Archive -- October 2006

Newtown Rug Show
October 17th, 2006 / News, Road Trips, Suppliers and Teachers / No comments
The 5th Annual Newtown, CT Rug Show is coming up quickly — Saturday, October 28 at Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane, Newtown, CT. Come shop 35 vedors (including me and my sister Barbara), particiate in the rug show and a mini workshop with Michele Micarelli, and listen to a lecture, “Imagination without Limits,” by Linda Rae Coughlin. Call 203-270-8293 or email nmh1792@hotmail.com for more information.
Don’t forgot the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival this weekend in Rhinebeck, NY!


Fairfield Grace Rug Show 2006
October 9th, 2006 / News, Road Trips / No comments
This rug show, presented by the Fairfield-Grace Episcopal Church in Fairfield, Connecticut, is the very first rug show I ever attended. That was about 16 years ago — and I was thrilled with it. I had never seen so many hooked rugs in one room before, and Jule Marie Smith’s rugs were a real stand out. That was when I first realized a rug hooker could have a signature look, could be a real artist with wool. And the vendors! Room after room was filled with hand-dyed wool and dyes and hooks and books and rug hookers! I was overwhelmed and enthralled.
This year’s show was a disappointment. There were very few rugs on display, and some of them were in the show last year. And I’ve always disliked the way they are displayed — rough 2 x 4s nailed together to make a frame. That wasn’t a big issue for me in the past because they had enough rugs to cover the frame completely. This year it just looked bad and bare.
They also adhere to the practice of labeling the rugs with scraps of paper with the name of the hooker, designer and teacher and pinning that label to the corner of the rug. This drives me crazy. I believe the labels should be typed and printed out (and with the technology available today that’s not a difficult thing to do) and placed beside the rug, just like they do in a museum or gallery or at the show at the Shelburne. I was also taken aback by the label for a lovely hooked rendition of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The label gave the name of the hooker and the woman who COPIED it onto backing for her, but Vincent Van Gogh’s name was nowhere to be seen! The rug was lovely, and well done, but credit should be given — ALWAYS– to the original artist.
There are still many vendors available — they may be what keep people coming despite the dearth of rugs. They have a featured speaker each year, but I never stay that long. (I like to get there, shop, look at the rugs, and then be on my way to visit family.) Their door prizes are quite popular. Each vendor donates a prize and each viewer is given a numbered ticket when they pay the entrance fee. The drawing is held in the afternoon, after the guest speaker.
I think, perhaps, the reason for this rug show’s decline is just temporary. Old rug hookers retire, new ones come along. So I’ll keep going to this venerable old show. You should, too.


New York Sheep and Wool Festival
October 3rd, 2006 / News, Road Trips / No comments
Come join my sister Barbara and I at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York, on October 21 and 22, 2006. We’ll be selling hand-hooked rugs, hand-dyed wool and other rug hooking supplies, needle punch supplies and my sister’s whimsical woolen holiday ornaments. For directions and more info go to www.sheepandwool.com.