Blog Posts

No Sew Hooked Ornaments

12/21/2019

Every project I take on, I try not to make it one of those Make Work projects. I look for simple solutions and fast results, without compromising on quality.

I took on our 15 Ornament pattern last year and got most of them hooked before the holidays but then Christmas came and went and New Years brought the business owner’s nightmare of inventory and year end and soon, they were forgotten. This year I picked them back up, determined to have them finished by Christmas and true to my word, they are hanging on the shop tree as of the 21st of December. That’s cutting it close but hey, they are done and will look fabulous in the shop all year long as a demo for the pattern on how great they are. (I also have drawn another 30 ornaments that will be ready to go after the holidays so in total there will be three patterns, each with 15 Christmas themed designs on the backing for a total of 45 lovely adornments for your tree, or gifts to give away.   Stay tuned!

I’ve been asked how I planned to finish them so I took photos along the various steps to share so here goes. There are other ways to do this job that require sewing and any time I can avoid the needle, which seems to go hand in hand with blood and swearing, I’m good.

The first thing after any hooking project is completed is to steam it flat, especially for these small decorations to ensure that they will hang without curling.

Next buy a super tacky, fabric glue that dries clear, flexible and fast. Not all of them do, I bought one that said quick drying but it took hours to be at a stage where I could cut them out. Price seems to be the factor; the bottles were priced from $1.97 to $4.97 and I should have doled out the cash for the higher priced one. The $1.97 bottle proved you get what you pay for, didn’t follow the promise the label offered of a quick dry so it took longer to complete the project.

So, along the backside, glue around the ornament right to the edge of the outside row of hooking and smear it over the unhooked linen that surrounds it. You can smooth out any thicker clumps of glue so they don’t squeeze out when pressing the backing to the ornament. Keep a wet cloth handy for wiping your sticky fingers.

After the glue dries take a sharp pair of scissors and cut out the ornament, up close to the edge of the outside row of hooking. Don’t worry, the glue will hold the backing in place and the outside edge of hooking won’t be compromised or fray. Work from the back side and angle the scissor blades slightly outward as not to accidentally cut into the loops.

Once the ornament is cut out you can apply your hanger with glue. Use a decorative string, ribbon or jute hanger, even a strand of linen or burlap will do. The length you choose is a personal choice but keep in mind that you would need larger for longer needled trees and less length for shorter needles.

Once that dries you can cut the backings for each ornament. I chose a complimentary piece of wool to match the main colours used in the ornament top but it isn’t really seen so a fun Christmas colour like red will do or perhaps a seasonal feeling plaid or velvet.   You need to put the ornament right side up on the material and then trace around the edge with a pen or fine marker, angling it so the drawn line is close to the backing edge. Remove the ornament and cut out the pattern, trimming off the marker line to guarantee that it is the exact size needed.

Now put glue all around the ornament edge on the backside. Do not leave gaps where the material won’t adhere to the ornament.   Also add some of the glue to the inside of the back of the ornament so the material will fit snug everywhere and not bag or sag in the middle.   Press firmly so it all sticks together, pinch the edges to make sure they are well adhered. You see a bit of the core of the backing along the edge sandwiched between the loops and the backing but it is hardly noticeable and does nothing to take away from the ornament. Of course, if you like to sew along the edges you can, just cut the material slightly larger around the shape of the ornament and then catch it along the edge and the edge of the loops and pull the thread to tug both sides together to close the gap. I opted out of doing it this way because the ornament had different colours along the edge and sewing the wool along it would show the areas where the colours didn’t match. And of course, there is that sewing thing that I struggle with.

A person told that me you can glue a thin piece of ribbon along the edge of the ornament to hide the backing but I really don’t think it is necessary as once they were hung on the tree the eye is too busy admiring the beautiful front than traveling to the lack luster edge.

The glue dries very quickly so I hung mine as soon as I had the backing on.   They look fabulous and a Merry Christmas to the shop tree!

Gluing the back of the ornament. Covering the outside hooked row and smearing it over the backing

Adhering the decorative hanger before the backing goes on.

Cutting off the excess edging, angling the scissors so they don't cut the loop tops on the
other side.

All cut out and waiting for the next step.

