April 1, 2018

Dear Rug Hooking Friends, 

As we await our favorite signs of spring outdoors, we can enjoy some of them right here in this issue: little bunnies, pretty flowers, a big flock of birds, and even a few bees. We are Midwest Rug Hookers, and like you, we love and practice the art of traditional wool rug hooking.

ABOVE: Bluebird, adapted with permission from a collage of artist Elizabeth St. Hilaire and hooked by our friend, Jane Scott. More of her beautiful rugs below; we begin and end this issue with Jane.

A Few Topics for Starters...

Upcoming Teacher Feature:

Call for Anita White Student Rugs !

If you have taken a workshop with teacher Anita White of Overland Park, Kansas, we ask you to send your finished rug photos to [email protected] by May 15th. (It can be any pattern, adaptation, or original design, so long as Anita was your teacher. We welcome Anita White designs hooked in her class also, of course.) Anita's Teacher Feature will appear in our June 1 issue of this letter, and we want your rug photo in the Anita White student gallery.

ABOVE: Paisley Hex, a Jane McGown Flynn design, hooked by Anita White, our next Featured Teacher, coming up in June!

In This Letter...

ABOVE: Five ribbons from the Nebraska State Fair that Karen Greenfield has won over the years. Keep reading for our interview with Marie Schropp on the process of submitting rugs to the Iowa State Fair. Lots of fair-winning rug photos from both states!

Correction, February Issue

Wanda McCay was the designer of the unique botanical piece featuring three glorious buntings. To read the whole story with detail photos, please click here for our February letter and scroll to the end of our gallery of Donna Hrkman student rugs: February 2018 Newsletter. We apologize to Wanda for our error. Her buntings are perfect for this bird-themed issue, and we welcome the chance to include them again above.

From Our Mailbox...

Following our publication of each issue, we typically receive quite a few notes from readers. This time we share two responses to our February 1 issue...

"I just received the newsletter and found the section you put together about me. Seeing everyone's rugs, reading about how I helped them, remembering some of the most wonderful times I've ever spent as a teacher (and among women I consider dear friends)...it's just awesome. Thank you so much for pulling this all together. Now I'm going to wipe my eyes and share it with Dan. I know he'll be dazzled, too. Thank you, thank all of my friends, thanks to everyone!"

--Donna Hrkman, Featured Teacher in February 2018 issue

"THANKS for your newsletter! I love reading them from top to bottom. It is like having that final throw-down of rugs at the end of a workshop or hook-in. Your photos are vivid and inspiring, ads make me want to go shopping, and you can hear the laughter (laugh out loud) through words and pictures. It doesn’t get any better than this!"

--Diane Thiese, President, Central Iowa Rug Artists ATHA Guild

Nebraska Hook Ins, Spring and Fall !

Just around the corner, The Nebraska Spring Hook In will be held this Friday, April 6th in Lincoln. This favorite annual event is sponsored by Judy Roth of Gatherings on the Blue and Jan Hall of Hall's Hooks. Please contact Jan, [email protected], for information. Some of us will be there hooking and shopping, others will be volunteering, and we hope to see you there!

Have you scribbled the word "Omaha" on October 5th of your calendar? Please plan on an inspiring day at...

The Nebraska Fall Hook In!

This fall, our hook in returns to the spacious Manelli Room at St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Omaha, with more vendors than ever.

Our planning cheerfully continues, and more information is on the way later this summer. Please see our vendor spotlights below, introducing five of our wonderful 2018 vendors.

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Upcoming McGown Event--FREE Rug Show

Thanks to Janice Lee for drawing our attention to this event. "This rug show is in conjunction with the North Central McGown Teachers Workshop," Janice said. "We are trying to get the word out to as many people as possible. It's open to any rug lover!" If you're in the Dubuque area on April 18th, what a lovely way to spend an afternoon. For more info, contact Janice at [email protected] or 402-359-2699.

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression ,

it must come completely undone .

The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes.

To someone who doesn't understand growth ,

it would look like complete destruction.”

-- Cynthia Occelli

ABOVE: Tulip Garden designed by Victoria Hart Ingalls and hooked by Carol Nash, displayed in the rug show at the Rock Creek Hook In in Lenexa, KS on February 24.

BELOW: Calling Out, Annette Cochrane's adaptation of artwork by Omaha artist Lorelle Carr. "Lorelle gave her permission, and later I showed the rug to her," Annette said. "She loved it." So do we. From a class with Donna Hrkman.

ABOVE: Reproduction Vintage Postcard, so charming, designed by Sally Kallin and hooked by Terri Bangert

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FIVE VENDOR SPOTLIGHTS

in our Vendor Spotlight Series of

the Nebraska Fall Hook In

Between now and October, we will gradually introduce you to our remarkable vendors and give you a taste of the treasures they will offer. It is the vendors who get the credit for decorating our venue from the floor up with all of our favorite things. It's they who draw the gasps when we walk into the room. We include their email addresses in case you want to order that special item beforehand. Here is our first group of vendor spotlights leading up to the Nebraska Fall Hook In on Friday, October 5th.

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Black Box Wool, Lori Curtis and Sue DeWitt

Nebraska

Black Box wool of Waverly, Nebraska, continues to expand our inventory of as-is wools and an ever-growing palette of over dyed wools. We are known to be mobile with our “black boxes,” and are found most months at the Roca Woolkeepers on the 2nd Tuesday of most months. 

If you are in the need of wool, Black Box Wool is available by appointment. If you have a rug hooking group that wants to visit, please contact us at 402-301-8550 or [email protected] .   

BELOW: Best Friends from childhood, Sue and Lori of Black Box Wool will be vending at the upcoming Nebraska Spring Hook In in Lincoln (April 6th). And you can visit them in their booth at the our Nebraska Fall Hook In on October 5th.

ABOVE and BELOW: These photos make us want to decorate with wool and dream up new rugs with these palettes. "The dye pots are a-bubbling," Sue wrote recently on Facebook. "And we have many beautiful as-is wools too!"

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Ewe and Eye, Beth Bellairs and Marge Huftalin

Iowa

Ewe and Eye, located in Osage, Iowa was established in 2004. We are a mother/daughter team with a love of all things hand made. Our shop can be found in a double garage with a primitive feel. Old barn boards along with other recycled materials make up the interior. 

We carry both hand-dyed and textured wool, our own line of rug hooking patterns, primitive cross-stitch, wool applique, punch needle, as well as many notions. A jar of chocolates is always within reach.

On the last Saturday of July we hold an event called BYOP or Bring Your Own Project. (BYOP in Osage, Iowa, is listed on our calendar of events below.) Registration begins with a handmade name tag and a locally made cinnamon roll. Attendees are free to set up their hooking wherever they like; in the garden, shop, house or garage. The clothes line is filled with hand dyed wool and new rug patterns. We also have a rug show. The rooms are filled with laughter, fellowship and handwork.

