ISSN 2207-001X August 2025
Without leaving the comfort of my own home in Perth Western Australia this year, in August 2025, I had the opportunity to visit Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village, Ohio, USA and take part in Susan Feller’s Guided Artist Residency Workshop.
For 29 years, Sauder Village, an historic living history museum in Archbold, Ohio, USA, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world, has coordinated Rug Hooking Week, the largest annual rug hooking event in North America; it’s a week-long event where rug hookers can network, learn, and be inspired.
Highlights of Rug Hooking Week include hundreds of rugs on display, featured guest teachers, rug hooking demonstrations, classes and exceptional vendor booths. Each day brings new Workshops, Retreats, Gallery Talks, and more.
Between RHW events one can explore Sauder Villages historic homes, barns, gardens, and craft shops and take a walk through time from 1803 through the 1920s while visiting Natives & Newcomers, Pioneer Settlement, and the 1920s Main Street. Crafts represented here are Basket Making, Blacksmithing, Broom making, Coopering, Glass Blowing, Pottery, Quilting. Spinning, Tinsmithing and Native Crafts.
So, what does a guided artist residency with Susan Feller entail, and how could I participate virtually?
The participants would use Rug Hooking Week as their “educational studio” with Susan guiding them through the Rug Hooking Week exhibits.
Ahead of the visit to Rug Hooking Week, each participant would have a one-on-one consult with Susan, identifying exhibit elements they were most interested in. Upon arrival at Sauder Village, as a group they would go through the collections looking for how different materials, techniques and designs were used, discovering through this process, new tools and ideas; with Susan addressing questions, from the students in the workshop.
My pre-workshop visit with Susan was no different to the other participants; a Zoom meeting where Susan explained how the residency would work. I also registered to view her online Gallery Talk, a presentation of a popular featured exhibit Celebration 35 by Rug Hooking Magazine. The virtual talk will be available for purchase. Follow Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village on Facebook for the announcement.
This was followed by a private zoom walk through the exhibition hall with Susan. By the time the full class came together on the last evening to explore the exhibit again as a group; discuss observations, learn about fibre arts groups, media, and exhibit opportunities, I had seen all the various group exhibits and was there to join them! Virtually that is, my place at the table being on Susan’s laptop and when the group broke to go look at a particular artworks I went along on her iPad – so didn’t miss a thing. It was all so easy – an excellent way to take part in an event when you just can’t travel.
The Exhibition Hall with many exhibitions by rug hooking guilds, groups and individuals, was bookended by two feature exhibitions. Walking in the front door you saw the Multicolores exhibition which consisted of a digital presentation on a large screen and their colourful work displayed off to the side.
At Rug Hooking Week 2018 I listened to Mary Anne Wise, author or Rug Money, describe “How a group of Maya Women changed their lives through art and innovation”, and was moved to buy a copy of the book and have since followed this group on social media, traveling vicariously with the tour groups from Canada and the USA who have attended workshops given by Multicolores members in Guatemala; what an amazing experience that must be. Registration is open now for 2026 Tours It’s been so interesting to see the growth of the local women who have not only learned to hook and work together to support their families and communities but now understand the social enterprise principles to administer their organization themselves.
Congratulations to the Rug Hooking Week 2025 People’s Choice Award Winners!
Rebecca White Martin was Sauder Village People’s Choice winner of the 3D category with this entry. A full list of Award winners can be seen here.
Rebecca lives in Northern Colorado, has had a lifelong love of wool and the fibre arts. As an Educator, yarn dyer, pattern designer, writer – Rebecca wears many hats at Storyteller Wool. She is a certified Oxford Punch Needle Rug Hooking Instructor and has a McGown certification in traditional rug hooking. Rebecca travels to give workshops; and, she has even travelled to “take” a workshop… in Guatemala with the Multicolores Ruggers!
Mine was not the only digital experience at RHW 2025 – there were zoom rug hooking & embroidery classes taught online by Guatemalan teachers, facilitated at Sauder Village by Rebecca. Kim, & Judith, with the teaching fees donated to Multicolores.
Rebecca’s 20 yr old daughter who’s in her final year of university was thrilled to help all week in the Multicolores booth, she even planned her outfits to coordinate!
You can see more images of Rebecca’s works and workshops and follow her journey in Guatemala on
Facebook & Instagram
You may be wondering what a Guatemalan workshop entails? view a video chat with Deana David from Ribbon Candy Rug Hooking and Rebecca about it here.
Deana is the current President and Rebecca, Vice President of TIGHR 27 (The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers)
Beyond the Multicolores exhibits – looking down the aisles of the many other group and individual exhibitions
you could see the Celebration 35 pieces. There was just so much to take in, I could easily have spent several days studying all the entries.
Walking through the exhibitions these works by groups I was not familiar with, really caught my attention.
“Lets’s Play” proudly presented by The Buckeye Rug Hooking Guild from Ohio honouring the Gearhart sisters of Southern California who were commissioned in 1927 to collaborate on printing a children’s book – May drew the images, Frances cut the blocks and Edna wrote accompanying poems. The Guild members exhibited hooked pieces accompanied by the photos of the original prints and poems.
Flint Hills Challenge – This region remains the largest unplowed remnant of tallgrass prairie in the world. A group from the State Line Rug Hookers in Kansas designed and hooked what the Flint Hills meant to them.
Throughout the exhibitions it was interesting to see finishing and framing has taken on significance.
I liked the organic touch of the large central work in the Flint Hills exhibition and the unique frame shown at the top left of this display adds to the perspective of the needle felted scene.
While on the other side of the plinth, a golden oval frame accentuates the soft watercolour look of this piece. As I pull up the image – I see this was copied from a watercolour done by the hooker.
