided to try red for a background. Sure, they were simplistic. but they sold! Again, recycled t-shirts.

Sunflower hooked ruggggg — It’s another mostly wool sunflower rug. With a little silk sari yarn hooked in too. Silk sari yarn is perhaps my most favorite thing to hook. I seem to recall that there was a little velvet involved in this one too.

Dog on sunflower hooked rug — I went back to recycled t-shirts for this table runner/bench cover. Tynan liked it. I really loved the green background! So did customers. 🙂

Sunflower hooked rugs — I liked the green t-shirts so much that I went for it again the next year.

So, I hoped you enjoyed the “Sunflower Tour” as much as me. But maybe you’re a tulip person. Or you prefer zinnias. I’ve done those flowers too, but not like the sunflowers. They’re special. To me, at least. But if you’ve got examples of other flowers, please share them on our Facebook page. We love seeing beautiful things, no matter what they may be.

Till next week, please stay healthy. And positive. I know it’s hard these days. It can be depressing. But the country and world have gone through worse. Most of all, remember to be kind to the other folks out there. We’re all in it together.

BTW: If you have any interest in High on Hooking’s inaugural Zoom workshop Hooking With and beyond the Wool on August 19, it’s almost full. See details here.

July 27, 2020

IN THE STUDIO – August 5 with Charline Collette

Charline Collette is all about using color with confidence!

charline Collette speaks at In the Studio August 5 — **IN THE STUDIO WITH CHARLINE COLLETTE – AUGUST 5, 2020; 1-2 PM EASTERN (11-NOON MOUNTAIN)**

Charline Collette is a Canadian Textile Artist who lives and works in New Brunswick. She uses rug hooking as her principal medium of expression. Charline has exhibited her work regionally, nationally and internationally, including in the Fiber Art Now Excellence in Fibers Annual Juried Exhibition.

Join Charline as she discusses design principles that all artists use to make lively and engaging art. Her principal focus will be on colour and value. Through the use of many examples she will show you her own personal colour planning and choice considerations when hooking with fibre.

If you love colour and would like to learn more about how to use it with confidence in your own work, you will not want to miss this talk!

You can see more of Charline Collette’s work on her Instagram page @hookingloops.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

IMPORTANT:
This talk will be held on August 5, at 1:00-2:00 pm EASTERN. This is a ticketed event ($6 Canadian) and you must purchase your ticket before the event using the link in this event. Find tickets on the Eventbrite page. After purchase, Eventbrite will send you an email with the link. If you do not receive this after purchasing, look in your spam filter as it may be there. On the day and the time of the talk, you will use the link in the Eventbrite email to access the talk. You may be asked to log into Eventbrite so keep a note of the email address that you used and your password. Also, if you are not familiar with Zoom and how it works you may want to go to the Zoom website where there are free online tutorials of the Zoom features.

In the Studio FAQ’s: PLEASE READ

* 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.

* Help! I bought a ticket and I can’t find the link. Now what?

It is strongly advised that you log in, or make an Eventbrite account, BEFORE purchasing tickets. This will help to avoid any problems with accessing the link on the day of the event. On the day of the event, you will need to LOG INTO YOUR EVENTBRITE ACCOUNT to use the event Zoom link. If you are having trouble finding the link, look at the top of your Eventbrite account and click on your profile. A drop down menu will appear and you will see a link for “tickets”. Clicking on this will give you access to all of the tickets you have purchased and you will easily be able to access the link that way.

* 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 12:30pm Eastern 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.

July 20, 2020

Hooking With and Beyond the Wool Workshop

High on Hooking is offering our first online workshop, Hooking With and Beyond the Wool. Thank you, Coronacootie. If you’re at all interested in experimenting with fibers that stand alone or that can mix it up with wool, this is the class for you.

HOOKING WITH AND BEYOND THE WOOL

Rug hooked with alternative fibers is an example of what you can make in the HOOKING WITH AND BEYOND WOOL workshop. — Hook your own mixed-fiber rug after taking the HOOKING WITH AND BEYOND THE WOOL workshop. (“Bohemian Snake” Rug; 6.5″x18″; Ultrasuede strips, silk strips, sari yarn, recycled t-shirt strips, wool yarn, velour strips.)

Get ready to experiment with new and different fibers in your rug hooking. Working on a “sampler” pattern, we’ll explore how different types of fibers hook up and how they “play” with wool and each other.

Early rug hooking was a make-do affair using feed bags, old clothes, and other “used” fabrics. Those pioneering hookers were practical to a fault and threw nothing away; they couldn’t afford to. Today that’s less of a problem for most rug hookers using both virgin and recycled wools. But why limit ourselves to just wool strips?

Hooking with materials other than wool allows us:

The chance to create new and different effects in our rug hooking;
To work with what we may already have in our homes;
To go back to the thrift store to source some of our fiber (now that quality wool’s often scarce there); and
To potentially do some good for the environment.

This class is designed for a student proficient at rug hooking basics, particularly the mechanics of pulling loops through a backing.

Because this is an online workshop, students will supply their own materials. You may draw up your own sampler pattern or enlarge one electronically supplied by teacher.

