It's 2009, and the first year that high-resolution digital images could be uploaded for submission and judging. The Celebration staff observed that they were seeing more and more rugs in the Original Designs and Adaptation categories. This issue featured a look at decorating with rugs in the 1860s Pennsylvania home of Linda Malarney. And, it's the second year that the Celebration rugs were displayed at Sauder Village!

Most important, of course, were the artists of Celebration 2009. And here they are!

read more

It's the 20th Anniverary edition! Celebration of Hand-Hooking Rugs XX welcomes editor Debra Smith and sharpens its focus on rugs as works of art worthy of attention completely on their own, beyond any utilitarian purpose. Flip through this book and you'll find it's nothing less than an an art catalog that showcases each work to the best possible advantage. Here's to the artists of 2010!

read more

The year is 2011, and RHM/Celebration editor Debra Smith reminds us of the lasting value of this annual book:

"It documents and preserves your pieces for generations to come. Decades from now—perhaps even into the next century—textile artists, your descendents, and all who love beautiful work will see these masterpieces." We're so honored to be a part of keeping the legacy alive.

Celebrating the rug hooking textile artists of Celebration XXI!

read more

Here we are in 2012—a year in which we received more entries from Texas and California than from any other location. A busy year for rug hookers in the Southwest and West Coast! And rug hookers all over the world had the chance to admire and learn from their work in this issue.

Here's to the artists from EVERYWHERE in Celebration XXII!

read more

It's 2013, and this edition has not one but two entries from rug hookers who chose to set aside individual projects and submit a group project under a group name. Throughout history, unnamed artists have enriched us and our world. Here's to all of the "Anonymous was a Rug Hooker" artists whose legacy continues to inspire us!  And here's to the artists of Celebration XXIII!

read more

Well, here we are at 2014. Not so hard to "remember" these artists—their work is still so fresh in our minds! Even the titles instantly evoke images from last year's issue. We did note that fully a third of the artists in the book were from Canada, but one thing 25 years of Celebration has taught us—rug hooking is a caring, inventive, and exciting community of textile artists that spans the globe. The only real borders? Those finishes around the edges that hold our rugs together! Here's to the artists of Celebration XXIV!

read more

 Rug Hooking magazine editor Debra Smith, left, shares images of her recent visit to Scotland. This entry: Harris Tweed to the max! This is the final of Debra's three blog posts on Scotland. Thanks for coming along! Photos courtesy of Kathleen Eckhaus.

We wanted to visit Harris Tweed weavers in the Outer Hebrides, off the coast of western Scotland. This is an extraordinary weaving system, a cottage industry proudly supported by the Crown and the government.

In order to earn the Harris Tweed label, a woven length of wool must be totally processed in the Hebrides, on the Isles of Harris and Lewis.

That means first, the wool itself must be Scottish wool. Then, it must be carded, dyed, cleaned, spun, and woven there—every step done on these two small islands.

Lots and lots of local people have looms in their home or out back in a shed, and you can hear the distinctive sound of the pedals and the beater throughout the isles.

Remember felter Ruth Black? She's a Harris Tweed weaver!

A shop along the back road in Skye. The owner, a seamstress and designer, shows off her Harris Tweed creations. Some of those bits and bobs in the bin by her side will be showing up in my hooked rugs.

Once wool yardage that has been woven in these island homes earns the Harris Tweed label, it is sold from the finishing mills to design houses around the world.

 Go to any upscale shop in Edinburg, London, New York, or Paris and you will find the rough-and-ready, beautifully distinctive Harris Tweed clothing and accessories.

What an amazing tradition, what a beautiful product. I brought home a few "mementos" of the trip, purchased on the islands, right where they originated. My Scottish treasures.

But of course, the greatest treasures are the memories of the wonderful weavers and textile artists throughout the country, on the mainland and beyond, and the haunting Scottish landscapes.

Thomas KilBride, a weaver on the far western coast of Scotland. His shop is on a lonely road miles and miles from the nearest village, out in the moors among the sheep.

read more

What a beautiful late-summer week at Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week!

