A while ago a parcel arrived in the mail. I hadn’t ordered anything so it was a real mystery. I opened it to find a darling hooked pillow. I was thrilled and I must confess my heart skipped a beat and my eyes misted as I read the note.
This awesome gift was from Brigitte Webb, a household name in the art of rug hooking, when she was chosen in 2019, as the International Rug Hooking Artist of the Year by the Rug Hooking Museum of North America. Before that, she was known for her talent in many rug hooking circles and a friend to all that met her. Her smile could lighten any room, and her delightful Scottish brogue cast a spell on us all.
I knew Brigitte, the lovely pillow fairy, from many moons ago when I first opened my rug hooking shop. It was hardly a studio in those days, just one small room with nary the inventory I have today. Brigitte placed a few kit orders at the beginning of her rug hooking foray, then developed her own way of doing things as her talent blossomed and the possibilities became endless. She told me that she was the only rug hooker in Scotland at the time and was in a group with other fiber artists, but I’m sure she’s changed that with her infectious enthusiasm for our craft. I remember her telling me she loved visiting Nova Scotia and enjoyed Tim Horton's coffee so I sent her a can of their ground beans along with one of her orders as a taste and memory of Canada.
She is a friend to many on Facebook, the social media tether that keeps us all updated on our lives and projects. I see she’s been a busy beaver hooking and sending out pillows to various friends and fellow fiber artists, I know they must have been as thrilled as I was to receive one. I feel quite special to have been gifted with an original Brigitte Webb, knowing that she lovingly hooked and crafted one of her special rugs to send to me. Wow, its such an honour. She knows how much I love my beautiful boat and hoped it would find a home there.
Of course, I thanked her immediately, but there were not enough words to describe what it meant to me and how it came at such a tenuous time in my life, when I needed a boost of confidence and a smile. I always planned to write about the gift, but I really wanted to take it to the boat first, and photograph it in the place it was made to be. In the meantime, it adorned a living room chair, where I would look at it think of Brigitte and that very special moment when I opened the parcel and read her message. It’s the stuff good tears are made of......
Brigitte calls her pillows small mindings. Pillows she creates and sends to folks who she values and cares about and who have been a great part of her life over the past number of years. She enjoys what she does, and it keeps her brain ticking when sharing a bit of herself with dear friends.
Because of COVID-19 and being so busy at the shop filling orders, we were a month late launching the boat this year, but finally, our girl is bobbing up and down on the mooring ball. I took my precious pillow on board and positioned it in a very special spot that can be seen from the companionway and every corner of her beamy cabin. The colours and design are nautical and it fits like an old friend.
Brigitte so cleverly designed, colour planned and created the perfect gift for me. The photo doesn't do it justice so let me describe it. She used a mixed media of wool, sari silk, velvet and sparkly infusions of ribbon in the star. The rich navy background is full of sparkles, like twinkling diamonds in a night sky, so perfect for a crow like me.
A star might be the focal of this darling little pillow, but Brigitte is truly the brightest star of them all. Thank-you again and many hugs from Mahone Bay!
This awesome gift was from Brigitte Webb, a household name in the art of rug hooking, when she was chosen in 2019, as the International Rug Hooking Artist of the Year by the Rug Hooking Museum of North America. Before that, she was known for her talent in many rug hooking circles and a friend to all that met her. Her smile could lighten any room, and her delightful Scottish brogue cast a spell on us all.
I knew Brigitte, the lovely pillow fairy, from many moons ago when I first opened my rug hooking shop. It was hardly a studio in those days, just one small room with nary the inventory I have today. Brigitte placed a few kit orders at the beginning of her rug hooking foray, then developed her own way of doing things as her talent blossomed and the possibilities became endless. She told me that she was the only rug hooker in Scotland at the time and was in a group with other fiber artists, but I’m sure she’s changed that with her infectious enthusiasm for our craft. I remember her telling me she loved visiting Nova Scotia and enjoyed Tim Horton's coffee so I sent her a can of their ground beans along with one of her orders as a taste and memory of Canada.
She is a friend to many on Facebook, the social media tether that keeps us all updated on our lives and projects. I see she’s been a busy beaver hooking and sending out pillows to various friends and fellow fiber artists, I know they must have been as thrilled as I was to receive one. I feel quite special to have been gifted with an original Brigitte Webb, knowing that she lovingly hooked and crafted one of her special rugs to send to me. Wow, its such an honour. She knows how much I love my beautiful boat and hoped it would find a home there.
Of course, I thanked her immediately, but there were not enough words to describe what it meant to me and how it came at such a tenuous time in my life, when I needed a boost of confidence and a smile. I always planned to write about the gift, but I really wanted to take it to the boat first, and photograph it in the place it was made to be. In the meantime, it adorned a living room chair, where I would look at it think of Brigitte and that very special moment when I opened the parcel and read her message. It’s the stuff good tears are made of......
Brigitte calls her pillows small mindings. Pillows she creates and sends to folks who she values and cares about and who have been a great part of her life over the past number of years. She enjoys what she does, and it keeps her brain ticking when sharing a bit of herself with dear friends.
Because of COVID-19 and being so busy at the shop filling orders, we were a month late launching the boat this year, but finally, our girl is bobbing up and down on the mooring ball. I took my precious pillow on board and positioned it in a very special spot that can be seen from the companionway and every corner of her beamy cabin. The colours and design are nautical and it fits like an old friend.
Brigitte so cleverly designed, colour planned and created the perfect gift for me. The photo doesn't do it justice so let me describe it. She used a mixed media of wool, sari silk, velvet and sparkly infusions of ribbon in the star. The rich navy background is full of sparkles, like twinkling diamonds in a night sky, so perfect for a crow like me.
A star might be the focal of this darling little pillow, but Brigitte is truly the brightest star of them all. Thank-you again and many hugs from Mahone Bay!
 |  About 20 years ago, Brigitte hooked our Scrap Mat pattern and sent this photo of it finished. |
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