Quiet Corner Rug Show

We had another successful rug show on Saturday up in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut.  We love this show held at the Woodstock Fairgrounds.  It's a nice drive, meandering through the farm fields in the eastern part of the state, and the people are so helpful and sweet.  This year, Quiet Corner Rug Guild member Kathleen Herbert spoke about her collection of antique rugs, including several Waldoboro and Frost rugs, and even a couple of Grenfells.  I wanted to take them all home with me.

I am getting lazy about taking photographs, relying solely on my phone these days, so I apologize;  I have to get back in the swing of things.  Here are a few snapshots of the day, which was sunny and warm.  Summer is really here.

Nancy Jewett's beautiful wall of wool

The basket of flowers on the bottom is one of my designs, hooked by Betsy Engel

Our booth

Another view of our booth

Report from Fairfield

What may be the last Fairfield-Grace Rug Show -- after 52 years - has come and gone.  Its sad to see it end.  This was the very first rug show I ever attended, back when I first started hooking 22 years ago.  I met a wonderful woman on Saturday named Joan who has attended 51 of the 52 rug shows sponsored by the church!  My pins were a big hit this year, so I gave one to Joan to commemorate all her years of service to the church and to the rug show. 

As I was saying goodbye to everyone, I heard a rumor that the ever enthusiastic Michele Micarelli (who's looking really great these days!) is going to try to come up with a way to save the show from extinction.  If anyone can do that, its Michele.

I was a bit too busy to take many photographs, but I did get a few.  Nancy Gallagher hooked many of these.  I'd like to meet her -- she is perhaps the most prolific hooker ever.  I am partial to the black, white, gray and red rug below.

I loved this trout and the striped bass hooked by Brenda Andersen of Black Bear Primitives.  She also hooked a large and fabulous Halloween rug featuring a skeleton that I didn't get a pic of.

Here's a few photos of our booth -- which was actually a whole room, so we were rather spread out.

And here's a yard of wool I bought from Nancy Jewett of Fluff and Peachy Bean, who loves color even more than I do!  This is called Teal Forest, but it makes me think of the Caribbean.  I don't often buy wool from other people, because I dye my own, or have my sister Barb dye it for me, but this piece was calling to me across the hallway.

This runner was hooked by Nancy de Michele, one of our favorite customers.  She hooked two of my patterns -- Juggling Jack and Juggling Cat -- added a center piece and turned it into a runner! 

Visiting the Quiet Corner of Connecticut

Quiet Corner Rug Show at the Woodstock Fairgrounds

I'm pleased to say that Barb and I had a successful show on Saturday. The Quiet Corner ATHA guild, in the northeast corner of Connecticut, is a most welcoming and wonderful bunch of rug hookers. Thanks to Heather, Bob, Kevin, and all the members of the guild for helping us unload, set up, and knock down.

Rug shows are not simply a place for us sell stuff -- they are where we visit with old friends and new. It is such a treat to meet people who read our blogs and view our work on etsy or on the web shows we participate in. Naomi, our compatriot from PRHG (Primitive Rug Hookers group on eBay) stopped by for a visit, as did Judy and Susan from my guild here on Long Island, the Peconic Ruggers, and Barbara from LIGRA, the other Long Island rug guild. Barb's rug hooking pals came, too: Mary, Carol, Kathy and Stephanie. Stephanie just completed her first rug, which I'm honored to say is my pattern, One Fish, Two Fish. It is a thrill to see my patterns interpreted by someone else. Stephanie did a fabulous job. She's going to hook my mermaid pattern next, which, at 26 x 48 inches is no small feat for a beginning rug maker.

One Fish, Two Fish, hooked by Stephanie Kinsley Patterson

We also love reuniting with fellow vendors who travel the same circuit we do. We were lucky enough to be right next to Nancy Jewett of Fluff and Peachy Bean Designs from Vermont.

Jane Griswold and Nancy Jewett of Fluff and Peachy Bean Designs

Rosalie and her husband Don from Amityville General Store drove up from Long Island. Rosalie carries a great selection of Woolrich wool and those hard-to-find white enamel pots we love to use for dyeing.

Amityville General Store

The Quiet Corner guild hooked a lovely rug to raffle . . . I really wanted to win this, but no such luck! Here it is with guild member Nancy Zeuse, who I met years ago at the ATHA Region 1 Rug School:



And here are a few photos of our booth. Barb always make us look great! This was the first time we used the grid walls that Jen of Mojo's Place kindly gave to me. (Hi, Jen! Many thanks! Hope you are feeling better!)






Our next show is closer to home: the LIGRA show on Saturday, September 26 at the Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow in Melville, New York. Hope we see you there!