The Joys of Copyright

Copyright is a challenging topic at the best of times.  It’s something that we should be aware of whenever we are starting a new pattern.

(Disclaimer:  I am not a lawyer, nor do i portray one on TV.  When in doubt, ask someone more knowledgeable in order to get the full scoop!)

In the simplest terms, "copyright" means "the right to copy." In general, copyright means the sole right to produce or reproduce a work or a substantial part of it in any form. (this was taken from the govt of canada website cited below).

I’ve found some great information online which i recommend we all take time to read.  Some of it is a bit long, but well worth while.  

If you want the quick ’n dirty version, there’s a great graphic available from a polymer clay artist named Ginger Davis Allman.  You can see it (much larger!) on her website by clicking here.

If you want to delve a tad deeper on the topic, grab a tea (or the beverage of your choice!) and dig in to the following:

• There’s a great blog post by another rug hooker (Kris Miller from Spruce Ridge Studio in Michigan).  You can read it here (it’s part of an on-going series she wrote about Rug Hooking Etiquette).  Her articles are based on US copyright law, which differs slightly from Canadian law, but for our purposes, we can assume the 2 are identical.  

• If you want a truly Canadian perspective, here’s a link to a great site from the Government of Canada.

• Another good read comes to us from the polymer clay artist named above.  Her information is geared towards clay artists, but there are a lot of similarities to the world of rug hooking.  In particular, she has a good section on “inspired by” and “derived from”.  Click here for her take on copyright.

I’m sure many of you still have questions - perhaps we can continue this dialogue for a while, and learn a bit more about this topic as we go along.

Stay tuned for a future post about sources for copyright-free images.

PEC Fibre Fest

The first ever Prince Edward County Fibre Fest took place this past Saturday in Picton. It was a great day weather-wise and many vendors with lots of lovely things for sale, as my wallet can now attest!

There were 4 vendors specifically devoted to rug hooking (Karen, Carol, Andjareena and Tina), along with others who had scrumptious textured yarns and fleeces and dyes, etc....Demonstrations were given in rug hooking (Quinte Isle Hookers), spinning, machine knitting, needle felting and sheep shearing .   

It was well attended, and i met up with lots of folks you probably know - Hookers, knitters, spinners, and felters.  Look for this event again next year!

Here's a quick video with a few photos. 

Hook-in at Martina Lesar's

Martina Lesar is hosting a hook-in on August 3!  Here's a link to the details on her website. It sounds like she's already had a great response so far - so be sure to rsvp if you want to attend! Here's the text from her email:  The summer of 2017 is shaping up to be a 'summer of firsts' for the studio.  We are hosting our first annual "A Day in the Country" BBQ and hook in.  This free event is our way of thanking you for your continued support. If you haven't been out to the studio, we sit on 50 acres of unspoiled rolling hills in Caledon, so there is lots of room for you and your rug hooking friends to enjoy our outdoor summer hook in.   Lunch and refreshments will be provided but we ask that you bring a lawn or camp chair.  The studio will be open for your rug hooking needs.  We request that you RSVP through email or by calling the studio.   I hope that you will be able to attend so that I may personally extend my thanks for your support of my little studio.  There will large tent set up for the comfort of our guests.

Rugmaker video

Here's an article and video that is quite interesting. It's about a woman who spins and weaves her own rugs. It's not about rug hooking at all, but a very enjoyable and inspiring 4 minutes.

(Also, check out her fabulous skirt in the last few scenes!)

Here's a link to her website, if you want to know more.

Annual Potluck

Just a quick reminder that our Annual Pot Luck Lunch is this coming Monday, May 29th 10-2? at Grace Church in Cobourg.  Karen Kaiser will be there with lots of wool for sale. Please contact her if you have some specific needs, just click the link hooking.kaiser@gmail.com and I'm sure she will be able to accommodate you!
See you Monday!!!
We have lots to talk about!!!!

Workshop on Kaffe Fassett by Karen Kaiser

Some of us including our own Audrey Shewan were fortunate enough to take a workshop offered by Karen Kaiser on Kaffe Fassett.  This is a beautiful example of his work hooked by Audrey Shewan, just love all the colours!  This was a 2 hour workshop! I am so impressed how quickly this was finished.

Rembering our Dear Friend Janet Snelgrove

Here is an article posted in the newspaper of our dear friend Janet Snelgrove who passed away almost a year ago.  The photo captures her personality, always smiling and always having something to say or an opnion on something, we had alot of laughs! We miss her dearly!
Sorry about the photo I can't seem to put it upright!  Janet would be laughing at me right now! and she wouldn't care!  [photo is now fixed!]

Flowers from the Annual

If you attended  the OHCG Annual this year in Cobourg, you probably noticed  the lovely flower pins many of the volunteers were wearing.

These came  to us courtesy of Dora Burnie (that's her, featured in the post below this one!)  She made a LOT of them and donated them to our cause.  They were a big hit, and we had  many requests for the pattern.

The instructions below are suitable for someone with some experience crocheting.

(A transcript of Dora's notes can be found below the photo.)

