My upbringing in the s and 60s rural Appalachians, where I earned Girl Scout badges and was taught handwork by generations of women, were the experiences that influenced my craft work and historical research. When I learned how to pull wool fabric loops through a loose weave backing— rug hooking— floor coverings with American decorative motifs began to fill our Hampshire County log home.
These designs lead to a business making patterns for rug hookers, selling at rug shows nationally, teaching workshops, and eventually writing a book addressing the elements and principles of design. Twenty years later I sold the business to a fourth-generation Vermont company and have more time to use all the handwork skills in my contemporary art for the walls. It was thrilling to see the technique I was immersed in, displayed in our state museum collection. I had to learn more.
The records for this item were slim, but indicated that the ladies were from Letter Gap, WV. I have tracked one rug sold to a collector in Ohio, then to a vendor in Iowa who subsequently took it to New York City and sold it along with many quilts and textiles.
The stuffed flowers and embroidered leaves fill most of each creation, making the rugs heavy because of the layers. I am interested in getting in touch with anyone who knows of rug hookers in the Glenville area during the ss that may have influenced the ladies to add this style to their work. It is interesting to see how my work incorporated the mixed techniques as the McDonalds years before I found the rug in the museum.
These days, I feel as if I am channeling them whenever I pick up a needle and thread with my hooked designs. Or be able to select silk, bamboo, and colorful cotton threads as embroidery lines and pull strips of fabric through an open weave linen to quickly make the loops? If anyone has one of their pieces, knows about their process, or similar work please contact me through ArtWools. These days, Feller works in her studio creating fiber art for the walls.