Challenge rugs are displayed and voted on during the morning hours. Lunch is served by our husbands and, in the past, my children. After lunch, the winner of the challenge rug is awarded a gift certificate. It’s the favorite part of the day for us--such creative women. We started this BYOP day in 2005 with fifteen people, and we are now up to over forty. 

Visit Marge and Beth in their booth at the Nebraska Fall Hook In,

or find them here:

WWW.eweandeyedesigns.com

Facebook: Ewe and Eye

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 641-832-2477

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Rustic Rugs, Judy Cripps

Kansas

With about five patterns and ten yards of wool, Judy Cripps started Rustic Rugs in 1998. "I started drawing my own patterns," Judy said, "because I wanted some small seasonal patterns to hook. I also took a few dying classes and started dying for my own use.

"Nineteen years later, we have over a hundred original patterns in our line. These are all drawn on top quality linen or monks. We have thousands of yards of as-is and overdyed wool. We use the best wool from the top wool suppliers, all of it washed and ready to hook.

ABOVE: a lovely summer design from Judy Cripps

RIGHT: Judy Cripps loves dreaming up new colors. She honored us with the creation of "Omaha Orange" for the Nebraska Fall Hook In in 2017. Beautiful! If we say "please," maybe she'll create another unique color for us in October of this year.

BELOW: At last year's hook in, Judy shared her expertise on creating interesting rug borders.

"Every year, we vend at about ten hook-ins across the Midwest, and we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We are happy to help color plan any pattern. Just bring it with you to the Nebraska Fall Hook In. 

"Thanks so much to Midwest Rug Hookers for doing such a wonderful job on the newsletter and hook in. We hope to see you in Omaha."

Visit Judy and Bryce of Rustic Rugs

in their booth at the Nebraska Fall Hook In,

Or write to them at [email protected]

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Hooktiques, Joanne Montgomery

Missouri

A few years ago Marilyn Schmidt, my first rug hooking teacher, asked if I would be interested in having a booth at her Lenexa, KS Hook In. We had recently closed our antique mall booth and sold all remaining inventory. So it required some thought and spousal compromise that I would not use the garage for a warehouse as we had for the past ten years. I have to admit it was nice to have cars in the garage for a change. Because I really missed “the hunt,” I decided to look for only small things that we rug hookers could use in some way. So began “Hooktiques.”

I offer small footstools, metal and wooden boxes and unusual ways to store hooks and other tools of our art.  It continues to be a fun challenge, as I find myself asking “How can we use this?” I have to admit sometimes I stretch it a bit, but imagination is a good thing!

We all love having a little extra cash to spend on our hobby, and I am no exception as my proceeds all go into my hooking stash. I must admit though that the best part of vending at about four Hook Ins a year is seeing familiar faces. The most memorable part of my rug hooking journey is the people I’ve met and the ongoing friendships that have been established, many from the Nebraska Fall Hook In.

Visit Joanne at her booth at the Nebraska Fall Hook In,

or contact her at [email protected].

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Prairie Road Designs, Sheila Arbogast

Missouri

Prairie Road Designs sells unique wool rug hooking patterns created by artist, Sheila Arbogast, who has many years of experience in the creative arts. Her areas of expertise include watercolors, cross stitch, embroidery and rug hooking. Her patterns are largely inspired by her home, Prairie Road Acres, in the Missouri countryside where she lives with her husband, Craig, and English Setter, Patches (who appears in many of her designs.)

Prairie Road Designs is proud to be able to supply rug hookers and wool enthusiasts with the supplies to support their art whether you are a beginner or a lifelong artist with wool as your media. We offer classes at the on-site studio as well as weekly hooking gatherings to help others keep the art alive and growing. We enjoy traveling to lead workshops on rug hooking, wool applique, use of color and texture, three-dimensional construction and rug hooking embellishing techniques.

Visit Sheila in her booth at the Nebraska Fall Hook In!

Please check out her website at www.prairieroaddesign.com

or call Sheila at 636-639-6714.

Prairie Road Designs in Wentzville, Missouri

is open most Thursdays and by appointment.

This concludes our April Vendor Spotlights.

Stay tuned for our second group of vendors in June!

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Creativity requires the courage

to let go of certainties.

 

-- Erich Fromm

ABOVE: Flowers in a Gold Pot,

designed by Deanne Fitzpatrick and hooked by Terri Bangert

BELOW: Crows (a pillow), adapted with permission from a collage

of Elizabeth St. Hilaire, designed and hooked by Tammy Pavich.

ABOVE: Lori and Becky, hooking away in their cozy corner at the MRH chapter meeting and all day hooking, hosted by Judy Roth of Gatherings on the Blue.

HAPPENINGS AROUND THE MIDWEST

Spring MRH Chapter Meeting and All-Day Hooking

On March 10th, members of the Midwest Rug Hookers guild (and friends, too) gathered for all-day hooking at Gatherings on the Blue in rural Milford, Nebraska. We expected 16. Two couldn't make it. And 21 ended up attending. It was SUCH a lovely day in the country.

ABOVE: Happy Hookers! It has never been easier to catch rug hookers smiling than at our chapter meeting on March 10. We had the good company of over twenty hookers and the big surprise of Judy's sale prices and BOGO deals (buy one of these, get one of those). That's Dennie, our treasurer and membership expert, smiling on the RIGHT.

LEFT: Annette was working on a sweet rug combining portraits of several departed pets, all rescue dogs. She got a lot of ooohs and aaaahs at all-day hooking.

We started hooking at 9:00. After a delicious lunch of Judy's homemade chili and cheese bread, Midwest Rug Hookers President Luci Bolding called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. We approved minutes from 10/7/17 and reported on how things went with our beginners classes. We discussed plans for the the Nebraska Fall Hook In and talked about volunteer opportunities. The business part of the meeting took perhaps twenty minutes.

LEFT: President Luci Bolding welcomed everyone. Lovely to see everyone's current project and to talk about events and plans.

Then we moved on to Judy's presentation. Judy gave us descriptions of all the 2018 rug hooking classes to be held at Gatherings on the Blue. See our Calendar below for all events, including the newly arranged Anita White workshop in October. Only 10 spots are available for Anita, and they're going fast.

Judy updated us on staying overnight at the riverhouse during workshops--the sleeping arrangements and meals provided.

As the producer of four or five Shed Sales each year, Judy knows her way around primitive antiques. She knows how to increase their value and make them look beautiful, and she shared favorite products and trade secrets with us, which only whetted our appetites for the primitives that filled the river house and the barn.