Mr. Gingerbread man has his backing cut out and is ready for gluing. I put glue all around the edge and inside the body so the backing clings to the ornament.

I put the ornament on the backing right side up to trace around it with a fine marker. when I cut it out I remove the marker line with the scissors. This ensures that it is the perfect size. Right - Finished ornament. I trimmed the wool's pointy ears into a soft curve so it wouldn't fray.

The shops Christmas Tree is now adorned with lovely little seasonal ornaments.

18 Comments

A word to those that steal from my studio.....

11/27/2019

27 Comments

I wrote this blog a few weeks ago but life got in the way of posting it. I’ve been off work to get our boat put to bed and winter our property. But now its time……

“A metal straw has finally broken the camel’s back”. I say a metal straw to be environmentally conscious but all joking aside; I’ve reached the end of my tether on theft and copyright infringement.

This blog is not meant for all of the honest, supportive customers and friends of Encompassing Designs who respect the use of our patterns and who would never think of stuffing our wares into their purse. You are many, greatly appreciated and are clearly the salt of the earth! This reprimand is written for those who don’t respect us, bend and abuse copyright rules to suit their own means and have no problem taking what doesn’t belong to them.

We had another two patterns stolen from the back room and I mean two separate thefts by two different rug hookers. The collective value of merchandise taken would have paid a bill or employee’s wages. Also another picture was carelessly ripped off a pattern on the rack, tearing the linen threads which compromised the integrity of the pattern. The only reason this would be done is to take it home and copy the design so it was step one of a two-step process of theft. Then one of my patterns was blatantly copied and is now being used as a prize in a fundraiser in a local community. Their Facebook page flashed on my screen advertising the copied rug and it hit me like a load of bricks. For me, this has happened time and time again and it’s becoming nothing short of soul destroying.

Creating and hooking Nova Scotia Treasures was a very proud moment for me. I was commissioned by Canadian Tourism to create a specific design that was representative of Nova Scotia and the finished rug was awarded to an Australian Journalist/Writer for promoting Canadian tourism. To have it copied and hooked without permission deflated another happy balloon. And…while still reeling from that loss, I opened the latest ATHA Magazine and discovered one of my patterns had been featured in an article. Fantastic I thought, until I read the caption. The pattern had been quite modified; the design was renamed and the write-up below failed to attribute any credit to me. That was four incidents of theft and copyright infringement in less than one week! Usually these injustices are spanned out with lots of recovery time in between; all at once and in such a short time frame was mood altering. And then, on top of all that, my business credit card was compromised, yet again; that’s four times in a year even though it never leaves my office and I don’t use it online because I always call in my number when I place orders. Yet another piece of crap on the big steaming pile of theft and dishonesty. Is this really the world we live in?

No one ever openly speaks ill of rug hookers and if comments are made its in hushed tones and bantered one to one. Generally, all you hear is how much fun we all have, how all the rug hookers are helpful and kind, the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Well I’m here to say bullocks. Rug hooking attracts as many dishonest people as any other group or organization. I have 20 years of experience in this business, mostly fantastic, peppered with a small percentage of bad, and this bad seems to get swept under the mat, pardon the pun, because it’s perceived better to allow everyone to keep their heads buried in the sand than to discuss the dark side of this craft.
This realization struck me when I saw the long list of people that sent me emails and private messages after I posted the copyright infringement of my Nova Scotia Treasures rug on Facebook. They didn’t want to write their stories in the comments below my post and have them out there for all to read, and I don’t blame them at all, the backlash can be brutal on FB as opinions come out like claws on a grizzly. Their stories were at times almost unbelievable at how low fellow rug hookers have stooped. The fact that these ‘private’ messages were describing theft of everything from scissors and hooks, the most common victims of nimble fingers, to the bold and brash thefts of hooked rugs and things like cutter blades. Imagine hiring a teacher to come and run a workshop and someone in the class steals one of her demo rugs. One woman said that she was at a class and left her seat for a few minutes and when she returned all of the wool that she’d dyed for her project was gone and never to be found. Imagine how bold the thief had to be to take a bundle of wool in front of the other students sitting at the same table, how experienced, confident and skilled they were to pull that off.

