Karen Lubahn shows how detailed shading can be accomplished with wool.
Dee-Dee Patrick
Several members (eight in total) of the Rug Hookers of PebbleCreek hit the road again this past month to widen their horizons and hone their skills. They did not venture as far this time, only traveling to Glendale, but this involved full day classes on four consecutive days. The instructor for the program was Diane Stoffel, a world renowned primitive rug hooker for over 20 years. Exposure to this instructor’s techniques ranged from being the initial experience for one member to having taken several classes, and even visiting the Cape Cod home of Ms. Stoffel for another hooker. A couple of students referred to themselves as “groupies” for this master hooker as they rarely miss a class when she comes to the valley.
Topics covered included a dyeing demo referred to as “spot dyeing” to creating “show binding” or the ultimate finishing for your worked wool rug. What makes this instructor so valuable is that she meets the student where that student is at and can provide guidance on most any technique. Her sense of shading and color is remarkable as can be seen in the rug Karen Lubahn received guidance on – working on the details and shading of a face.
Some of the best pieces of advice provided by Diane included: an artist’s need to sometimes step back from the work and look at the larger picture; need to use nature as a guide, i.e., shading a sky darker at the top and not hooking water features in straight lines and hooking at an angle to show position changes. Many rug hookers tend to be somewhat perfectionistic and Ms. Stoffel encouraged students to keep going and not continually tear out and rework areas. She said it often comes out just fine in the end and actually requires a larger area be worked in order to see the full effect of the colors and design.
Stop in and see what the PC Rug Hookers are working on. We welcome your visit and would be happy to show you how the craft is done. The Rug Hookers meet every Monday afternoon from noon to 4:00 p.m. in the Diamondback Room of the Creative Arts Center. For further information contact me, Dee-Dee Patrick, at [email protected] or phone me at 708-494-0008.