Another interesting way of finishing a hooked piece was shown in the Punch Needle category
As well as the Rug hooking Guilds exhibits, there were special individual exhibits. This exhibit by Janine Broscious
Janine’s been hooking for 10 years. Her exhibit shows pieces hooked since she and her husband who having RVed off and on for about 12 years, moved into their RV full time 8 years ago; living, working and hooking their way around the United States. Janine’s work features their love of the outdoors and national parks. Because of my love of travel and having followed Janine since the start of their journey, I wanted to share (with her permission) a link to her video. Janine is also a finalist in Celebration 35; you can see more of her wonderful hooked pieces on her Instagram page
Deana David of Ribbon Candy Rug Hooking & Punch Needle Club is with Barbara Cornish as she gives an impromptu quick dash, 
rather than “formal walk-thru“ the exhibition – view it here.
Deana gives weekly rug hooking video talks and is a rug hooking designer, author and supplier ,as well as the President of The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers (TIGHR) – a very busy lady – would you believe, went straight from being at Rug Hooking Week to moving house!
As I continued my “walk through” the exhibition with Susan – even though I was behind a camera, this piece by Donna Hrkman caught my eye. I found the geometry of the colour changes of the reflections fascinating.
Donna also had this “nutty” self-portrait on exhibit and as we walked past it, 
she was standing ahead of us talking to a group of people – I must say her likeness in her hooked piece was spot on.
The image below was Donna’s entry in Celebration 35
Which brings us back to the final session with the Artist Residency group. As well as discussing the exhibits of Rug Hooking Week, several members of the Artists Residency workshop, Michelle Halber, Terri Todd, Marty Liptak, Jaci Nicely and Liz Marino, had also submitted works to @braveartspeaks an Instagram page exhibiting textile artworks speaking out on current events. The Call for Entries to @braveartspeaks went out earlier in the year with deadline for pieces to be submitted by was June 30, 2025. The works began being posted on this Instagram page, Tues and Thurs starting July 1, 2025. There is much more to cover on this subject – it’s worthy of another Blog already in the making.
Michelle Halber was putting the finishing touches for the hanging of her piece ” Stars Falling” in an upcoming
exhibition
Liz Marino’s work submitted to @braveartspeaks was on exhibit at RHW.
This image of Liz Marino’s work cannot fully convey the detail and texture present in the original work that I saw on display. Viewed up close, the intricate lettering and the fine circular border are meticulously hooked, adding rhythm and texture to the piece.
The chosen colour palette was thoughtfully applied to reinforce and elevate the piece’s central message of peace.
These works and Artist Statements by Artist Residency group members, Jaci Nicely, Marty Liptak, and Terri Todd, are posted on @braveartspeaks…
Susan Feller is well qualified to take you on a gallery walk-through and compare the technicality of the works; she has attended Rug Hooking Week as a vendor, exhibitor, presenter, and instructor for almost two decades. Susan served on the boards of several fibre organizations. Her art has been juried into national exhibits, received awards and is in private collections. Susan’s networking skills include advocating for the arts community in West Virginia. Telling stories through visual art, spoken and written material, encouraging communities to connect with history and current events. Visit her website for details and examples, Here are her social media links. – Facebook & Instagram
I first met Susan in 2006 at The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers’ Triennial Conference in Wales where she was elected the incoming President for USA, 2006-2009. We met again in Louisville, Kentucky, USA in 2009 when Australia was voted in as the next host country 2009-2012. Then it was Susan’s turn to make the long trip to Australia for the 2012 TIGHR Triennial Conference in Strathalbyn, South Australia. Our paths had crossed at Gene Shepherd’s Cambria Rug Retreat in 2011, where I took Susan’s design workshop, again at the 2013 ATHA Biennial and at the TIGHR Triennial on Vancouver Island in 2015 – and yet again in 2016; while on a trip around the US visiting family and friends with my husband to celebrate his 80th birthday and our 50th wedding anniversary – we had lunch with Susan and Jim in their West Virginia home.
In 2018, when as a member of the Global Textile Hub, I flew halfway around the world to Sauder Village to present in person, an online mixed media exhibition showing in a virtual gallery. Susan offered to pick me up from the
Detroit airport in Michigan on her way from West Virginia to RHW in Archbold, Ohio,
so images taken on her trip this year were familiar to me. Susan left home in West Virginia at 5.30am, the beginning of her the long 7 hr drive alone to Sauder Village, with just one stop on the Ohio Turnpike for gas, photo documenting her trip along the way. The turn off to Sauder Village, and heading into Archbold, Ohio as well as sunset across the vast fields –
The following year 2019 I returned “virtually” to RHW at Sauder Village, along with my GTH Team members Judi Tompkins and Kira Mead. Susan was our on-the-spot coordinator introducing our video presentation and fielding questions and facilitating conversations with the viewers at Rug Hooking Week in Sauder Village and others tuning in from around the globe
Then came COVID 19 and
a second online exhibition in a virtual gallery with entries from around the globe
was debuted at Rug Hooking Week 2021 and Susan, Lead Juror, of “Re-Imagined” a Collaboration with a Difference: Make the Ordinary Extraordinary, stepped in again to facilitate not only the virtual gallery presentation to viewers at Sauder Village, she was also the hands on support for an online workshop given by Kira Mead, the Accidental Rugmaker of standing wool rugs.
Since then, Rug Hooking Week has grown significantly – reaching out to those who just can’t travel to view the exhibits and take part in workshops held in Sauder Village and being given online at Sauder Village.
So, follow RHW on Facebook and when you see Rug Hooking Week 2026 announced,
and you’d love to attend but can’t travel, give some thought to attending the events and workshops virtually, it is as ‘they say’ – very doable. I can vouch for that.