Judy also tossed out an idea--which we've all talked about--which is a "Wool Crawl." You're familiar with the Pub Crawl, Hop-and-Shop concept, right? Well, maybe we pick a weekend and publish a map of five businesses in the Omaha/Lincoln area that serve rug hookers or are owned by rug hookers. Carloads of wool gatherers would be all over that map, going from place to place over the course of the weekend. The toughest part would be finding a spot on the calendar, but our show of hands indicated strong interest in such an event. It's an exciting idea that we'll continue to talk about.

We were adjourned before 2:00 p.m., and the hooking continued for two more hours. Thank you to everyone who came, most especially our gracious hostess, Judy Roth.

ABOVE: Holly and Judy, and BELOW, Holly's recipe for Peanut Butter Chia Bites. She shared them for dessert (thank you, Holly!) and they're so yummy you would never know how healthy they are! Combine all ingredients, roll into balls, and set in refrigerator until firm. Mmmm, good.

BELOW: What an interesting design! Love the colors. In response to our call for bird rugs, this one came from Patty Hoffmeyer. Thank you, Patty!

BELOW: Distlefink, designed by Woolley Fox and hooked by Karla Egger. "I'm sending this in response to your call for bird rugs for the April newsletter," Karla wrote. "I hooked this one with Barb Carroll at her place in Pennsylvania two years ago. I chose this pattern for a contest to hook a piece of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. Five of us from Lincoln took our own little workshop with Barb in 2016, before she sold her lovely home in the woods outside Ligonier. This one is very special to me." Thank you, Karla! More bird rugs and other springy images throughout this letter.

ABOVE: Garden Hens, designed by M. Shaw, hooked by Dennie Hoffman of Papillion, Nebraska. This rug makes us look forward to our gardens.

LEFT: Our new friends Lisa and Pat from Oklahoma attended Rock Creek Hook In. Those sheep are hooked right on their sweatshirts.

MORE HAPPENINGS...

Rock Creek Hook In, Lenexa, Kansas

Karen and Dixon Greenfield traveled to Lenexa to vend the beautiful handmade things of Pretties and Primitives. Dennie, Ann, and Tammy drove down to Lenexa for the Hook In in spite of ice storms in the forecast. It was so worth it! On Friday night, we met Anita White and friends for dinner. Here are some favorite shots of the Rock Creek Hook In on Saturday, February 24th. We couldn't get the whole rug show, but caught some of the springier rugs.

ABOVE RIGHT: a robin, delightfully appliqued by Karen Greenfield. Her booth at Lenexa was populated with wool robins, and they flew off the shelf. Karen is a vendor at the Nebraska Fall Hook In. Please watch for her Vendor Spotlight in a future issue of this letter.

BELOW: Peeps, designed by Cactus Needle and hooked by Jean Stanclift, from the rug show at the Rock Creek Hook In

Anita White, RIGHT, in her booth at the Rock Creek Hook In, ready for a busy day. Thank you, Jody, for the photo!

BELOW: More from the rug show... In August at a Heather Ritchie workshop in Eureka Springs, Heather emphasized adding proddy and stitchery to rug designs. Jody Gray designed and hooked this image of her friend Vicki Hardcastle in her garden. Those strawberry curls couldn't be mistaken for anyone else!

RIGHT: Jody with her rug, the image of her friend. More friendship rugs in our article below.

The real Vicki Hardcastle appears BELOW in her booth at the Rock Creek Hook In. Further b elow Vicki's photo, you'll see her beautiful rug, adapted from the artwork of a friend... entitled "Georgia." We thought it was Marie Antoinette!

ABOVE: Babies, designed and hooked by Carol Dalton. Looks like eyelash yarn to us--a perfect image for spring.

And RIGHT, Jan Hedrick designed and hooked this nighttime village scene.

We have cropped out the pins and clips on these and other rugs from the rug show. We lost a little bit of the hooking, but we think it shows the rugs to best advantage!

ABOVE: Dragonfly designed by Sharon Smith and hooked by Ginny Glover--lots of interesting techniques here.

BELOW: a bee pillow designed by Nola Heidbreder and hooked by Carol Dalton

LEFT: Ann, Dennie, and Dixon, hanging out beside the Pretties and Primitives booth.

BELOW: Cheryl Bell was the lucky winner of the State Line Hookers Philanthropy Rug of 2018. The rug was designed by Eric Sandberg and hooked by guild members. All of the proceeds of this fundraiser went to the Alzheimer's Association. Cheryl of Mexico, Missouri, was thrilled at her good fortune, and everyone said it couldn't have happened to a nicer rug hooker!

It’s a good feeling to work on something that talks to you...

It’s good to surprise yourself...

It’s good to think about everything you have yet to learn.



--Robert Genn, The Painter's Keys

BELOW: Marcia Little of Iowa pulls the last few loops on her joyful little mat, Miss Pig, designed by Tammy Pavich. Now those are some brilliant spring greens!

MORE HAPPENINGS...

Our Awesome Beginners,

Hooking at the Harvester

For the sake of our beginning rug hookers, we have reserved a room at the Harvester Artspace in Council Bluffs, Iowa, once a month. The use of the room is free to us, thanks to artist/resident Emily Globe who sponsored our group. Having a free venue truly helps us serve the needs of our new hookers, and we are most grateful!

ABOVE: Patti completed her first rug, the snowman, and this is her latest accomplishment, a turkey in soft colors. Wonder what she's hooking now? Keep sending us photos, Patti! We love your rugs!

LEFT: That's Jodi and Gloria in the background. Here's Laurie in February working on her second rug, a geometric runner. It's nearly done now, and this month she'll get started on her next one.

BELOW: Gloria's completed snowman rug, her first rug hooking project, designed by Jodi Isom. Gloria is now at work on a landscape kit in small cuts.

If ever we needed a teacher who is skilled with a needle and thread, there's none better than Karen Greenfield. In March, several new hookers got pointers from Karen on finishing their first mats. Some of our newbies had more than one mat that needed binding. You go, girls!

If you or someone you know would like to learn how to hook rugs, write to [email protected] and meet us at the Harvester.

BELOW: We all gathered to examine Karen's Klimt-style rug, which includes some of the most interesting and elaborate embellishments we had ever seen. Karen was born in Denmark, and the rug design includes a passage from Ecclesiastes in Danish.

RIGHT: Karen's finished Klimt-style rug, begun in a class with Pris Buttler. This is one of Pris's patterns, and Karen has made it her own.

MORE HAPPENINGS...

Wisconsin Workshop at Red Barn Rugs

Hello, Wisconsin! At Cathy Stephan's house and studio in rural Athens, Wisconsin, she holds three workshops early in the year. This photo is courtesy of Marilyn Becker in pink, next to Cathy in the white blouse. Looks like heaven with all that wool behind them. Happy Hookig, girls, and thank you for staying in touch.

ABOVE: Cathy Stephan's Spray of Daisies.