It’s clearly obvious that although everyone is appalled that this goes on, no one wants to be the one openly talking about the bad experiences. Its brushed under the rug, because they worry it might be frowned upon because it seems that no one wants the sugar coating ripped off this craft.
Well, I’m popping the cork on it now because quite frankly, I’m sick of it happening to me, and I don’t want it happening to others. If need be I’ll stand alone and tell it like it is because it’s the right thing to do. Maybe these thieves will not feel so bold and entitled if people are more aware and keeping a watch out for them. The world is a better, kinder place with our heads in the sand, but no bad behaviour was ever fixed or changed by ignoring it. If you let someone get away with murder, they’ll kill again and again.

Now don’t get me wrong or misquote me, read every word and then read it again before jumping to conclusions. I am not condemning all rug hooker or painting them with the same brush! 99.999% of rug hookers I’ve met are lovely and honest and are the fuel in my creative tank. But, and there is always that dang three letter rebuttal to what is previously stated, there are bad apples in every cart and some of them are rotten to the core. Its time it was talked about, if only to protect ourselves at shows, rug schools and hook-ins. Personally, I’ve NEVER attended one of these events without things being stolen from my tables and I know from talking to other shops and vendors they’ve lost things as well. In my experience, I’ve lost hooks, any number of small items, kits, hooked pieces or patterns every time I take my wares to events….and this demonstrates a dark truth that can no longer be ignored.

Because there are rug hookers with nimble fingers, I suggest we all do our best to stop making it easy for them. Label your tools in a way that it can’t be removed; carve your initials into your favourite hook handles, scratch your name or initials on your scissors, scissor bling is great but can be removed.   Do the same for your wooden frames, make everything obviously yours. Someone told me just the other day how the wool they had at a hook-in went missing, someone hot fingered it while she was away from her chair. Hook-ins are where friends gather, people who know one another and yet things go missing. We like to say these items are misplaced or accidentally mixed in with someone else’s wool, perhaps the hook rolled off the table into someone’s bag, the scissors all look alike so perhaps someone picked them up in error…. yup, that might happen, but generally and especially when the items don’t reappear, well, put two and two together and face the brutal truth. When things vanish into thin air, they are in the possession of the rug hooker that took them from you. It goes against our sense of morality and is really hard to swallow isn’t it, yet it happens time and time again.

When I posted the infringements on Facebook most of you were sympathetic and outraged that this continues to happen in a day and age when copyright is hashed and rehashed and how rug hookers are supposed to be a cut above the rest, but there was one person that wanted me pummeled for apparently embarrassing the woman from the ATHA magazine, although I hadn't even mentioned which rug it was or the hookers name. At first she blamed it on the editor. Well sorry there, but the magazine is only as good as the information they are provided and it is up to the featured artist to submit the information, in writing if necessary, so it leaves nothing to interpretation.

I tried to explain to her that this is the kind of thing that helps to advertise my business, perhaps show someone that doesn’t know about my studio that I am around, but she accused me of being more interested in selling a few patterns than embarrassing someone.   That is not who I am. I’ve been writing about who I am for years. I am not a mean person or vindictive, I tell stories about my life, bare my soul at times and I’m honest to a fault. Someone said I have a reputation of telling it like it is and that I don’t hold back and this is true. I’m the kind of person that would have your back and defend you with my life if you were a true friend. I don’t expect everyone to like me but for goodness sake, be upset with me for a good reason, not for protecting my honour or my rights.

In the 20 years I’ve been in business I’ve missed out on the chance to have recognition for my designs so many times I could write a book. Not that I would, because dredging it all up would be a dark period for me, sucking the joy out of all the good that I’ve experienced. We have an ongoing joke at the shop, every time a newsletter comes out or one of the magazines dedicated to rug hooking, I open it and say “Let’s see what I’ve missed out on this time.” Once in a single publication, there were three of my patterns beautifully hooked and not a mention of me anywhere, one of which had been changed and renamed.

Each time I was cheated of recognition for my work, it was a knife twist to the gut. I’ve seen my designs in magazines and newspapers beautifully done but there’s no mention of me. Some even are quoted saying they designed it as well as hooked it, which is an out and out lie. I’m not out for praise; I’m struggling in a very competitive business to keep current and relevant. So many times I could have shined and spread awareness for my business, that’s the name of the game isn’t it? Advertising is expensive so this kind of publicity is critical and priceless!