DETAILS

Class will run WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1:00 PM EDT.

This class will be held online through Zoom. Upon registration and payment, the Zoom link and password will be sent via email (after August 1).

Class will be limited to 10 people.

The class is ONE SESSION, approximately 2.5 HOURS in length.

The COST of this class is $30 US.

Student will supply:

Hooks;
Backing, preferably linen or monk’s cloth rather than rug warp;
A frame;
A variety of “alternative fibers,” list to be supplied upon registration; and
A mind and spirit open to experimenting.

For more information or to register, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com.

Addendum: If you are interested in the workshop, but can’t make the date/time, contact me and we can set up a private class. Really, I’m stuck at home. I have the time. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Laura Salamy is the hooker behind High on Hooking.

I’ve never been a “traditional” hooker, preferring to color outside of hooking’s more “typical lines.” Instead of limiting myself to wool, I prefer to use most any material I can get my hands on. Often that means cutting strips from old t-shirts and bed sheets. Up-cycling throw-aways to art is a priority for me. Our landfills are filling up. Or they’re already full. While certain projects benefit from virgin wools or other fibers, I like to do my little part to slow that process and make something lovely at the same time.

Laura’s work has been seen in various exhibits as well as Rug Hooking Magazine; ATHA Art of Rug Hooking magazine; Karen Miller’s book Eyes Open to the World: Memories of Travel in Wool; and Judy Taylor’s T-Shirt Treasures: Creating Heirloom Hooked Rugs from the Humble T-Shirt. She currently serves as President of the Adobe Wool Art’s Guild, New Mexico’s only rug hooking guild.

Learn more about her work at https://highonhooking.com.

July 1, 2020

IN THE STUDIO – July 8 with Donna Mulholland

In the Studio picture of Donna Mulholland — Canadian Artist Donna Mulholland will headline In the Studio June 24.

Donna Mulholland:
Hook what you love!

Join colour lover and Canadian artist, Donna Mulholland, as she shares her thoughts on: 1) developing a personal style in her art and 2) her rug hooking inspirations. Donna creates happy, expressive, and colourful art. She currently works in acrylic, collage, and fibre.

Donna’s work can be found in private and public collections across North America, in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She’s studied with artists and coaches across Canada and the United States. She’s taught locally, provincially and online. Her work has most recently been exhibited at the Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, at the Charlotte St Arts Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and at the Blue Crow Gallery in Toronto, Ontario.

You can learn more about Donna Mulholland on her website www.donnamulhollandstudio.com and on instagram at @donnamulhollandstudio.

Donna Mulholland can be contacted by email at info@donnamulhollandstudio.com and sells her work in her online shop at www.donnamulhollandstudio.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Looking forward to seeing you there!

IMPORTANT:
This talk will be held on July 8th, at 1:00-2:00 pm EASTERN. This is a ticketed event ($6 Canadian) and you must purchase your ticket before the event using the link in this event. Find tickets on the event Facebook page. After purchase, Eventbrite will send you an email with the link. If you do not receive this after purchasing, look in your spam filter as it may be there. On the day and the time of the talk, you will use the link in the Eventbrite email to access the talk. You may be asked to log into Eventbrite so keep a note of the email address that you used and your password. It is advisable to log into the talk a few minutes early so that if you have any trouble with the link you will have time to fix it before the talk begins. Also, if you are not familiar with Zoom and how it works you may want to go to the Zoom website where there are free online tutorials of the Zoom features.

June 24, 2020

Wine and Art Night!

Example of hooked rug and materials used to make it

WINE AND ART NIGHT – RUG HOOKING INTRODUCTION

Thursday, July 9, 2020, at 8 PM – 9:30 PM EDT

Karen Miller and Laura Salamy are teaming up for a fun night of showing you how to do your own hooked fibre art! Karen will demonstrate how to pull loops with yarn, and Laura will be talking about how to use all sorts of things that you probably already have lying around your house! We want to show you how little you need to get started, how wonderful the technique of rug hooking is for relaxation and for expressing yourself, and that it is the perfect art form to fit into your life when you are busy with work and/or kids!

Grab a glass of wine (or another favourite beverage), and get comfy on your couch at home for this online session. There is no need to have the materials on hand- we will go through all of that with you and you can just watch our demonstration. If you do wish to have materials on hand to try it as we go, though, just send us an email and we will give you a list. But don’t worry- there isn’t much that you need to make art in this way!

This class is a safe place for everyone and all are welcome! No experience is necessary- in fact this session is for those who have never tried hooked fibre art before, but are interested in learning OR those who have tried it before but didn’t love it and really want to love it! You don’t even have to have made any type of art before- this really is for everyone!

Bring your questions- we love questions and will answer them all!

Interested in joining us?

The session will be held Thursday, July 9, at 8pm EASTERN. It will be held over Zoom. If you would like to join us you can reserve a spot through Facebook and we will send you the Zoom link and password. Or you can email me (Karen Miller) at marzipanroad@bell.net or email Laura Salamy at laura@highonhooking.com, and we will send you the Zoom link and password straight to your inbox.

Looking forward to seeing you there and feel free to share this with anyone who is interested in learning new things!