LEFT: Hope II, adapted with permission from a collage by Elizabeth St. Hilaire, designed and hooked by Tammy Pavich

BELOW: Hope I, adapted with permission from a collage by Elizabeth St. Hilaire, designed and hooked by Tammy Pavich. These days, you might see Elizabeth's robins on pillows at Pier One Imports.

The artist must possess

 the courageous soul. 

--Kate Chopin

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Ten Ways to

Spring-Clean

Organize

JAZZ UP

Your Wool Room

Where we hook is a space deserving of care and attention. What better time than Spring for changing up your hooking space? Without getting too carried away on cleaning, we suggest ways to make your space more useful, more inspiring, and reflective of you.

1) Arranging Wool Where You Can See It

How can we be inspired by our wool if we can't see it? It needn't be too tidy-- things get gloriously messy in creative spaces. Sorting loosely by color, though, can help us find what we need when we need it. Sorting by texture can be useful too.

LEFT and ABOVE: a utility cart allows you to store all of the wool for one large rug-in-progress. Want to work on something else for a while? Roll it out of sight until you're ready to work on it again. (These vintage carts may still be available at Gatherings on the Blue.)

2) Now You See It,

Now You Don't

Looking at too many rugs in progress can be overwhelming. Sometimes big projects need to go away for awhile, a good argument for storing them on wheels. (ABOVE)

3) Noodle Control

Noodles have a way of piling up. Bins and cubbies are ideal for sorting and storing in plain sight. This tall metal piece (LEFT) is made to look old--the bins are removable, and the whole thing is on wheels. Antique chicken and pigeon nests (BELOW) are wonderful for noodle organization too--a color in every nest.

4) Fiber on Display

Sari silk, yarn, dyed nylons and seam binding. Display them in pickle jars, baskets, buckets. Your next design may be inspired by the prettiest fiber in front of you.

5) Change Up the Floor

and Walls

Switch out floor rugs, measure and order wall frames, and take a lint roller to everything. (LEFT)

6) An Inspiration Board

Consider preserving a little bit of wall space for an inspiration board where you can create an ever-changing collage of photos, fabrics, quotations, and objects that you find inspiring (BELOW).

7) Your Library: Books and magazines get jumbled during the year, and now is a good time to put them in order for easy reference. (ABOVE and RIGHT)

8) A Dust Mop and Some Lemon Oil: Once the dust settles after your re-organization, it's time to shine up surfaces. Wipe everything from chair rails to the Ott lamp. It's lovely to nurture wood pieces with lemon oil--but keep it away from the wool itself.

9) A Visual Change:

Move your chair to the window. Swap rugs with a friend and hang her rug in your space for a while. Even subtle changes matter. Refresh your room and refresh your mind.

10) Make It Yours: The rest of your house can be a proper place with conservative colors and appropriate decor. But a youthful and imaginative soul comes to your wool room to create. This place should soothe, interest, and inspire her.

It's just for you.



This spring, make it yours.

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LEFT: This happy Nola Heidbreder design was hooked by Linda Boehle. The proportions make it fun!

BELOW: Crow with spring flowers, from Patty Hoffmeyer. Wish we had a larger file to show off this beauty to full advantage!

BELOW: We're happy to share the process of submitting rugs to the (Iowa) state fair in the following interview with Marie Schropp. Back in 2006, Eden Schmitt submitted her rug, Ms. Moo (designed by Tish Murphy), to the Iowa State Fair, and we love this story. It was her first rug, and it won the Blue Ribbon! "It took me five years to complete this rug," Eden said. "I started it in a Romi Orr class, and worked on it primarily with my group that meets twice a month. When I finally finished it, we had an ice cream sundae party at Hickory Park to celebrate. I think it was the subject that influenced the ribbon.  By the way, it is a 7-cut. It is always interesting to know the cut of rugs I see pictured in print or online."

Submitting Rugs to the State Fair:

A Natural Way to Promote Hooking in the Midwest

An Interview with Marie Schropp

of the Central Iowa Rug Artists

MRH: We thank Marie Schropp for helping us round up Iowa State Fair winners to admire. We include this interview with Marie in our April 1 issue to give our readers time to consider entering rugs in State Fairs across the Midwest this summer.

MRH: How did your guild learn about submitting rugs to your state fair?

Marie: One of the first speakers at our newly formed guild was the Superintendent of the Fabric and Threads Division of the Iowa State Fair.  She shared the process of entering items in the fair, and I prepared a handout to give members so they were comfortable navigating the online website. The web site is www.iowastatefairentry.org. There are usually 20-40 items (mats, rugs, pillows, stools, purses, etc.) that are entered in Iowa each year. The cost is nominal: $5 for 10 entries! There are 11 different categories -- one entry per category/per person is allowed. 

MRH: What is the process for submission?

Marie:

~~The entry registration is due by July 1st -- by mail or online.

~~Projects must be delivered to the Fair on the last Saturday of July. 

~~Items are judged before the Fair opens, and participants may attend an open house the day before the Fair opens to the public to preview the entries and see the awards that were given. 

~~Items are picked up the Monday afternoon following the closure of the Fair. 

~~ Items may also be mailed to the Fair.

RIGHT: Firebird, designed by Tatiana Tipton and Jane Baty and hooked by Tatiana of Ames, Iowa. This imaginary bird is a character of Russian fairy tales. It flies at night and has magical powers. The rug was awarded "Best of Show" in the Needles and Threads Category in 2015.

MRH: Tell us about Lefty, your winning rug, please! It's wonderful!

Marie: I had found a photo when researching elephants for a class at Janice Lee's Rug Hooking Store in Valley, Nebraska, taught by Pris Buttler. I received permission from the photographer, Pietro Lurasachi, to use his photo. Pris drew the pattern, and I hooked the piece using #3-5 cuts. I was fortunate enough to receive the Best In Show medallion for the 2017 Rug Hooking Division of the Iowa State Fair.

BELOW: Marie Schropp with her 2017 Iowa State Fair winning rug, Lefty the Elephant.

MRH: Have other members won, too?

Marie: I don't have an accurate listing of previous winners of the Best in Show pieces and other ribbons from our State Fair, but some previous recipients are Sharon Townsend, Kay Casten, Tania Tipton, Joanne Thomason, Wanda McCay, Maggie Crab, Elsie Ulland, Sue Bryan, Eden Schmitt, Linda Sharpnack, Shirley Cloyd, Diana Giesinger, Becky Groff, Jody Stagner, and Jone Van Vleet . 

ABOVE: Ivy Cottage Idyll, designed and hooked by Wanda McCay of Ames, Iowa. This rug is the 2012 Iowa State Fair winner. "The cottage is from a drawing I did of my garden house at the last place we lived in Ames before moving to the townhouse we are currently in," Wanda wrote. "Then I just added fantasy sheep and flowers."