Over the years, some of the encounters with clients that I’ve drawn designs for have been downright ugly, when I’ve been accused of stealing their ideas or have no right to sell patterns in my shop like the one I created for them. I don’t do exclusive, one of-a-kind designs for customers. I only create patterns that will be globally interesting to many to make it worth the time it takes to come up with an interesting pattern. I create a drawing and then transfer it to linen and sell it with a price of a comparable pattern off the rack. I own the drawing, the design, the artwork and can do what I want with it. So many times I’ve been accused of stealing the rights to my own artwork and threatened with legal action, it got to the point I stopped designing for people as it wasn’t worth the effort. Even when I made it clear and the copyright symbol was drawn on the pattern, certain clients couldn’t comprehend that if they brought me a request, for example, perhaps a stick man and a square on a scrap of paper to represent Beethoven and his piano, and I created an eloquent drawing of him sitting at a grand piano, with an audience clothed in period dress, a candle chandelier floating down from above, a marbled floor and velvet curtains at the edges of the stage with the notes of Ode To Joy coming out of his ears to portray his deafness, that was then hooked and won a prize....that this beautiful pattern, the drawing that I stressed over for days to make perfect and was proud to present to the rug hooker, blew up in my face. I was cut out of the accolade we both should have enjoyed back in a time when my business was new and would have greatly benefited by good press.

The horrible backlash that ensued when I asked why my name wasn’t mentioned left me sick for days. Her words are burned into my brain that she spat after a lengthy stripping down with large fonts and bold letters. “Go ahead and steal the design if it makes you feel better!” Later, when someone set her straight, she didn’t apologize and only said “too bad it came to this”. Well that was an understatement! The entire experience was dreadful for me when it should have brought pleasure to us both and recognition to my studio.

When purchasing a pattern you are allowed to make changes to it. Make it your own in special ‘little’ ways, add something and change it up a bit. But...it is not acceptable to buy a pattern, change it significantly then rename it or call it your own to suit your fancy. When you purchase a pattern it is automatically copyrighted property of that designer and they need to be mentioned. You can say, design by Christine Little with adaptations by so in so, but the original name of the pattern is part of its copyright. No amount of changing makes it acceptable or yours, none what-so-ever!

So this is what I am going to do so be forewarned. To deal with the physical thefts of my merchandise, I am going to spend the money to have a system put in to monitor the shop; we are in the process of that now. So smile you’re on camera! When a theft occurs, I will post the videos both on FB and on my website so if you don’t want to be seen stuffing my wares into your purse behave yourselves! Also, shopping bags and knapsacks will no longer be allowed in the back room! This will protect you as well as me so no wires get crossed.

As for copyright, I can’t afford a lawyer at $300 plus an hour to go after the people that copy my patterns but I can take you to small claims court and I will definitely write blogs and post pictures of the rugs I find at exhibits, on FB or the internet and show the world what you have done. If that means I’ve embarrassed someone so be it. I won’t even have to mention your name, your friends and hooking circles will recognize you and you will have to deal with the aftermath of that. It’s time we stopped whispering about the dishonesty in this craft and start bringing it out in the open to incite change.

Clearly, talking about it is doing little to stop it. There have been so many articles written and discussions on copyright infringement in the past few years surely it’s reached the four corners of rug hooking. People are ignoring it or perhaps don’t think it applies to them or basically just don’t care. I’m only making one copy for personal use so what’s the problem? NO! Maybe someone has to be hung out to dry and made an example of, be the poster child to scare those that habitually do it. If I stand against copyright theft and stealing from my shop by rug hookers, perhaps it will help to promote being honest in this craft. They call it shaming these days and although it sounds awful, perhaps it’s the only recourse.

