Rug Hooking Archives - Jess Wrobel: Textiles and Decor

Category: Rug Hooking

And then It Was Done

Posted on September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 by jess

Here in my spot of Maine a switch has been pulled. Summer tomato salads have given way to a pot of simmering lamb stew(with tomatoes). Morning strolls to the garden are no longer barefeet and tank tops, but oversized sweaters and thick slippers. Rest assured, no matter the season, there is always a steaming cup of coffee involved. Almost to my horror at this point–not really, but really—the tomatoes keep coming, despite the blighted state of their affairs. I’ve frozen, canned, jammed, and sauced them in every way I can think of. The summer squashes are rife with powdery mildew even though we’ve had only scant rain and the garden well has run dry. Even still, they keep fruiting. There’s a basket of garlic in my studio that rivals my baskets of wools. There’s a tsunami of hot peppers coming in that my husband dutifully strings to dry, even though he is a little scared of them. But my studio feels festive and decorated for celebration with vegetal garlands hanging from my display rails along with drying herbs, my finished rugs and freshly dyed skeins of wool.

My garden always gives me solace. Maybe more so this year than usual, but in equal measure to my work—which has taken wild turns into unexpected territories. There is more to muse over on that topic, but for the moment I’m going to enjoy my hooking and the burbling of stew on the stove.

I hope you are all well in these tumultuous times. Not only are my thoughts with you, so are my actions.

Be well,

Jess

The Story of Unite

Posted on February 16, 2020February 16, 2020 by jess

The Story of Unite, An American Hooked Rug has a querulous beginning. There are a wide range of thoughts and emotions lurking in the background of this rug. Unite was conceived and hooked while I was listening to and taking in the impeachment hearings and Senate trial. There is no doubt that it was a national event of wildly varied import and impact. This rug is how I captured this moment in history for me.

This rug has been an especially fulfilling project for me. I am not a gifted illustrator, but my doodles occasionally surprise even me. I’d been studying a variety of other rugs, both old and new, for angels, swimmers, flags. My wonky striped versions of the American flag, have always been a favorite motif to include, but I’m not quite sure how the mermaid element came in. When I was choosing my wools for her, I kept thinking of The Statue of Liberty. She must have been an unwitting influencer.

I dug deeper into the making of this rug than I usually do. Unimpressed with the color variety in my stash of wools and cashmere and committed to using as many recycled materials as possible, my long resisted dye pot was pressed into service. I learned so much and was so happy with the results of my efforts, that a little corner of our home is now being transformed into a dedicated dye studio.

As you know, Twenty Twenty (2020) is an election year, and my doodle session resulted in more than one successful rendering of a rug to be. While we march from one political fiasco to the next, I’ll continue to brandish my hook in search of patriotic harmony through my language of choice, fiber. The Story of Unite shall continue.

Unite, An American Hooked Rug:

Hooked with new, vintage, and recycled wools and cashmere.

Measures about 36″ x 22″

Signed and dated in embroidery on the back.

Nautili

Posted on July 19, 2019 by jess

A few years ago I did an image search for “primitive hit or miss rug hooking motifs”. The simple spiral intrigued me and I immediately started experimenting with it. It was only some time later that I learned, to my embarrassment, that this was not a traditional motif but one born of the creativity of Primitive Spirit Rugs. Lesson learned—always click through the images! That being said, I just kept playing with the motif in my head over and over when I found my self staring at the nautili we’ve had propped on a shelf for a very long time. I started seeing things in multiples. Everything just grew from there.

Hooking the nautilus quickly became addictive. One nautilus, two nautili, three nautili—you get the picture.

We were hiking along the oyster middens when I knew I’d hit on the perfect color inspiration.

The completed piece. Measures just a bit more than 17″ square, and is hooked with a combination of wool and recycled cashmere.

Discovering Rufus Porter

Posted on June 11, 2019 by jess

My recent design rabbit hole started with a desire to create a historic looking mural for our home. Somewhere in my search for folk art painting techniques I stumbled upon one Mr. Rufus Porter and the rug hooker in me took over. His motifs struck a chord. While I’ve yet to paint anything, I’ve been enjoying designing rugs inspired by his work. This little footstool is the first of many to come.