RIGHT: Sharon Townsend's State Fair ribbon winner, displayed among the other winners of the Needles and Threads division of the Iowa State Fair in 2017.

MRH: How amazing, the number of guild members who have won ribbons! Besides the joy of having hooked rugs acknowledged among other fiber arts, why do you submit to the fair?

Marie: Certainly one of the goals of our Central Iowa Rug Artists Guild is to promote and encourage the craft of rug hooking. One of the best ways to promote rug hooking is to share the beautiful pieces that fiber artists create through the use of wool, yarns, alternate materials and their creativity in designing patterns.

Exhibiting projects at the Iowa State Fair is an easy way for thousands of people to see (sometimes for the first time!) the creative efforts of those who love rug hooking. Many are intrigued and some remember their mothers or grandmothers creating useful rugs for their homes. Seeing those pieces at the Fair can spark an interest in contacting members of the guild who are more than willing to share information and how to get started in the craft.

BELOW: Use It Wisely, designed and hooked by Sharon Townsend in the style of the Hutchinson rugs, which were hooked with verses, lessons, or humorous stories along with pictures. "Use it wisely" is what Sharon's late husband Bob would say when he gave money gifts. "The rug is about a story he told to the kids," Sharon said, "about an episode of his life. He said it was really hard to hold on to the nickel when the other boys were eating ice cream on a hot summer day. After they finished, he still had his nickel to put in bank. He felt good about that." Love the beaded beauty line, Sharon.

BELOW: Wanda McCay of Ames, Iowa is a two-time state fair winner. "The Sanibel rug won in 2014," Wanda said. "I didn’t actually name this rug. It has our favorite kinds of shells from Sanibel and our favorite places on the island."

ABOVE: designed and hooked by Becky Groff of Des Moines, Morning Joy was made to fit a charming antique window frame. "The old people were from a University of Missouri Elder Outreach project," Becky said. "I knew the woman who shot the photo (circa 1988). The poster version hung in my office for 17 years. One day I was looking at it and ... that was it.

I tracked Linda down and got her permission to adapt the photo. I loved the thought of looking out the window and seeing these two just going down the path into the poppies.

And RIGHT, her footstool, Annie's Flower Power, designed and hooked by Becky with recycled wool, which gives it the most wonderful antique look yet the colors are vibrant. Both items won ribbons at the Iowa State Fair in 2015.

MRH: Our thanks to Marie and all of these winning rug hookers! Remember that there may be different deadlines and categories for other state fairs. Better start googling now and know the drill by submission time. Kudos to the Central Iowa Rug Artists.

Nebraska State Fair Winners, Too!

We have published a Nebraska State Fair winner or two in the past. Here are several awesome rugs from recent fairs and from a while back.

RIGHT: Galen, designed and hooked by Holly McMillan, a charming 2006 Nebraska State Fair winner.

BELOW: Janice Lee hooked this memory rug in a Pris Buttler class. "It was adapted from a photo of my old horse Blackie," Janice said, "when he was standing in a pen with quilts drying in the background. Pris said, 'I don’t know what you were planning on hooking, but you NEED to hook this picture of the horse and quilt.' So I did. It has always been one of my favorites, so I was excited when it won the blue ribbon for Best in Class at the Nebraska State Fair for adapted designs."

ABOVE: Holly hooked this one with Donna Hrkman. Her steampunk orangutan won the whole shebang, the top prize for the fiber-art, handwork category in the 2017 Nebraska State Fair in September. Kudos!

BELOW: Wool 4 Sale, hooked by Terri Bangert, won blue in 2004 at the Nebraska State Fair. Thanks, Terri, for finding this photo for us!

ABOVE: Karen Greenfield won blue for her primitive floral, not sure of the year.

RIGHT: Karen also won at the Nebraska State Fair with this rug, Peace on Earth.

Mary Jo Lahners has led the way on submitting rugs to the Nebraska State Fair, and indeed, she has won blue ribbons at least six times. Thanks, Mary Jo, for sending these photos (we know you have more!), complete with the ribbons. What a wonderful body of work. There are commercial patterns, photo adaptations, and original designs.

ABOVE TOP: Button Basket won Best of Division in 2011. Designed by Susan Quicksal, hooked by Mary Jo Lahners. ABOVE RIGHT: Bacon, adaptation of a photo of Mary Jo's son's dog, hooked by Mary Jo Lahners. ABOVE LEFT: Willie--this one is known to us all, a winner of Celebration and the Nebraska State Fair.

ABOVE: Hooked by Mary Jo Lahners in a class with Jayne Hester.

RIGHT: "This was a large rug pattern by Polly Minnick and drawn by Jan Hall," Mary Jo said. It was color planned and hooked by Mary Jo Lahners in 2010.

BELOW: Mary Jo's Grand Canyon rug won Celebration and the Nebraska State Fair in 2011. It's just amazing.

Submitting to Other Midwest State Fairs

At this writing, we don't have the deadline for submission in Nebraska, but we invite anyone from a Midwestern state to forward the website of their state fair and the deadline for submitting rugs. We will happily publish those in our June 1 issue of this newsletter. We would also publish more state fair winning rugs. Send them! Thank you to all who sent us photos for this article.

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A Third Dimension

When we asked for birds and other images for this spring-themed issue, Sheila Arbogast forwarded birds and bunnies and bees! Thank you, Sheila!

A true friend accepts who you are,

and also helps you become who you can be.

--author unknown

ABOVE: this charmer was designed by Shelly Atkinson and hooked by Barb Amsrud.

It is perfect for introducing our article on Friendship Rugs.

All Kinds of

Friendship Rugs

Not long ago, we had only a few friendship rugs to show our readers, but we've come across more of them in recent weeks. So please consider several types of friendship rugs here. How might you hook a rug that brings your friends to mind or make a group project out of hooking friendship rugs?

A Group Project

It's an old idea. If you've ever seen the film "How to Make an American Quilt," you're familiar with the concept of each quilting friend making one block of the wedding quilt. The movie shows the making of only one quilt. Here, each friend can have a finished piece in the end.

Lou Ann drew the first pattern, assigning the various blocks to each of the friends. Each friend then drew her identical pattern on linen and designed only her own block. Luci, for instance, always hooked the lower right corner block (the dancing woman), and she hooked that design with lots fun variations eleven times, once on each rug. Holly hooked the upper left corner, always hooking the Nebraska sky and plains beyond the blades of a windmill. As months turned into years, we kept trading rugs and passing them around. Some hookers strove to hook their block pretty much the same each time, while others changed it up from rug to rug (notice Lou Ann's various arrangements of poppies), sometimes according to the request or tastes of the rug's owner. But every rug is different and charming in its own way, and every rug is also clearly like the others, part of the set.