I’m talking with bravado but it won’t be easy. Usually it’s not in my nature to be so bold or defend myself. This kind of action will go against my grain, but I have to step up and point out the injustice or I might become bitter and jaded beyond recovery. I was raised to spare other people’s feelings…don’t talk back…ignore things…turn my head…never be rude…be seen and not heard…be meek and mild…suck it up no matter how much I was hurt or felt betrayed…be the bigger person…let it roll off my back…zip my lip…hold or bite my tongue…don’t rock the boat…button it…put a sock in it…don’t stir the pot…say nothing…don’t let one bad apple spoil a good thing…suck it up and count to ten…keep my mouth shut…don’t make waves…avoid controversy at all costs…pull up those big girl panties and get on with it. And where has this philosophy gotten me? Grumbling to my husband “OMG it’s happened again!!!” The poor guy has had to listen to me rant so many times I’m surprised he’s still around! And even though the thought of speaking out turns my stomach upside down, others aren’t behind the door when they have something to say, FB is full of contrary remarks on every topic you can imagine.

Once, a customer defended thieves and told me it was a sickness to steal and said “they can’t help it”. I say what? Bullshite!   People with terminal illnesses and diseases have a sickness, they can’t help it! Anyone who steals can make a decision not to. Get professional help if you can’t do it on your own. Stay away from temptation. Stay out of stores; keep your thieving hands buried deep in your pockets if you have to go out into the world of retail. Stop putting yourself in the position to violate others, because that is what it is, a violation!   Someone told me not to take it personally but you bet your sweet fanny I do! I don’t order import my stock from a foreign country. My shelves are stocked with products we make; we are a manufacturing company so we are up close and personal with the goods we create and sell. Each item is crafted with attention to detail from our heart and hand to yours.   Yes, I take it bloody well personally; you are stealing a part of me, a part of Deborah and a part of Shane!

I’ve read that some people steal for the sake of taking something, anything, the object sometimes has no relevance, but not rug hookers, no sirree Bob…..they steal items specifically for their use; the only people that cross our threshold and go into that back room of patterns are those who hook. Sometimes grannies for goodness sake! When a granny steals from me how can I trust anyone?   Theft comes with a high cost both financially and mentally to those you take from so why don’t you find a pastime that violates, inflicts and directs pain where it belongs, on your own doorstep!

This weekend was the Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay. We had record breaking visitors and that unfortunately brings out the thieves as well. Last year a daughter stole a Hartman hook to give to her mother for Christmas. I overhead the conversation when the daughter asked her mom if she would like it. The mother didn’t know the daughter took it, at least I hope she didn’t, because that’s a whole new level of depravity I can’t get my head around. The shop was so busy, twenty or more folks walking around so by the time my husband got to me to say what he witnessed they were gone.

So this year leading up to the festival with the current thefts fresh on my mind, my goal was not to lose anything to five finger discounts. So I put all our hooks under glass, put up 16 signs that stated “you are being watched”, and the classic, “smile you’re on camera” and Deborah, Gregg, and I manned our stations to watch the crowds. I parked in the back room drawing patterns, where most thefts occur, people think we can’t see through walls and temptation is at the highest level. We were all hover crafts, eyes peeled and on alert for the suspicious signs of someone with intent to steal.

My focus was to protect the shop and it overshadowed all the potential fun of the weekend, more collateral damage from those that steal, the consequences of their actions hurt others in so many different ways. Fortunately our hard work prevailed; I don’t think we lost anything, but that wasn’t enough to restore my faith in human morality because it was our due diligence that made it impossible for anyone to rob us. The weekend came with a high cost to me, I was on red alert and so focused on saving my wares from theft that it over shadowed the entire weekend when I could have been full of pride at the beauty of my store and the thrill of people mulling about our town.   I was on duty, parked in the back room rolled as tight as a spring, fearing the worst and worried that if one more thing was lifted I might lose my mind. The weekend drained me.

And an added point. I wonder how a rug hooker would feel if I decided I like one of their designs and start drawing it and selling it in my shop under my name. Why there would be no end to the recriminations I would receive. I’d be strung up, tarred and feathered and out of business so fast my head would spin. Put that in your pipe and smoke it for those that won’t or can’t see my side of things. If the shoe was on the other foot perhaps copyright issues would finally sink home.

Quite frankly, in the past I’ve been hesitant to bring these matters up with more than a casual mention or be specific to a theft. This business is tough enough without being boycotted because someone gets an unrealistic hate on for you and spreads the nay saying like butter on toast. This is my experience and I deal in facts and the topic was copyright. C-O-P-Y-R-I-G-H-T! Notice how it has the word ‘right’ right in it. If it isn’t going to be respected maybe the name should be changed to Copywrong.

