Fabric of My FamilyI remember as a little girl playing under the quilt set up in my grandmother's kitchen. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all quilters and rug braiders. My love for textiles was inherited. When I was about 7 years old my grandmother bought me pillow cases to embroider and so I was introduced to the art of needlework. I have been working with fabric in one form or another ever since. |
The Wool Studio booth at Sauder Village, Ohio 2009. For more information about the Sauder show please visit www.saudervillage.org/specialevents/rughooking.asp |
I have created quite a few counted cross stitch samplers on linen, which of course needed grained frames to stay in keeping with the historic feel of the sampler. This led me to take a class in faux painting at Landis Valley Farm Museum in Lancaster, PA. One thing led to another and before I know it I was graining frames for the other artists, and eventually setting up at Folk Art shows on the East Coast.
Early American Life
My grained stacking chests were featured in Early American Life's 6th Annual Directory of Crafts in 1991. What a thrill that was! In 1993 things got even better when I was contacted by Oxmoor House to see if I might be interested in being featured in their American Country Christmas issue. Looking back at the article I realized my two earliest rugs were on display in the background. I never guessed where my love of rug hooking would take me.
Too Much Wool
As any good rug hooker will tell you, they have way too much wool. I was no different. The owner of the little fabric store where I shopped realized it too. He asked if I couldn't sell wool to my friends. But, how would I do that? With my list of fellow students from Green Mountain Rug Camp I sent out 60 mailers back in August of 1999. Ten years later I am sending out more than 800 mailers every 3 months and that number increases with each mailing. Think about that... 800 mailers times 18 staples = 14,400 staples. Be patient, it is very time consuming.
Growing Pains
The Wool Studio's growth has been slow but steady. In the beginning I would go to a warehouse close to New York City and choose from the stacks of fabrics that had been stored there (some probably for a very long time). Over the years I have depleted the inventory there and had to search elsewhere for a supplier. I tried numerous mills in the States and really wanted to support "made in the USA". That was not to be. Not one of those mills understood or tried hard enough to get the correct weight and color. The mills overseas were a different story.
We are now working with two mills. They are doing a fantastic job of hand dying the wool yarns to create the perfect plaids and textures rug hookers are demanding. With Wool Studio woolens you can create heirloom rugs without spending time in the dye pot.