Exhibition – Visitors and Rughooking Show & Tell
This display in the Museum at the Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre was set up in February 2015 and will be in place until mid-April
The images displayed show the group of community rugmakers at work on the various projects created for the City and also some of their own creations.
The hooked dress created by this group, was an entry which made the finals of a Wearable Art competition in Mandurah last year.
Judy’s sewing machine stool top is a combination of traditional hooking and proddy – the sides are hooked with recycled t-shirts and the top is prodded with polar fleece to give more “cushioning”.
Anna set out to prod a rug in blocks of bright colours – because you work from the back when prodding she didn’t notice until well underway, her rectangles had turned into “waves” of colour. Viewing the completed work for the first time I admired her ability to create the wave effect which, as it turns out, was actually a “happy accident”.
Jo’s “Antique Rose” rug was hooked using the traditional rug hooking technique and strips of hand-dyed wool fabric, for a Show & Tell at a McGown Teachers Workshop in the USA.
Next to it is a piece by Jo shown in a Members Exhibition of the Western Australian Fibre & Textile Association. This was created by stitching a small piece of hooking, recycled sari-silk off-cuts on a piece of net curtain, to a length of silk eco-dyed by Judi Tompkins, the Guild’s webmaster.
Other small hooked and prodded pieces and a selection of current and antique rug hooking tools have created quite an interest in this relatively unknown craft.
Upstairs in the Library
Robin Inkpen visiting from Donnybrook, in the States southwest, showed several of her recent rughooked creations. Like most of us here in Australia, Robin uses recycled – make that up-cycled – fabrics in her hooked pieces.
Robin will be holding locker hooking workshops this month. (For more information; see the Current Calendar) Below, she shows Judy a small table mat created using the locker hooking technique and sari silk off-cuts.
Also visiting last Saturday morning was Helen from Albany, a coastal town in the far south of West Australia. Albany is often in the news these days with the commemoration of the ANZAC centenary. The first Australian fleet departed from there 100 years ago last October 30.
Helen bought with her a piece that she designed and started hooking some time ago. She drew up the design herself and to hook this very large mat is using recycled fabrics in the bright colours her daughter loves.
Above, Helen is explaining to Karen, (a first time visitor to the group) how she enlarged the design and transferred it to the hessian backing. On the table in the foreground is one of Robin’s wonderful hooked bags.
Nita sits quietly hooking away on a group project. When first started, this banner could be worked on by two people at the same time – with it draped over a frame at each end. Not possible to do now as it nears completion. It will be finished using Kira Mead’s Grid Back technique, with a backing fabric covering the grid and an Artist Statement attached.
NOT ALL THE CONVERSATION WAS ABOUT RUGHOOKING!
Rhonda, the groups treasured baker of goodies for our morning teas (pumpkin scones last week) listens to the two Anna’s discuss crocheted pieces to be added to the trees in front of the Library which have already been yarn-bombed.
This group is open to new members and visitors are welcome.
by: Jo Franco; Australian Rugmakers Guild/Membership Chair
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