So the ball is now in your court, don’t say you weren’t warned. If you continue to steal from me or copy my patterns, you will pay for the consequences of your actions. And I should add, we actually know who some of you are. You’ve been coming in for years and getting away with it because I didn’t want to rock the boat or deal with you or play the game it’s your word against mine and hold you until law enforcement arrives, but not anymore so bring it the heck on……

So….it boils down to this. If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime! Plain and simple! It's black and white all the way.   Take me at my word. The haters can call me what they like, but no one can ever say that I am a liar or that I’m not one of the most honest people you will ever meet. My conscience is clear when I go to bed at a night; I would never steal or take something without permission so I find it difficult to believe that others do, and no matter how many times it happens I’m still shocked. I’m ashamed that I’ve let it go on, but now the backbone is straight and the blinders are off and I’m ready for you. I won’t back down and hide anymore.

I’m angry that you think you can fool me, walk all over me, get away with stealing from me and I’m not going to take it anymore. I won’t let you ruin my experience. I love my store and what we represent in the way of class and quality. When I walk into the shop each day, I'm filled with pride and I see what we've built. I'm blown away by all the beautiful colour, it almost takes my breath away. I will no longer allow you to taint it. How dare you ruin my faith in mankind and test my tolerance. You steal more than my goods, you are stealing my bliss!

27 Comments

New computer, new email address

11/26/2019

1 Comment

Hey all, I've purchased a new computer and have been learning to use it. This old dog doesn't like new tricks and I've cursed a bit when I can't find what I want. I bought a gaming computer, not because I play games but it has lots of bells and whistles and power so it should provide many years of service and reliability. My mouse has red lights and a lit dragon, pretty fancy stuff.

This beast has Windows 10 and I'm finding it a bit difficult but catching on.   With much more storage space and speed I shouldn't have anything to complain about for awhile.

I figured it was time to update my email program to be able to send and receive photos because my old Tallships address wouldn't allow more than five tiny formatted photos, nor could I send out bulk emails. I'm saving this old address for personal use and updating to a GMAIL email account for the studio.

So cut and paste it in your address file for future communication. It has been updated on the Ordering and the Contact Us pages of this website.

encompassingdesigns@gmail.com

1 Comment

Doris Eaton, the Passing of a Rug Hooking Icon

10/8/2019

23 Comments

Doris Emily Eaton, age 91, passed away September 29th. She was known all over the world, respected, loved and admired for her contribution to rug hooking. She was an icon who established our Nova Scotia Rug Hooking Guild that just celebrated its 40th year.

It wasn’t long after I started rug hooking in 1999 that I heard her name for the first time. In these parts she was the reigning queen. The awe and respect for her work was held in great esteem and the woman behind the talent was the epitome of eloquence and grace. She was humble and soft spoken but when she spoke she held our attention as she shared her knowledge and her talent. She was hooking royalty and her contribution and enthusiasm for this fiber art left us in awe and wanting to push the envelope on our own talents.

We were delighted to receive an invitation to visit her studio in Petite Revere. Her lovely home was enchanting, the hostess charming. She showed us her studio and I drank in her amazing rugs, my eyes as wide as a child in a candy store. Each rug had a story that kept my husband and I captivated. I never realized how diverse this fiber art could be, as we were granted a peek into rug hooking creativity and genius. I was fairly new as a rug hooker and an even newer shop owner, and was mesmerized by her manipulation of colour and design. I stood in awe of the incredibly talented woman who opened my eyes to possibilities I never knew existed.

We had coffee and sweets and listened to her talk of her creative journey, totally captivated by her experiences and adventures in the world of wool. Doris was an interesting person as well as a talented artist. She saw things with a broader scope and she was also interested in knowing who you were, in your ideas and dreams. She said she deplored gossip and naysaying. She made it clear to her hooking group that there would be none of that; the experience was all about the inspiration, the process and the women who brought each rug to life.