I’ve been dabbling with woodworking lately. This primitive little stool paired beautifully with my Rufus Porter inspired rug.

It took some trial and error to get the background colors just right for both mood and visibility, but I love how it came out.

The knot in the wood became the perfect little accent to the “legs” of the stool.

Dye Trying

Posted on April 18, 2019June 11, 2019 by jess

I swore I’d never dye. I have so many stashes and work stations and the rest, I just didn’t feel like taking on one more endeavor. But a dearth of sunny yellows and primitive reds for some of my post popular designs, in addition to a pile of unsuitably colored specimens culled from my cashmere box lots, pushed me over the edge. The days are barely warm enough to venture outside for more than a bit at a time, so I hunker in the workshop and hobble together tools and supplies. I barely follow the directions, but am feeling successful with my first efforts nonetheless.

My first attempt at capturing my desired yellow tones for the sunflower pillows was a success!

I kept adding various wools to the dye pot over the course of an hour and ended up with a range of red tones that I am quite happy with.

Coastal Style Rug Hooking

Posted on April 17, 2019December 26, 2019 by jess

Coastal style is my rug hooking inspiration. I’m busy hooking seaside textiles for your home and cottage. Coastal style pillows, rugs, and more.

I don’t live far from the coast and its majestic views and working waterfronts. What I take in on my daily jaunts to the seaside percolates in my mind’s eye until the perfect new rug hooking design comes into focus. From there, it’s just a matter of time before the right material, the right color, and the pattern itself come together into my textile version of the coastal scene.

Hand Hooked Blue Crab Pillow — You may notice the error of my ways here–I promise that from here on out all carbs will be anatomically correct and have the proper number of legs!

Maine Lobster Boast Hand Hooked Pillow — The quintessential Maine lobster boat is among my favorite pieces of Coastal Style Rug Hooking in my portfolio. I can hear its gentle glue, glue and the call of the seagulls every time I look at it.

Hand Hooked Primitive Whale Pillow — Primitive whales are a favorite motif of mine, not to mention many other folk artists over the centuries. The oceanic simplicity of shape and majesty of power are hard to resist.

Maine Bicentennial 1820 Hand Hooked Lobster Pillow Coastal Style Rug Hooking — 2020 is the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Statehood of Maine. When I first designed this pillow everyone asked, “What happened in 1820?” I’m hoping that 2020 will mark the year that everyone knows what 1820 is doing on a Maine Lobster’s tail.

Hand Hooked Lobster Buoy Pillow — This is my whimsical take on the serious business of Maine lobstering. It is practically a hooking doodle, but made with wool and cashmere. This generously sized pillow is currently available at Down East Gallery.

February Tease

Posted on February 6, 2019 by jess

It was an unusual early February day yesterday. The temperature hit the 50s. It was sunny and beautiful. So much so that I left the oversized slider in my studio open so I could enjoy the balmy air. My dogs clustered on the threshold as one side or the other of it would show too much commitment on their part. I worked at my hooking bench– I hook standing up– barefoot with a mug of hot vanilla milk tucked nearby. And I finally figured how to handle the border of a loosely geometric design.

Good Luck Elephant

Posted on December 26, 2017 by jess

A simple sketch on a scrap of paper became the basic outline for numerous of my elephant pieces. From wall placards, to freestanding oversized pieces, to soft figurines, I’ve tackled the form in many different materials. This time, I took my hook to the image to create a colorful piece in cashmere, wool, and silk. The base is a wonderful bit of weathered barn board with a salvaged piece of rusty junk to balance everything out.

This piece is available at The Barn at Todd Farm.

1876 Hand Hooked Primitive Cashmere Rug

Posted on August 15, 2017 by jess

One of this hooker’s best friends, my little man, Stogie posed for the inspiration photo for this primitive style rug. I hooked this entirely with cashmere salvaged from recycled sweaters.

new seven — It took me a couple tries to get the numbers just right.

1876 in progress — I always love looking back at progress shots and seeing how it all came together.

My 1876 Primitive Dog Hooked Pillow is available at The Barn at Todd Farm or can be shipped to you anywhere. Just ask.

I Will Hold You Up

Posted on July 21, 2017 by jess