Tribute to Maria Romero

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Tribute to Maria Romero:

our webmaster from 2008 to 2026


Researched and respectfully submitted by Emmy Maten

Maria gave us a wonderful gift in 2008: she had a vision and with President Denise Vandenbemden’s enthusiastic OK, created the Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild website! She nurtured it with beautiful ideas that showcased our guild’s work. The website has become a record of our history, preserving photos and stories, some even from before its launch. The blog entries celebrate our members’ talents, expertise, events, camaraderie, and goodwill.  

Maria Romero, BHCG creator and webmaster from 2008 to 2026.

Maria’s story starts in Venezuela, her country of origin. She studied Visual Arts, earned a diploma, and taught Drawing and Art History to Graphic Design students at the University. In 2001, she emigrated to Canada, making Dorval her new home at the time. In 2004, when driving her visiting relatives along the beautiful Lac St Louis lakeshore, they happened upon a sign announcing a BHCG rug exhibition at Centennial Hall! They went in to look and so started her love for the art of hooked rugs.
 
Maria didn’t do this alone, as many of our members contributed over the years to the work of the website committee, writing and translating the stories, collecting photos, but Maria always had the ideas, she led the way, and she knew how to publish content on the website.

In 2006, Maria was free only on the weekends thus she joined the St Henri Guild of which several members were also members of the Beaconsfield group. In 2007, she was able to attend Monday meetings and consequently joined the Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild. Denise Vandenbemden was the president at that time (from 2005 to 2011) and Maria proposed the idea of creating a website to show the Guild’s beautiful rugs to the public any day of the week, rather than only for 2 days once every two years at a rug exhibition. Denise agreed it was a great idea.
 
In 2008, Maria created the first post! The English Website launch announcement was made January 28, 2008, followed by the French Website launch February 19, 2008.
 
First website post January 28, 2008:

Our website is on-line!

The Guild celebrates the opening of our website Jan.28, 2008!

Maria Romero, Webmaster / Maureen Rowe, Writer.
 
Maria soon expanded the goals to include rug hooking techniques and learning from other rug hookers through “Show and Tell.” Meanwhile, Maria studied 3D animation and worked at the National Film Board for a year. Her animation studies inspired her to animate several rugs which you can see Here

She also made many clever illustrations such as this Happy April Fools’ Day card. 

April Fools' Day. Illustration: Maria Romero, 2015


At the AGM in April 2012, Maria introduced “Matty” as our Internet mascot; she represents a guild member, and acts as the Guild mascot for communications and invitations. 

Matty - BHCG Virtual Celebrations. Illustration: Maria Romero, 2021.  45th Anniversary Celebrations. The illustration includes hooked pieces by: Lois J. Morris, Kay Cousineau, Judith Dallegret, Alice Hamilton, Sally Perodeau, Lorayne Charenko, Debbie Séguin and Denise Vandenbemden. 

 
In 2012, Maria created a free rug design, Lady with Cat. She added the copyright in 2015.

Free Pattern
Lady with Cat Copyright. Free Design by Maria Romero

In 2014 she created BHCG promotional materials including our business card. 

Rug Hooking - Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild
BHCG Business Card

In March 2015 Maria designed our new Emblem which Lois J Morris then hooked. It identifies our Guild at Rug Exhibitions and other events. 

BHCG Emblem - Design: Maria Romero
Virtual Identity - BHCG Emblem (2015)
She followed up with logo designs for our special anniversaries, our 40th, 45th, and our 50th.

Rug Hooking - Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild
BHCG 40th Anniversary Logo. Design: Maria Romero


BHCG 45th Anniversary Logo. Design: Maria Romero

BHCG 50th Anniversary Logo. Design: Maria Romero

The curved lines in the 50th represent the passage of time: 5 decades, as well as the strips of textiles used in rug hooking. A palette of yellows reinforces the golden celebration.

Maria’s finest website work was in 2020, at the time of Covid, when our 45th anniversary celebrations went virtual. She had the vision to create 6 Galleries to celebrate our Founder Lois J Morris, our teacher throughout many years Judith Dallegret, and each of the past Guild Presidents who were still members of our Guild at the time, Sally Perodeau, Kay Cousineau, Lorayne Charenko, Alice Hamilton, Denise Vandenbemden, and Debbie Séguin, with the 6th Gallery as a Christmas Special to mark the closing of our virtual 45th anniversary celebrations. She created an on-line guest book, and on-line photo albums. We made 85 website posts that year!

Happy Hats
Maria and Ti try on hats for sale at a craft fair

Ti, Maria and Carolyn E. - Troublesome Trio!!

Lunchtime at Halloween Hook-in
 
Maria is meticulous and endlessly energetic, enthusiastic, imaginative, and creative—with a sense of humour and heart of gold. Thank you, Maria, for your hard work and dedication. We celebrate your 18 years as website designer and master: you dreamed it, built it, and made it real. We will proudly carry the flame forward.

With respect and affection,

Emmy Maten / Past President


Links to see more of Maria's work:






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