Mark your calendar for next year: Wednesday - Saturday, August 17 - 20, 2016—with some retreats starting on Tuesday, as well.

We have so many great memoriesfrom Celebration's 25th anniversary, and we are looking foward to celebrating Rug Hooking Week's own 20th anniversary next year!

And now we just want to leave you with answers to some FAQs from the show:

1. What if I received a damaged copy of Celebration XXV in the mail?

Everyone who received an advance copy of CelebrationXXV (Book Club members, Celebration winners, advertisers) will automatically receive a new copy. There was a problem this year with the printing of some of the books, but we couldn't track which ones. So everyone will receive a replacement copy, just to be safe.

2. I'm ready to enter Celebration26! What do I do?

You'll find rules and an entry form in the September/October issue, and a link on the website, beginning September 1. Entries will begin to be accepted on September 1.

3. What about the Wool Bomb?

It was great! And you will read all about it in the November/December issue of RHM -- that's the earliest we can get it in! Thanks to all of the past Celebration winners who submitted such wonderful leaves! The installation, created by the amazing Kathy Wright, also received the Sauder Award!!! We are so grateful!

See you next year!

read more

(We are honored to be permitted to repost this practical and helpful blog post from Mariah Krauss, of Green Mountain Hooked Rugs! If you would like to leave a comment for Mariah, visit her original blog post HERE.)

Almost every rug hooker has a preferred cut they use, but not every pattern calls for the same cut. So how do you decide what cut to use and when to use it? There's not always a simple or obvious answer, but it's a question we get all the time! Here are a few ideas and tips to help you get the creative juices flowing.

 If you're new to rug hooking you might be wondering, "What in the world is a cut?" A cut refers to the width of the strip of fabric you're using when hooking. Cuts for rug hooking can range from a #2 cut (2/32nds of an inch) to a #10 cut (10/32nds of an inch) and beyond! Some people even hand cut their strips in order to get the widest cuts.

 When thinking about what cut to hook in, I keep a few things in mind.

First and foremost, I think about the pattern I am working on. If there are small objects with a defined shape I know I need to hook those in a smaller cut or risk them looking like blobs. If there are objects with lots of very particular detail like a face then I know that I want to hook those in a smaller cut in order to have more control over the effect. If there are objects that are close together, you are going to want to think about using a smaller cut and hooking inside the line (instead of right on the line) to keep the detail.

Think about the wool you want to use.  Many plaids, tweeds, and herringbones fray when cut in a #3 or #4 cut, but are beautiful on a #5, #6 cut or anything larger.  If you are hooking in a small cut solids tend to be better (dyed wool counts as a solid because it started out as a white or natural).  If you are in doubt, test a little out on your cutter to see how it will actually work.  (there are exceptions to every rule, so don’t take this as gospel).

Think about the time you want to invest.  The bears border pattern below can support a size 8 cut or a size 3 if you prefer, but the size 3 will take you three times as long to hook.   How much time do you want to put into it and how much time do you have?  For some people, like my sister Lindsay, it is very important to finish rugs, if she had hooked this bear rug in a 3 she may have never finished it and been discouraged and may have never hooked again!  I am hooking a rug right now that’s about 3’x4’ and I am hooking the whole thing in a 2 – I have been working on it for a year and am only a third of the way done.  It takes longer to hook in a small cut… keep that in mind when deciding what cut to hook in.

Hand hooked by Lindsay Krauss in 2015 on a number 8 cut.

Think about the effect you want. Sometimes I want every detail of a portrait captured in which case I use a small cut with a finely shaded swatch, but sometimes I want a more primitive, folk inspired look and so I use a larger cut. Often times I mix cuts in my piece so that I can achieve different effects in different places.

Don’t be afraid to mix sizes in a rug!   Don’t think you have to hook your entire rug in the same cut. The one thing to remember when mixing cuts is that smaller cut loops need to be pulled a bit higher or larger cut loops may need to be a bit shorter so that they all reach the same height.

Does anyone else have tips they use for decided what size to hook in?  Please share your thoughts on the original post on Green Mountain's blog!

read more