Holly's rug appears above. (Minglewood is the name of the lodge where these friends hook together a few times a year.) Below, we have separated Holly's rug into detail photos.

 LEFT: Here are the hookers responsible for the left side of the rug: Holly always hooked a Nebraska landscape beyond the blades of a windmill. Lou Ann hooked a cluster of bright poppies. Dennie's maiden name is Baum, which means tree; she hooked a clear blue stream running beside a tree. Coffee-lover Becky hooked a coffee mug within a pear shape, plus artful circles and swirls. And Terri anchored each rug with a very pleasing geometric shape in the lower left corner.

BELOW: In the center of the rug Jodi had the top block, and she hooked a cool cat, with a little different personality every time. In the low center block, Tammy hooked a bird species, and in this case Holly wanted a bluebird of happiness.

RIGHT: On the right side of the rug, MaryJo's block is at the top with the petals of a sunflower. Karen hooked a colorful and crooked gable on a brightly-trimmed house, while Luci drew in a joyful woman dancing. And Jane hooked the Scottie dog, so striking on her red background.

 

We think it's been three, maybe four years since we started, and not all of us have finished our rugs. We all do a lot of hooking, and passing rugs between cities takes time. But we're getting close.

Perhaps it's worth noting that each friend started with her own rug, hooking the borders between blocks and also completing her own block. This allowed each rug owner to set the tone so that her friends could take their color cues from the rug owner. Most of us hooked our banner, the strip across the bottom, last, after our friends had finished hooking. To some extent, this allowed us to unify the design of the whole.

This type of friendship rug can be small or large, including five friends or nineteen. It just takes planning and patience until you all have a memento on your wall or floor, made by all of you.

BELOW: Jodi allowed us to show her rug, almost finished. And also Lou Ann's finished rug appears further below.

One-of-a-Kind Friendship Rugs

Sometimes a rug hooker simply wants to make a single rug that celebrates her rug hooking friend/s. We share a few delightful examples of this type of friendship rug, too. You'll see simpler ways to hook a reminder of sisters in wool, along with more complex portraits of friends.

ABOVE: Hooked by Janice Lee, this is a Pris Buttler design. "I met Pris at this McGown event in 2006," Janice said. "Our booths were right next to each other, and I fell in love with her and her work immediately. My three helpers, Sandy Weller, Susan MacQuiddy and Lisa Larralde, bought the pattern for me. If you look closely I hooked our initials into the little sheepies to commemorate the event and the fun weekend some old friends spent together. Since Carl drove us there, he got his initials on a sheep too. The extra sheep represented all the other various individuals we met along the way."

ABOVE: Talk about using up noodles! This one-of-a-kind friendship rug was Janice's idea, hooking the first initial of each hooking friend into a block, like a crazy quilt. Over the years, the initials have come to represent new friends too.

BELOW: Barbara Houck designed and hooked this charming rug, depicting the group of friends she regularly hooks with. She discusses this project further, below.

We are grateful to Barbara for sharing her process in creating this one-of-a-kind Friendship Rug...

"Over two years ago, I conceived the idea for this rug while in hooking class with teacher Anita White at the Greenwood Mercantile. I came home and drew my pattern. The drawing never changed from that day. I finally decided to tackle it this past January and finished it in February. I used paisley in the pictured rug, because it's a favorite of Anita's, although I don't know that I'll do much hooking with it. Too stringy!

"It was satisfying that my friends were able to identify themselves when they saw the rug. [From left to right, the hookers are Donna Wallis, Mary Mace, Barbara Houck, Cyndi Ragon, Judy Duffield, and far right, Anita White.] The various colors of wool across the upper part of the rug depict the stacks of wool that Anita has in her booth. Probably most of the wool in the rug came from her shelves. I tried to arrange the colors much like Anita has them displayed in her booth. 

"I have the rug hanging in my living room where I can enjoy it while I'm hooking. It is a constant reminder of good friends and good times."

LEFT: This rug appeared in our last issue among the Donna Hrkman student rugs; however, it is an exceptional example of a friendship rug. Here it is again, Mary Jo Lahners' depiction of her patriotic friend, Willie. The rug has won the honor of inclusion in Celebration, a juried collection of the best rugs in a given year, published by Rug Hooking Magazine.

An Annual Mat Exchange

Another friendship rug idea came from Judy Cripps of Rustic Rugs, who shared it with Libbey Lundgren of Hole-in-the-Wall Fiber Studio.

For five years now, Libbey’s group of friends has been hooking little mats for their Christmas exchange—identical patterns designed by Libbey are purchased for just $10 by each hooker in the group. The hookers interpret the image in their own ways, using their chosen techniques and embellishments. They don’t show them to each other until the big day, when they gather at Christmastime with wrapped gifts. “If you bring a mat, you take a mat,” Libbey said. “Some people make two, one to keep and one to give.”

ABOVE RIGHT: Libbey's mat. BELOW: Libbey's photos of mats from the most recent exchange.

This Annual Mat Exchange generates $10 per mat, and all of the funds are donated to Legacy of the Plains Museum. The hooking group, which is part of the Heritage Arts program, meets at the museum for free. It's important to the group to say Thank You to the museum, and the annual mat exchange is a perfect way to generate their donation.

Just Under the Wire...

Three more group-project Friendship Rugs are (virtually) done. It's interesting to compare and contrast them.

BELOW: In Karen's friendship rug, she used a hit-or-miss banner across the bottom which makes the word "Minglewood" more subtle. Notice that Jane hooked an American Flag on Karen's Scottie dog---more about that below.

ABOVE: Tammy's friendship rug with border in progress... Upon request, Jodi made the cat especially goofy.

BELOW: Dennie sprinkled soft blue stars across the banner of her friendship rug.

We have loved learning about various kinds of friendship rugs. 

Thank you to Libbey for the story and the photos.

To Janice, Barbara, and Mary Jo, and to Shelly and Barb...

thank you to all of the friendly hookers featured in this article.

By doing what you love,

you inspire and awaken the hearts of others. 

