Sun Rise and My Great-Great Grandmother A personal story from Gretchen, a recent addition to Vermont's rug hooking family.       My first rug hooking project was an 8"x8" floral kit which gave me “firsts” in everything from how to achieve the proper tension on the frame, to how to create a row of loops that did not resemble lumpy porridge. The pattern challenged me with rounded flower petals, pointed leaves, and tight spaces, while offering me a lesson in how to push through self-doubt. My second project was a 10"x 20" blank can ..read more

    by Stephanie Allen-Krauss, 2019 For the past ten years I’ve been designing and hooking geometric rugs… and loving them! I’ve learned a few things along the way and incorporated some new techniques taught to me by others. My geometrics are pretty big so before starting a large project, I experiment with a small sample. In this way I can play with the size of the shapes and the color plan.    Sample: 18" x 24" I started my latest project about 4 months ago by determining the size that would fit well in the long hall being redecorated. The finished runner needed to be 28 ..read more

            Let’s face it, finding time to craft is something that haunts us all no matter the season. But it can be especially difficult in those summer months.  Here are 10 things you can do to make time to craft. 10. Pick one time every week.  Things are easier to accomplish when they are habits. My mom spends 1-2 hours every morning hooking. She has done this for as long as I can remember.  Of the family members she is the only one that consistently finishes projects. There is a lesson here.   9. Find a buddy. Projects are more fun t ..read more

Last Spring I fell in love… again, but this time was extra special. I knew I was falling hard for this one as I stepped onto the porch on that warm, sunny day in May. Oh, the delight when I saw the colors overflowing from the totes, and the delicious smell of the linen furled out over the entire length of the deck! The blank canvas ready for my hands. How enamored we rug hookers can be with a new project! Actually any rug on which I’m currently working is generally my favorite, but this rug in particular holds a special place in my heart. For the past 4 years I’ve had the privilege of restor ..read more

Over the last 6 months, I have had the pleasure of getting to know one of our newest team members, Marti Rotchford.  Marti has been coming to Rug School for many years and decided to cross over to the dark side to help us when we are on the road. Marti enjoys drawing and is a pretty great cartoonist it turns out.  So here is the first of many cartoons that we will be featuring on our Blog over the coming months.  Enjoy!   ..read more

   My hooking buddy, Suzi Prather, and I live less than 15 miles apart, so we get together regularly to hook, talk hooking, dip into dye pots, and imagine and plan future projects. During a recent cold snap here in Orlando, I showed up at Suzi’s house with the happy thought of my latest hooking project bundled under my arm. I'm working on Green Mountain Design’s Vermont Cow. I am working on this piece as an example for my 2018 Green Mountain Rug School class on Whimsical Animals! Suzi met me at the door announcing, “Isn't this the perfect day to get into the dye pots?" And so ..read more

I am excited about my upcoming class at Green Mountain Rug School in June, 2018. The class is essentially about developing designs for ourselves from our photos, using the camera as an important tool, and exploring our own creativity. One of my favorite quotes which is on my studio wall is one by Henry Ward Beecher.                    "Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." One of the lessons I have learned from traveling around the world with photography workshops is that we all have an indi ..read more

Yup! That's right. This article is going to teach you to dye like a pro in 5 mins! More likely an amateur, but hey, at least you are doing it... and I am going to kill the first 2 minutes of my time with the silly story below.  Therefore, I am really teaching you to dye in 3 minutes. Begin time now. I have a short attention span and am therefore quickly on to the... hey, look a squirrel. I also learn best by doing. These two things make it incredibly difficult to teach me anything.  I often say to people "tell me everything you know in 5 mins or less".  Many look at me like I h ..read more

It's been a bad week.  Even us big retailers have bad weeks where the business seems hopeless, we feel like we aren't making progress, we get a bad email or we are fighting internally (this happens a lot in a family business)... and in a really crappy week all of these things happen at once.  Oh yeah, and I am getting married in a month. (insert swear word here). When life's stresses pile up and I become unbearable to myself and those around me, my glorious sister (who has a way with words) tells me to "go sit by myself in my poopy diaper by myself".  And so the first half ..read more

                                            With the change of venue to Montpelier, and the Capitol Plaza Hotel two years ago we have been missing the student exhibit until this year. At registration finished work was hung in the dining room. The variety of styles and sizes described our student population.                              Two other collections were on view for the entire week. The first, artist-in ..read more