Jennifer Derstoff and the Grand National Fibre Art Exhibition Jennifer D. and her Lupine Cove At the Olde Forge Hook-in of April 11 th in Ottawa, we had the pleasure of meeting many talented and inspiring rug makers from Ontario. During the Show & Tell, one piece caught my eye—I had previously seen it at the 2025 Cobourg Annual Conference: Lupine Cove . During our conversation Jennifer kindly shared her creative process, explaining the various techniques she used in her piece, including wet felting for the sea, spot dyeing for the sky, and needle felting for the stone path, among others. At the Cobourg Conference it received a prize for Alternative Fibres. Details You could stare at this beautiful piece for hours, and if you missed it but you’d like to see it up close, the Northumberland Rug Hookers have prepared a lovely YouTube video showcasing the judged pieces from the Cobourg Annual Conference. This is the link. Jennifer also took the opportunity to su...
Show and Tell – Rug Exhibition 2025 Focus on Isabelle and Jacques Isabelle and Jacques selling at the Hudson Christmas Fair in 2019 Isabelle is an artisan with a creative eye for beauty and texture. Jacques is a skilled cabinet maker focused on precision, structure, and thoughtful use of space. Together, they blend artistry and craftsmanship to create delightful, original, and functional designs. Many months before our October 2025 50 th Anniversary Rug Exhibition, Isabelle and Jacques began planning the exhibition set-up, taking measurements, and making floor plans of each exhibition room and calculating how to set up the display grids and tables in the most efficient and pleasing way possible. When it finally came to showtime, the result was impressive and professional. Their outstanding contribution deserves to be applauded! Their Interest in Rug Hooking Many years ago, Isabelle and Jacques came across an old, hooked rug at an antique market. It de...
Easter Hook-In March 30, 2026 The Easter-themed hook-in was a lively and cheerful affair. Many arrived wearing festive Easter bonnets, while others donned a fascinator from Claire’s colourful collection. Despite a busy day prior with Helen’s workshop drawing a crowd, today saw a big turnout of 29 members who came to share in the fun and to experience a Show and Tell, organized by Jacques. Proud to show progress from yesterday's workshop A surprise treat: Judith Dallegret, one of our BHCG rug hooking teachers, attended and brought several of her fabulous large floor rugs to show. Most fascinating was her story about her Morehouse ru g and her family roots. Judith tells the story of her Morehouse rug Everyone has a turn to show what they are working on We heard many ooo’s...
Shelly Atkinson is a self-taught visual artist and crafter from Nova-Scotia, Canada. She loves experimenting with styles, colours, textures and techniques in her paintings and illustrations. Shelly offers rug hooking patterns of animals, flowers, people, the four seasons, etc. She can create custom drawings of your pet or family and even revise her patterns, if requested. Her work can be found on greeting cards, journals, prints, rug hooking patterns, coasters. needlepoint patterns, calendars, posters, and a child's book. Go to http://users.eastlink.ca/~shellyatkinson/rughooking/rughooking.html http://shellyatkinson.blogspot.ca/ Music Is Good For The Soul A Good Book Dog & 2 Birds Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe