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my blog: Laura's Loop
My training began shortly after I was born. My mother, Emma Webber, was always hooking rugs. She was back in Ohio visiting her folks in 1948, when her mother taught her to hook rugs. With a Log Cabin pattern tied on a lath frame and Aunt Em's hook, Emma hooked her first rug. The lath frame was awkward and cumbersome and Emma quickly learned to hook without it. Back in southern Oregon where we lived, my mother hooked rugs for our family home, a log cabin in Applegate. She also hooked personal rugs for each member of the family. Emma also started braiding rugs and enjoyed both methods of creating artistic furnishings. By the time I was a teenager, Emma was still braiding rugs, but hooking Art. Growing up with this artistic mother, I assumed that I too, would make rugs at some point in my life.
Early in 1996 Emma was invited to join a new ATHA Rug Hooking Guild, Wine Country Rug Hookers, that was starting in Santa Rosa, Ca. Since I had recently quit working, I had more time to spend with my mother. We decided it was time for me to learn Rug Hooking and we would attend a meeting of this new guild. We were not sure we would enjoy 5 hours with a group of women we had never met, but it was great fun. We met at each other's home once a month and shared information about Rug Hooking techniques and events. It was fun meeting these other women; we found we had some things in common and other things that were quite outside our experience. I learned to hook rugs by observing, listening and gleaning as much information as I could get. We demonstrated at the Sonoma County Fair and I learned alot from the questions that were asked. My mother wanted me to learn to hook the correct way , not like her. She felt her method was too rough and textured so she wouldn't teach me. She is a colorist though and her rugs are beautiful! After attending a McGown Rug Show in Sacramento that October, I was hooked.
I have served as Treasurer, Historian, and President of our wonderful ATHA guild! I began teaching Rug Hooking in April 2003 and attending McGown Teachers' Workshop - Western Division in Eugene, OR. each June. I have enjoyed working with all the talented teachers that attend and have gained confidence and experience while earning my McGown Accreditation. I started directing Little River Inn Rug Camp in October 2004 and enjoy hosting the best little rug camp in California each year! Lately, I have been busy re-organizing the Monterey Bay Rug Camp at Asilomar in Pacific Grove. It was a long time McGown Rug School but will continue independently under my direction from now on. Please lend me your support by attending this rug camp on the beautiful Monterey Coast.