Attendees at workshop display their projects.
Dee-Dee Patrick
Several members of the Rug Hookers of PebbleCreek attended a four-day workshop in late March. The class was hosted by Priscilla Sharp who opened up her home to not only accommodate all the attendees but also the class instructor, Diane Stoffel. Diane and Priscilla have known one another for many years dating back to when they both resided on the East Coast. Diane has remained there and currently lives in Massachusetts.
Four full days of individual guidance and group instruction were provided by this seasoned and gifted artist. We found the suggestions for color combinations when working our hand hooked wool rugs as especially helpful. Diane is a true master of knowing what colors complement each other and how to make a design unique and eye catching. Her ability to accomplish shading in challenging areas such as facial features and natural scenes such as sky and sea was impressive. Diane instructed us to use our own awareness of objects as they exist in the world and study photos of items we want to capture on canvas.
Comments from club members were along a similar vein – “I never would have chosen this color fabric or thought that it would look so good!” Many “aahs” and “ohs” were heard throughout the workshop. These sounds also were repeated while we ate some of the tasty foods prepared and shared by club members. Mardelle’s chili was awesome and we await her recipe.
In addition to working on our individual projects, we spent time on the patio watching Diane spot-dye several pieces of wool. The finished products were unexpected and beautiful. They were color combinations you could never purchase in store-bought fabric pieces.
Stop by and see some of this enthusiasm. Who knows? You just might catch it! The rug hookers meet every Monday afternoon from noon to 4:00 p.m. in the Diamondback Room in the Creative Arts Center. For further information, contact our current club President Dee-Dee Patrick at [email protected] or phone her at 708-494-0008.