Monday 25 March 2024

Kaffe Fassett - the World of Colour


The Northumberland Rug Hookers will be holding an in-person workshop with Karen Kaiser:  

Kaffe Fassett - the world of colour.

May 6, 2024
10:00- 2:00

Grace Church, 440 King St E, Cobourg.

We have a couple of spaces available if you’d like to join us.  The cost will be $60 (payable to the Northumberland Rug Hookers) plus $45 for the kit* (payable to Karen Kaiser on the day of the class).

Deadline for registration is April 8.

The class will cover
1. a discussion of colour, hue, value contrast and how to use colour to make your work eye catching.
2. We will talk a little about colour planning.
3. We will discuss hooking techniques and improving your results.
4. Karen will demonstrate how to mitre your corners for a neat finish.




*The photo directly above shows the 7 choices for kits. Cost is $45.00.  It will include 
  1. Pattern on linen
  2. Cut wool to complete the hooking
  3. Yarn for finishing the edges






Thursday 21 March 2024

Semi-Local Fibre Events

Spring can’t be far away…..despite what the weather is telling us! Just look at the number of upcoming fibre-y events in our general area:

April 5:  Opening of Wanda Elliot’s display of rugs at These 4 Walls in Trenton is on April 5.  Originally from Newfoundland, Wanda is a member of the Campbellford Rug Hookers.  Here’s a link with a few more details.

April 6-28:  A Textile Sampler, from Gather In The County. This looks to be an interesting display of all things textile, with artist talks and demonstrations each Sunday.  Full info can be found here.


April 13:  The Peterborough Hand Weavers and Spinners are hosting a fibre event in Peterborough.  It promises to have lots of opportunities for shopping (20+ vendors!) and ogling wondrous creations!  Carol Shewan will even be there!  Details here and on facebook.

Until April 27:  And don’t forget Laura Kenney’s show at the Art Gallery of Northumberland - all things JUDY!



June 15:  Gather in the County is a new annual market, taking place at the historic Crystal Palace in Picton, Ontario.  Gather will feature an indoor/outdoor market providing our visitors with an exciting and innovative gathering of textile makers, small batch producers, indie dyers, artists, collectors and community guilds producing a wide range of handmade textile wares + supplies.   More info can be found here!


Mark your dance cards now for these wonderful events!



Friday 15 March 2024

Snippets from A Cup of Conversation



The Art Gallery of Northumberland does artist talks with most of their shows.  Called A Cup of Conversation, it’s a great way to meet the artist and learn about their work.

March 2 was the designated day for the talk with Laura Kenney, and it was a wonderful and very engaging  time - for rug hookers and muggles alike.

I filmed it, but had to stand to do it, and as a result it’s a very jiggly prospect to watch.  However, I’ve selected out some snippets for your viewing enjoyment.  Here’s the first installment:

The full show is available on Laura Kenney’s facebook page, or on our youtube channel….

I’ll post more snippets in the next little while.

The Art Gallery of Northumberland show of Laura’s works is on until April 27 in downtown Cobourg.


Sunday 10 March 2024

They Got Hooked!


(This post & photos - courtesy of Brenda Ashton - thanks!)

We had a wonderful afternoon demonstrating primitive rug hooking for the second time this year at the Port Hope Library.  We had 16 eager learners and 5 hookers to share their hooking knowledge with others!  It was a perfect rainy afternoon fun.

Many thanks to the Port Hope Library, and to the trainers for their time, and to the trainees who braved the weather!













Saturday 2 March 2024

Laura Kenney, Live!


The Art Gallery of Northumberland held the grand opening of their latest exhibition “Judy” by Laura Kenney, featuring a wonderful series of hooked works of art.

The display is a fantastic and inspiring series about issues important to the main character, Judy - covering topics like climate change, women’s issues, Nova Scotia, etc.  Olinda Casimiro, Executive Director of the Gallery hosted the opening event, and introduced Michael Maynard, Board Chair, as well as Cobourg Mayor, Lucas Cleveland.  Then Laura Kenney took the “stage” and told us about herself, her alter ego, Judy, and much more!  We’ll feature more on Laura’s talk in a subsequent post.

Board Chair Michael Maynard

Mayor Lucas Cleveland


Executive Director Olinda Casimiro

Artist Laura Kenney

The event was very well attended - standing room only!  A few folks even dressed in black/red boots, just like their hero Judy!**


Here are some photos of folks enjoying the show! Thank you to everyone who came out to help make this such a success. (And thanks to Brenda Ashton for several of these snaps.)  



















Monday 26 February 2024

Oops!

 


The talk with Laura Kenney on March 2 starts at 1 pm, not 2 pm as previously stated!  Don’t miss out on this one!

Saturday 17 February 2024

Save the Date: Laura Kenney at the AGN

We’re soooo excited!  Laura Kenney, rug hooker extraordinaire from Nova Scotia, will be exhibiting her works at the Art Gallery of Northumberland this spring!  Details will be available shortly, but in the meantime, please save March 2 at 2 pm in your calendars for a very special event at the AGN in downtown Cobourg.

Here’s Laura’s bio, from her website:

Laura Kenney was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, but her roots are in Nova Scotia. Kenney has been creating and exhibiting hooked rugs as a professional artist for 21 years in her studio in Truro, NS. While rug hooking has a long tradition of artistic production in Nova Scotia, it is often seen only as a form of decorative craft. Kenney's work bridges these lines of fine craft, contemporary art, and folk traditions.

Kenney received juried status with the Nova Scotia Craft Council in 2010. Her works Morning Routine and Waiting for the Cat to Let Her Out were purchased by the Nova Scotia Art Bank for their permanent collection. In 2016, Kenney had her first solo show at the Mary E. Black Gallery in Halifax, and a selection of Kenney's work was included in Terroir, a survey of art in Nova Scotia at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

If you’re not familiar with Laura’s work, here are several goodies that may be of interest:

- a interview from 2023 - Billie Magazine

- another interview on Ragged Life Blog

Here’s the image she currently features on her website (“Funeral Procession”):


You can find Laura on:

- her website,

- her blog

- facebook, and

- instagram.


The Art Gallery of Northumberland is located in Cobourg, in historic Victoria Hall.  Here’s a snippet from their website:   

The mandate of the Art Gallery of Northumberland is to promote and provide access to art and related programs as a community gallery for the enjoyment and education of the people of Northumberland County.

We exist to serve all of Northumberland County as a public gallery. We present intellectually stimulating exhibitions and programming, as well as maintain a permanent collection of visual arts. Along with exhibitions we fulfill our mandate through educational activities which encourage active dialogue between the Gallery audience and the visual arts; including lectures, films, workshops, artist talks and tours.

Hope to see you on March the 2nd!

Monday 12 February 2024

Wet Felting with Resist


This past Thursday, our Laurie taught several others her wet felting technique…..it was a very physical class (see the video!), but looks like a good time was had by all!


Basically, you take wool roving/fleece and wrap it around a small balloon (the “resist”), encase it in pantyhose, and then apply friction, water, soap and a bunch of your energy to make the felted fabric.  The actual instructions are a whole lot more involved than that, but you get the general idea.   The end result was a small bowl/vessel.


Laurie did a great job of leading everyone through the process!