Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week – the class!

Though I love looking at hooked rugs, Archbold OH is a long way to drive. Several years ago I went to Sauder Village and took some workshops. I’ve been hoping ever since to find a class I liked and was delighted to see this one by Ellen Banker – The Unconventional Rug Hookers Guide to Samplers. If you read Rug Hooking Magazine, you have seen her work and read her articles. I’m a big fan so I got signed up.

As part of the class, all the hookers {I know many of you are smiling…} got a sampler to practise on. Ellen demonstrated a variety of techniques and then we hooked them on our sampler. Another project to be continued…

For the next part of the class, we could work on a design of our own or use one of three sampler designs offered by Ellen. Most of us decided to work on an Ellen Sampler. {Though I do have a sampler design, I thought it best to work on Ellen’s and play with mine another time.} Here is one of Ellen’s sampler designs….No. 10. I debated getting this one as I very much like the big carrot and the bunnies. Aren’t the carrots delicious looking?

But in the end, I chose Sampler No. 3 because I like the flower pot and all of Ellen’s quirky birds. I’ve been trying to hook a bit each day and have been playing with the flowers and stems and leaves. The birds are under design review right now. There is a lot of background and I am also wondering if I might add a border. I have done lots of counted cross stitch samplers and they usually have a border. {Less background to hook!}

Should you be interested, Ellen has written a book, Hooked on Words.

As well as a how-to guide, it’s filled with wonderful and quirky samplers she has made. She also researched rugs hooked by other artists and so many inspiring examples are included. An interesting rug often has a story behind it and Hooked on Words is a good read!