--Anonymous

~~~~~~~ Our New Guest Column ~~~~~~~

Something To Ponder:

How Sharing Renews The Joy

of Hooking Rugs

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by Libbey Lundgren

It is Spring. The time of year when the sun shines warmly on the cool soil. The time of year when baby calves frolic in the light green of spring pastures, little crocus pop their heads of sun through the leaves, purple hyacinths send their perfume floating through the air, and pink tulips and yellow daffodils emerge from their stems of dark green. It is the time of year when it seems the earth is awakening from a long needed rest. A time of discovery, a time to be excited, and a time to enjoy.

Many years ago, too many to actually say, a friend and I were at a wool market – a festival of colors, textures, and sights looking for the perfect yarn to weave. We were walking down the aisle when we discovered the most wonderful nook. It had stacked wooden crates, filled with beautiful colors and soft wool. On the wall were rugs, on the tables were mats and pillows, and on the floor - ON THE FLOOR - were rugs – real rugs. In the middle of all of this sat a crazy rug hooker. Not just an ordinary rug hooker – a crazy fun one – she was laughing, smiling and excited. Excited about rugs, wool and color. In a matter of minutes we were sitting on chairs hooking on our own rugs – laughing, talking and loving every minute. That moment started a tremendous journey that has led me to new places and new friends. One that I wanted to share with others. 

So a group was started. A group that would motivate, inspire, and keep each other rug hooking while having fun. A group that shares their joy with others.

How do we start?  One loop at a time. It starts with a line and moves to a curve. Add a star point here and there. Fill in with background and watch the magic happen. It doesn’t matter the motif, what matters is the person sitting down behind a frame, with a rug stretched across it, and holding a hook in their hand. Have them pull up that first loop. And then another. Don’t stop there. Encourage, laugh, and share your excitement. The rest will be learned later.

Linen or Monk’s cloth; #8 or #3 cut; primitive or fine cut; embellishments; holidays; and more - all come after they are ‘hooked’. It comes naturally because the more you hook, the more you see; the more you watch others do, the more you yourself do. The more you motivate others to learn how to rug hook, the more you learn.

Teaching and sharing our passion with others IS like Spring. It awakens a whole new world for them. They discover a way to leave their print in history, to create heirlooms they never knew they could create, and a way for them to tell their stories. And in return, sharing brings back to us renewal of the joy found in our own rug hooking. 

Libbey's Spring Basket Runner appears ABOVE, at the beginning of her column. The rabbit with a basket of flowers is Sharon's Smith's design, hooked by Libbey. Garden Gone Wild is a Sally Kallin pattern, hooked by Libbey. BELOW is her studio sign. And the runner below is an Edith O'Neill pattern, hooked by Libbey using standing wool techniques too. We offer Libbey our warmest thanks for writing this guest column. A new guest columnist will give us all Something to Ponder in June. 

~~~

BIO NOTE: Libbey Lundgren lives on a farm in Western Nebraska. She retired from teaching and now spends time in her studio, dye shed, and with her family. She is a weaver with a passion for rug hooking. Her rug hooking adventures have led her to classes across America where she not only learned more about rug hooking but made many dear friends. To continue to challenge herself she is in the process of completing her McGown certification.  She enjoys using both her own designs and those of other artists. One of her designs was displayed and auctioned for the Wyoming Master Gardener’s State Convention.  She is a member of an incredibly fun and energetic group of rug hookers. She has enjoyed the beauty of rugs, making a piece of history, and sharing what she learns with others.

BELOW: Laura Schram answered the call for bird rugs--thank you, Laura. " I drew this pattern several years ago based on an antique rug," Laura said. "I changed the rose in the center to more of a posey-like rose. Since I hooked it, I noticed someone selling a pattern of this antique design."

ABOVE: Discovered at the Rock Creek Hook In rug show, "Elliott" was hooked by Carol Dalton.

RIGHT: Linda Boehle's rich red flower pillow is a Deanne Fitzpatrick design.

BELOW: a spring bunny from Terri Bangert

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MIDWEST RUG HOOKERS

MIDWEST CALENDAR OF

HOOKING EVENTS

4/2-4/4  Donna Hrkman Class , sponsored by The St Louis Rug Guild, St. Louis, Missouri. Non-members welcome. Jan Mickow, 314-359-9027

 

4/5-4/7   Donna Hrkman Class , sponsored by The St Louis Rug Guild, St. Louis, Missouri. Non-members welcome. Jan Mickow, 314-359-9027 

4/6, Nebraska Spring Hook In , Lincoln, Nebraska, Jan Hall, [email protected]

4/11-4/15, Maggie Bonanomi Wool Appliqué Class , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

4/13, Annual Spring Hook In and Vendor Show (with various optional classes too), Owatonna, Minnesota, Joyce Weese, (507) 413-0130, [email protected]

4/16-4/18, Tricia Travis Workshop , Overland Park, Kansas, Linda Stoker

[email protected], 913-888-8476 home, 913-620-6968 cell

4/18, Free Hooked Rug Show at the Dubuque County Library, sponsored by the North Central McGown Asbury, Iowa, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699

4/19-4/21, Tricia Travis Workshop , Overland Park, Kansas, Linda Stoker

[email protected], 913-888-8476 home, 913-620-6968 cell

4/27-4/29, Finish-Your-Projects Weekend, FREE! Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699

4/28, Hook In St. Louis , (ask about mini-classes), St. Louis, Missouri, Donna McHargue, [email protected]

4/29-5/3, First-time event, Prairie Primitive Rug School, Teachers Sally Kallin, Carrie Martin, and Diane Stoffel, Brandon, SD (10 minutes from Sioux Falls on I-90), contact Sandy at [email protected] or 218-398-7181.

5/4-5/6, Janice Johnson Workshop (full), Milford, Nebraska (west of Lincoln), Jan Hall, [email protected]

5/9-5/13, Eco-Dyeing with M. Theresa Brown , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

5/27-6/1, "Old Faithful" Rug Hooking Getaway* , Cody, Wyoming, teachers Carrie Martin and Diane Stoffel, contact Carrie Martin, 985-893-3285, [email protected]

6/1-6/2, Maggie Bonanomi Rug Hooking Workshop , Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699.

6/3, Maggie Bonanomi Appliqué Workshop , Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699.

6/8-6/10, Kathy Clark Workshop , Milford, Nebraska (west of Lincoln), Jan Hall, [email protected]

6/8-6/9, NWA Hook In , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

6/17-6/18, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival , Ames, Iowa, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival

6/17-6/22, 48th Annual Decorah Rug School , Decorah, Iowa. Teachers: Carol Kassera, Kathy Morton, Maryanne Storm, and Patty Piek-Groth. Contact Dorothy Huse at 715-723-1455 or learn more at decorahrugschool.com

7/14, Hooked Doll Class with Aileen Anderson , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

7/28, BYOP or Bring Your Own Project, at Ewe and Eye, Osage, Iowa, Beth Bellairs, [email protected]

8/14-8/18,  Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week , Archbold, Ohio

www.saudervillage.org/rughookingweek  

8/15-8/19, Anita White Workshop , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

8/19-8/23, Anita White Workshop , Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Vicki Hardcastle, 580-235-2279, [email protected]

8/21-8/23, Sally Kallin Workshop , Milford, Nebraska (west of Lincoln), Jan Hall, [email protected]

8/24-8/26, Sally Kallin Workshop (full), Milford, Nebraska (west of Lincoln), Jan Hall, [email protected]

9/9-9/13 Duluth Rug School , Duluth, Minnesota. Teachers: Kris Miller, Carrie Martin, Cathy Stephan, and Cathy Tokheim. Sandy Krumwiede, [email protected], 218-398-7181

9/14-9/16, Pris Buttler Workshop , Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699.