I’m a bit quirky and when our conversation came around to dead bodies, not sure how it got brought up but don’t all chats end up with biological functions? Intrigued, she said she had something to show me, a collection of the tiniest skeletons of mice and small creatures found here and there and even in the walls of her house when renovating. I felt privileged to be shown the tiny bleached bones of the most delicate creatures, stored in little matchboxes, saved and treasured. I thought she was amazing, perhaps even a kindred spirit. There was magnificence in those tiny skeletons and I marveled at their delicacy. Her talent and personality aside, I knew how special she really was to see beauty in aspects of nature that most would shun.

Later, I was invited to one of her hook-ins. Talented women gathered, many who have since passed, who shared their knowledge and stories and I basked in their presence. One woman did a demonstration on dyeing a six value swatch that only took a minute. You make up the dye formula and add it to a simmering pot with vinegar. Then you drop in the first premeasured piece of wool and stir quickly nonstop while counting to ten, not too fast, not too slow. Then add the second piece, stirring like mad and counting to ten, then the third and so on. In the end all of the dye was absorbed and there were six pieces of wool in the water all in perfect graduated colour.   The stirring forced the dye into the wool so there wasn’t any white core.   For those that like instant gratification it’s a perfect way to achieve a result.

I called Doris once for advice. Someone had bought one of my patterns, copied it and then returned it and I hadn’t noticed it was ruined until I took it out of the bag.   Green marker was smeared all over it as several people made copies when it was passed around their group. I was heartbroken and sought advice from someone that knew this industry well. She told me tales of how her work had been copied without permission over the years and how she had chosen not to cause waves but regretted it. She said I needed to defend my property, and with Doris’s wise words I found the strength to phone the woman and asked that she pay me for the pattern that was now unsaleable. She apologized and sent her husband to the studio with the payment. It was very hard for me to do and against my grain but I felt proud that I’d dealt with it instead of turning it inside and feeling used. I told the woman that if she covered the loss I would forget it ever happened and she would be welcome in my studio anytime and she continued to join our hook-ins and buy her wool at the studio.

Over the years Doris popped in and out of my radar. She would visit the studio from time to time and was always gracious and complementary for the work I was doing. Her support meant so much to me and when she left I walked on air for the rest of the day. When she published her book I was thrilled to have her sign it and I am going to bring it home and peruse it again, to remember this great woman we all had a privilege to know, if not personally, through her body of work immortalized in her wonderful book, A Lifetime of Rug Hooking.

When The Main Street Hookers, the group that meets at my studio put on a show called Art Under Foot, I asked if she would say a few words at the opening and she was, of course, delightful.   She told me that her first gallery showing was named Art Under Foot and brought the brochure to show me. Two great minds I said and we both laughed. She also told me that of all the rug hooking shows she’s attended she enjoyed ours the best, the way the rugs were professionally displayed, coordinated and labeled, the venue was intimate with the feel of class and elegance. I was deeply touched and proud.

I didn’t get to see her as much as I would have liked so every time we met was special. There was something about Doris that drew you in and you basked in her glow. They broke the mold with her and she could have walked around with an ego the size of Texas but she was humble and gracious to a fault.

How many of us have songs written about our lives and talent?   In September 2011, Alex Hickey was invited to sing at the opening of a hooked-rug show in honour of Doris. She wrote this song as a tribute to Ms. Eaton and her wonderful book, A Lifetime of Rug-Hooking. I couldn’t find a link to add but the album is called Blackbirds, released in September 18, 2012.

Doris’s Song
To be all you can in your time and your place
Is to give all you have of your knowledge and grace
And each one you guide as they go on their way
Will carry you forward into a new day

Each loop and each line has a story to tell
Of a labour of love and a life lived well
We might see ocean or seaweed or shell
But there’s so much more to this story

Of a woman who knew that her art was her life
And carved out the time as a mother and wife
Each Wednesday she took to do what her muse asked
And brought forth the visions with which she’d be tasked

When she turned to teach every student inspired
Every spark coaxed into bright fire
A whole group of artists with something to say
With heart and with purpose each in her own way

If I had three lifetimes
I’d give them to you
‘Cause I want to see all the work you would do
And you’d want to see how the colours would glow
If every idea had time to grow

Her loved ones, friends and the rug hooking community have all experienced a terrible loss in her passing, but she will certainly be canonized in our thoughts forever. Rest in peace kind and gentle soul, you will be missed. Doris Eaton 1928 - 2019