Introducing Wool Color Studies

Back in October, I took a week-long rug hooking course at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. I had big plans for this new skill, plans that involved combining other materials and techniques, specifically needle felting. I’ve been needle felting for over 10 years now, and have fallen in love with the texture of wool, so the thought of achieving a whole new level of texture through rug hooking was extremely tempting. During my week at the Folk School, I tried out some preliminary pieces where I hooked wool fabric strips using traditional rug hooking techniques, but I intentionally left gaps and came back to fill those in with needle felted roving. I really loved the combo – it was everything I hoped it would be!

Fast forward to late January. Where did the last 3+ months go? Oh yeah, the holidays! The Folk School feels like ages ago, but I haven’t forgotten my original mission, despite the craziness of the 4th quarter. After returning home from Brasstown in October, I used the remaining funds from my Metropolitan Arts Council grant to purchase the basic supplies needed for rug hooking – a frame, 2 hooks, foundation cloth, curved scissors, etc. This stash of new supplies and tools has been sitting in my studio, waiting for me to return to a normal schedule. Now that the holidays are behind me, and I’m back from my big wholesale tradeshow (Atlanta Gift Show), it’s finally time to dive into this new crafting realm.

I started out small – nothing larger than 8” or so. Practicing on a reasonable scale is purely for my own sanity. If a piece isn’t working, it doesn’t feel like a huge let down when it’s smaller. Plus, I wanted to try out a bunch of different ideas so that’s a lot more manageable when I can finish a piece in a few hours rather than investing in something for a few weeks only to discover I don’t like how it turned out. I’m a beginner in this new medium, and I want to set myself up for success and allow for exploration.

I’m excited to share this new series of mixed media color studies. This first collection is inspired by the colors of gemstones like yellow topaz, aquamarine, kyanite, obsidian, and rose quartz. Each hoop art piece is really about exploring texture and features an overall monochromatic color palette. Each piece has a dyed wool backdrop that sets the tone for the color palette, but also acts as a fantastic foundation cloth. I wasn’t thrilled with the primitive linen look that’s traditionally used for rug hooking, so I tried out a few other options before discovering washed wool fabric. It’s way more expensive to work with, but I love love love how it looks!

Each hoop art piece has rug hooked wool strips, needle felted roving, punch needled yarn (wool, acrylic, chenille, and others) and I also flipped the piece several times throughout so that I can showcase both the “right” and the “wrong” side of the loops. I think it’s so cool how the “wrong” side of the loop can look – it’s so much tighter and shorter, but then the “right” side is so plush and has incredible density. To me, there’s no right or wrong side – it’s all about which texture you’re going for. As for me, I want ALL of the different textures represented!

All wool color studies are available on my website under Fiber Art / Textile Art and I’m also offering a custom option – choose your size and color palette and I’ll make it just for you!