ISSN 2207-001X – April 2025
ANZAC Day, 25th April 2025 will be the 110-year anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops at Gallipoli, Turkey. This brings to my mind the “Lest We Forget” wall hanging I designed and created with the help of the Wanneroo Rugmakers in Western Australia; for centenary celebrations in 2015 to commemorate the departure of the first ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp), from Albany, Western Australia in November 2014.
I wanted this piece worked in greyscale to create a sombre effect with just one red poppy to represent the loss of many
lives but the members of the group found it difficult to work on, they said it made them sad and wanted to introduce more colour. The work went home with a group member one week and came back the next with the rising sun hooked in pale yellow. I re-hooked it in a shiny silver fabric, donated by Judy a long-time member of the group; it was a stole (wrap) she’d made years ago for her daughter to wear to a high school dance. The fabric was shiny silver on one side and a flat grey on the other, perfect for the rays of the rising sun. The fact that the piece engendered feelings of sadness as it was worked on confirmed that my choice of grayscale had been correct. It was left to me to hook the lettering and the banner which was inspired by an image of a work by Rachelle LeBlanc, from the USA.
In 2015 this piece was hung on ANZAC Day in the Wanneroo Library & Cultural Centre and in 2016 exhibited in the Western Australian Fibre & Textile Assn. Inc. (WAFTA) “Memories & Commemoration” exhibition in Perth and Busselton.
After being acquired by the Wanneroo Museum it has since been displayed in a glass cabinet in the Museum, and on several occasions in a glass case in the centre of the Great Court of the Cultural Centre . Personally, I would prefer to see it hung on the wall, however since it’s now part of the Museums art collection I suspect that being a textile piece it is displayed under glass in a public space for protection.
The banner in this piece was inspired by Rachelle LeBlanc a French American/Canadian artist. Rachelle and I came to rug hooking about the
same time in very different ways. My introduction was through the very traditional learning process of the Pearl K. McGown Guild while Rachelle is self-taught.
In this issue of Rug Hooking Magazine (Sep/Oct 2014) Anne-Marie Littenberg documents Rachelle’s introduction to rug hooking, describing Rachelle as a fiercely independent rug hooker using humble tools to create exciting works with a style uniquely her own that evokes an emotional response in the viewer.
Seeing Rachelle’s artistic creations in those early days I was amazed to learn that she didn’t use a frame, and her hook was a second-hand un-altered latch hook. Over the years Rachelle’s journey has taken her from an artistic creative rug hooker to a contemporary textile artist whose primary medium is hand-hooked surface tapestries (rug-hooking) and 3D hooked works with the addition of clay and glass casting, adding depth and texture to her storytelling. You can read more about Rachelle here
Updating this new version of the Rughooking Australia website will be an ongoing project, as I continue to network with rug hookers and rug hooking groups around Australia while introducing rug hookers from around the globe.
I hope you will enjoy and contribute to the new website. You can contact me through social media or email rughookingasutralia@gmail.com 