FLOWER

Chain 6 - join (ring)
1 round:  chain 3, 3 dc in ring; turn, chain 3, dc in ea of next 4 dc petal rnds
Turn, chain 3, * working behind the petal, 4 dc in ring
Turn, chain 3, 1 dc in ea of next 4 dc
Turn, chain 3, rep from * 6 times more

- put crochet yellow centre - glue it (Dora says she made the equivalent  of a popcorn bobble for the centre and glued it in place)
- adjust petal to look nice - may want to turn opposite way

Here's another photo without the centre which shows the rows a little better.

Quilting Show

Dora Burnie

Here is Dora at a Canadian Inspired Quilting Show marking our 150th Birthday !  Looks like a fun day and alot of Canada inspired creations!

Rug Hooking Guild channels Maud Lewis’ works

Click on the link below to read a great article on Maude Lewis and rug hooking.  Pictured above is Donna Wheeldon's latest.

Rug Hooking Guild channels Maud Lewis’ works:

In addition to art galleries and movie screens, the work of Nova Scotia’s beloved folk artist Maud Lewis also finds itself on burlap or linen so rug hookers can work on pieces with pride and joy.

Funny Poem

My housework suffered during the Annual.  Did yours, too?  Frankly, I'll use any excuse not to do that kind of thing!

I came across the poem below the other day and thought it was amusing, but true.  It comes to us from the Gator Rug Hooking Group in Sebastian, Florida.  They have a very nice website and blog which you can find by clicking here.

Ode to My Wife, the Hooker

By Cyvia Simmons

​She learned to hook on Monday, her loops were going fine.She forgot to thaw our dinner, so we went out to dine. 

She hooked pretty daisies Tuesday, she said they were a must.
They really were quite lovely, but she forgot to dust. 

On Wednesday it was strawberries, she said the fingering’s were fun.
What highlights!  And what Shadows!  But the laundry wasn’t done. 

She hooked apples on a Thursday, so juicy, bright, and red.
I guess she really got engrossed for she forgot to make the bed. 

It was violets on Friday, in colors she adores.
It never bothered her at all that crumbs were on the floor. 

I hired a maid on Saturday, so my week was now complete.
My wife could hook for hours, yet the house would still be neat. 

Well, it’s already Sunday, and I’ve gone by the book.
I’ve cursed, I’ve raved, I’ve raged, my wife taught the maid to hook.
Oh Lord, one more project!

Pics from the Annual

Dianne's expression says it all - tired & happy all at the same time!

Wasn't the Annual fantastic?  There was so much to see and new people to meet.  Most of us were pretty exhausted by the end of it all, but it was fun.  It's a good thing, tho, that this event only comes around once a year!

We've started to upload our pictures to the blog, and we need to organize them a bit, add captions, etc, but you're welcome to take a look.  You can click on the tab above that says: OHCG 2017 Annual at any time, or, click here.

Also, if you have photos you want to share, let us know and we can add them to the blog.

Award Winners

At the OHCG Annual hookers who wish to have their rugs judged by OHCG assigned judges may submit them for consideration in one of several different categories:  Fine Cut, Wide Cut, Multi Cut, Primitive, Pictorial, Oriental, Alternative, Original and Beginners.  Each rug is listed and receives a special tag, noting its category for judging.

The doors to the exhibition hall are closed at 4 pm on the Friday of the Annual, and the judges fan out to assess the rugs in great detail.  They remove them from the display and examine them very closely - both the front and the back!  When the delegates arrive on Saturday morning, they can see which rugs have won and have ribbons attached to them.

Several folks in our group entered their rugs for judging, and they were fantastic items!  Our very own Iris Vermeulen was awarded the prize in the "Original" category for her "Palm Fronds" rug.  She listed her teacher as Capri Boyle Jones.

Audrey Shewan was awarded an Honourable Mention in the "Fine Cut" category, for a Jane McGown Flynn design called "Ruthie".  Her teacher was her daughter, Carol Shewan.

Ruthie

Audrey explained:

"Carol  needed a student for her McGowan teacher's certificate. Started in 2015 finished  2016. The name of the pattern  is Ruthie. I enjoyed  hooking this rug.  It went back to the school last fall to be judged.  I think they liked it too."

...but wait - there's more!  On the Saturday of the show delegates vote in 2 categories:  Best Theme Rug, for the items submitted for the theme of the show (which was Images of Canada this year); and the Rowan Award for Best in Show.  The votes are tallied up at the end of the day and the winners announced at the gala dinner.

Given that there were almost 1,000 rugs on display over the weekend and in contention for the Rowan Award, you can imagine just how stiff the competition was.

Iris' "Palm Fronds" won the Rowan Award as well!

Iris Vermeulen with the Rowan Trophy and her "Palm Fronds" rug

Here's what she told us about her rug:

"Palm Fronds" is based on a photo that I took of the top of a palm tree, where the fronds grow out of the trunk. I loved the colour of the fronds and the gradation from dark in the centre to the yellow of the new fronds at the top. I was very happy that I was able to capture the colour in a painterly manner. Each frond contains wool strips that are the same value but not the same colour. 

Capri Boyle Jones is a McGown accredited teacher from northern Florida. She was teaching at The Ragg Tyme School of Rug Hooking in 2015. Her work has been featured in "Rug Hooking Celebrations"  many times."

Congratulations are in order to all of the winners!

A PEAK AT THE ANNUAL 2017

  

Dianne already !

                                                         setting up the display

                                                              the "before!

                                                            beautiful rugs!