10/5, The Nebraska Fall Hook In! Watch this newsletter for details and vendor spotlights. Mark your calendar and come to Omaha! Contact Dennie Hoffman, 402-297-3996, [email protected] (note new email address).

10/6-10/8, Michele Micarelli Workshop (full, but you can get on our waiting list), Omaha, Nebraska, Dennie Hoffman, 402-297-3996, [email protected] (note new email address).

10/12-10/14, Anita White Workshop , Milford, Nebraska (west of Lincoln), Jan Hall, [email protected]

10/14-10/19, Rock River Ruggers Camp, in its 31st year, t eachers Jeanne Benjamin, Carol Kassera, Dorothy Huse, Sibyl Osicka and Sharon Saknit, Rockford, Illinois, Joan Reckwerdt, [email protected] or Jenny Podlasek [email protected]

10/26 - 10/28, Diane Stoffel Workshop , Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699.

11/4-11/9, Hooking and Looking Rug Seminar* , t eachers Lisanne Miller (Cushing & Co.), Katie Allman, and Diane Stoffel, Inn On The Lakes, Sebring, Florida, Joan Reckwerdt, [email protected] or Anne Eastwood, [email protected]

11/9 - 11/11, Donna Hrkman Workshop , Valley, Nebraska, Janice Lee, [email protected], 402-359-2699. [If you like Donna's monochromatic rugs above, or those by her students, please remember that you can choose to hook a monochromatic rug for this workshop.]

11/10-11/16, Rug Hooking Getaway* , Natchez, Mississippi, teachers Carrie Martin and Diane Stoffel, contact Carrie Martin, 985-893-3285, [email protected]

* These events occur outside the Midwest, but are offered by a vendor or by a Midwest Rug Hooking event director--so we are including them in hopes that we'll hear from Midwest Rug Hookers on the Move to Wyoming or Tennessee or Florida! Remember--we want photos of your rug hooking trips!

2018 -2019 DATES FOR OUR CALENDAR

Got classes, camps, hook-ins? We would love to include them on our calendar, published again in June and in every issue (except October). Please reply to [email protected] with your dates, event title, (teacher name/s), city and state, contact person, and an email address. You can help us by sending text we can cut and paste and edit.

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Care to Join Us?

It's our goal to connect rug hookers across the Midwest through the Nebraska Fall Hook In, our calendar of Midwest Rug Hooking Events, and this newsletter. We have new events on the drawing board, too. We want the name of our chapter to be a big umbrella that includes members and friends and everyone who loves hooked rugs.

We invite any rug hooker in the Midwest to officially join us and support the efforts of Midwest Rug Hookers. Dues are a dollar per month, only $12 per year, and a mere $21 will make you a member through the end of 2019. Please take a look at our membership form below for the details on joining our chapter of ATHA, the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists.

CLICK HERE FOR MRH MEMBERSHIP,

the details and our membership form.

Spring Crane Migration

In late March, half a million sandhill cranes come to Nebraska, stopping in Kearney to fuel up for their continued trip north. It's an amazing sight and a harbinger of spring for Nebraskans.

ABOVE: Jane Scott's magnificent hooked adaptation

of the Audubon Society illustration, Sandhill Crane.

In Memory of Jane

ABOVE: Jane Scott is at the center of this spontaneous group selfie, December, 2016.

On the morning of St. Patrick's Day, we lost a dear friend. It was difficult news to take in, and during these last days of March, our minds have been filled with memories.

Jane would tell stories that made us stop hooking and go limp with laughter. Sometimes she was laughing so hard herself, she could hardly finish her stories. A group of us met for hooking weekends at a rustic lodge in the country, and on Saturday afternoons, Dennie and Jane would go out the door to church. "Say a prayer for us!" we'd call to them. We would be ready to pour them a glass of wine and serve dinner upon their return. Jane always spoke lovingly of her husband Scotty and their four children. And she made wonderful rugs.

ABOVE: Mola, designed by Norma Batastini and hooked by Jane Scott. Jane made this small and vibrant rug into a pillow. It exemplifies her love of color.

RIGHT: Mary Jo Lahners shared this photo.

Jane had hooked for many years in Ohio. When she and Scotty (a U.S. Air Force family) moved to Plattsmouth, Nebraska, in 2003, she got involved in the Omaha/Lincoln rug hooking community. Several of us have known Jane since we began hooking. While the majority of us were learning in the primitive tradition and limiting ourselves to primarily dull hues, Jane always went her own vibrant way with color.

BELOW: Irises, one of Jane's more recently-completed rugs, which captures three things she loved: her garden, brilliant color, and hooking.

ABOVE: One night around Christmastime, years ago, a few of us met for dinner. Jane shared this rug she had hooked for her daughter, Molly. It was Molly's beloved lab, so striking on a colorful geometric background.

At the mass on March 21st, the priest drew a beautiful analogy about hooked rugs and Jane's life. Jane's rug hooking was mentioned in the memory card. And of course, there were a number of us in attendance at each of the services. Several people stopped us to say, "These must be the hookers," remarking on Jane's love of wool and making rugs. It was a bittersweet morning that only added to our admiration of a life well-lived.

ABOVE: Dennie Hoffman and Becky Pearson, remembering Jane on March 21.

We have included a few of Jane's rugs in this issue. Thanks to her photographer, Scotty, her bluebird is the first rug at the top of this issue. Each of us is grateful to have her loops in our friendship rugs. We savor our happy memories of hooking, traveling, sleeping over, sipping wine, trading recipes, chatting, doing dishes, shopping, laughing, and learning with Jane.

BELOW: Jane at all-day hooking in Omaha in February of 2017, working on Donna Hrkman's dazzling flamingos.

We keep Scotty, the kids, and the grandchildren in our prayers.

We dedicate this spring issue to Jane.

May she rest in peace.

On a Happy Note...

Our Danish-born friend, Karen Greenfield, recently became an American citizen, and at our March gathering at the Harvester, we surprised her. She accepted many little red-white-and-blue gifts and enjoyed Laurie's delicious cherry bars. Karen now has more reason than ever to treasure the block of her friendship rug hooked by Jane.

Congratulations, our fellow American!

Get out in the garden, friends. Shake up your wool room and your imagination. And cherish each other's friendship. We hope your eyes are wide open to all the beauty around you this time of year. Until June...

All our best wishes,

Midwest Rug Hookers  

ABOVE: Rhonda's Bed Rug by Cathy Stephan.

As ever, we thank Cathy of Red Barn Rugs, Wisconsin,

for the image of her Prairie Star runner, used in our masthead above.