By Guest Blogger Patsy Langdon Gorveatte
I’ve been a handcrafter my entire life. I followed in my mother’s footsteps. She did many forms of needlework such as petit point, needlepoint, crochet, knitting, smocking, quilting, crewel, as well as sewing. There are probably others that I am forgetting. Everything she did, I wanted to try as well. I love them all. Within the last 8 years, I took up machine embroidery. I enjoyed it so much I decided to start my own small business in February 2010 called Patsy’s Embroidery Service. I embroider everything from hats, shirts, gym bags, backpacks, towels, golf towels and so much more. That was my real passion until my husband and I moved in 2014. My local walk-in/drop-off traffic slowed down because we moved 30 minutes outside the city and we weren’t as easily accessible. As soon as we moved I discovered the Hooked Rug Museum of North America located in Queensland, Nova Scotia, Canada. A mere 8 minute drive from my front door.
What is this? A handcraft I had not yet tried? Well, my quest had begun. I talked to them at the museum and frequented their Thursday hook-ins. I joined a small Rug Hooking group in St. Margaret’s Bay called the St. Margaret’s Bay Schoolhouse Rug Hookers (just 8 minutes in the other direction) where I pulled my first loops. I also started to frequent the local rug hooking shops in Mahone Bay and Halifax. I joined the Main Street Hookers at Encompassing Designs in Mahone Bay. I joined the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia which led me to my membership with the Kingfisher Rug Hookers in Halifax. I became a hooking sponge. I tried to gather and learn from as many people as I could. I joined a few online rug hooking groups as well such as Gene Shepherd’s “Internet Rug Camp” and Wanda Kerr’s “The Welcome Mat”.
As a result of my decrease in walk-in business I tried to come up with a product or service that I could sell online. As I was pumping out rugs I discovered a need for an easy way to make rug labels for the back. So I got on my computer and designed my first sample rug label. I stitched it out on my embroidery machine and started showing it to my fellow hookers for feedback. The positive response was overwhelming. On day one I received my first order for a label that included the name of the mat, who designed and hooked it as well as the date. I used a coordinating felt and a complimentary thread to bring it to life. As soon as that one real label was created it became the envy of others. The orders started. This was the answer for many hookers who either did not have the ability to create a label of their own, or perhaps the interest. The rug hooking was their thing and having a descriptive label created by someone else was very appealing. With the help of one of my fellow Kingfishers who encouraged me to open my own Etsy shop, I was off to the races. Within a few days I had my first online order. How exciting. From there, for those who do not want to put a label on the back of their rug, I designed Machine Embroidered Rug Tape. This to me is the cat’s meow. It says whatever you want it to say; you stitch it on, and then no need for a label. So it all depends on you. Rug Label or Rug Tape. They are both getting great feedback.
If you are interested in browsing my Etsy shop I can be found at “Etsy.Com.HookedRugLabels”. You could just to go Etsy and search on rug labels and they would come up. I haven’t listed everything that is available just yet, but if you have an idea and don’t see it there, just send me a conversation and we can make it come to life.
I am so happy I discovered Rug Hooking. I have to say, of all the crafts I’ve done in my life, this is by far my favourite.
I also have a website for my embroidery business at www.patsysembroidery.com. My email address is [email protected].
What is this? A handcraft I had not yet tried? Well, my quest had begun. I talked to them at the museum and frequented their Thursday hook-ins. I joined a small Rug Hooking group in St. Margaret’s Bay called the St. Margaret’s Bay Schoolhouse Rug Hookers (just 8 minutes in the other direction) where I pulled my first loops. I also started to frequent the local rug hooking shops in Mahone Bay and Halifax. I joined the Main Street Hookers at Encompassing Designs in Mahone Bay. I joined the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia which led me to my membership with the Kingfisher Rug Hookers in Halifax. I became a hooking sponge. I tried to gather and learn from as many people as I could. I joined a few online rug hooking groups as well such as Gene Shepherd’s “Internet Rug Camp” and Wanda Kerr’s “The Welcome Mat”.
As a result of my decrease in walk-in business I tried to come up with a product or service that I could sell online. As I was pumping out rugs I discovered a need for an easy way to make rug labels for the back. So I got on my computer and designed my first sample rug label. I stitched it out on my embroidery machine and started showing it to my fellow hookers for feedback. The positive response was overwhelming. On day one I received my first order for a label that included the name of the mat, who designed and hooked it as well as the date. I used a coordinating felt and a complimentary thread to bring it to life. As soon as that one real label was created it became the envy of others. The orders started. This was the answer for many hookers who either did not have the ability to create a label of their own, or perhaps the interest. The rug hooking was their thing and having a descriptive label created by someone else was very appealing. With the help of one of my fellow Kingfishers who encouraged me to open my own Etsy shop, I was off to the races. Within a few days I had my first online order. How exciting. From there, for those who do not want to put a label on the back of their rug, I designed Machine Embroidered Rug Tape. This to me is the cat’s meow. It says whatever you want it to say; you stitch it on, and then no need for a label. So it all depends on you. Rug Label or Rug Tape. They are both getting great feedback.
If you are interested in browsing my Etsy shop I can be found at “Etsy.Com.HookedRugLabels”. You could just to go Etsy and search on rug labels and they would come up. I haven’t listed everything that is available just yet, but if you have an idea and don’t see it there, just send me a conversation and we can make it come to life.
I am so happy I discovered Rug Hooking. I have to say, of all the crafts I’ve done in my life, this is by far my favourite.
I also have a website for my embroidery business at www.patsysembroidery.com. My email address is [email protected].
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