While we’ve been enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures of spring in the US Southeast, my family and friends in the Canadian Maritimes have been waiting patiently under dreary, grey skies. Spring takes it time coming to this beautiful part of the world. But once it does, it does not disappoint! The magical greens of new growth are everywhere as the world wakes up from its long winter nap.
Perhaps it’s that long winter nap that has led to the long-standing tradition of rug hooking in this region. Originally, rugs hooked by housewives from old clothing, were used to provide warmth on household floors. Hooked rugs are rooted in practicality and frugality‒a fitting metaphor for this region. But over the years, the rugs have become works of art and the makers have become artists. They’ve taken something that started as a functional necessity and made it into something beautiful for the home. This type of transformation is common in this region which boasts many talented artists and artisans. I recently had the opportunity to visit one of those artists.
Deanne Fitzpatrick is a widely-recognized expert in the world of rug hooking. Here’s how the 2016 Globe and Mail article, “Modern Hookers”, put it: “Every Canadian hooker working today knows Fitzpatrick, who has been creating work, writing books, offering courses and selling supplies out of her studio in Amherst, N.S., for 25 years. Her rugs are alive with movement, informed by both her technique and aesthetic.”
Ironically, I first learned about Deanne from a fellow student at the John C Campbell Folk School (thank you Suzanne!). Suzanne is from Florida and we were in the same Sheep to Shawl class. She got hooked on rug hooking during a previous visit to the Folk School and had since journeyed to Nova Scotia to see all things rug hooking. The irony is that I’m from Nova Scotia‒I was born and raised there and started my career there‒but I had never heard of Deanne. It almost sounds like a joke… “Did you hear the one about the Nova Scotian who went all the way to North Carolina to learn about a rug hooker in Amherst?” Unlikely coincidences like this are common at the Folk School‒it’s simply become part of the magic!
Regardless of how I learned about Deanne Fitzpatrick and her amazing hooked rugs, I set my sights on visiting her studio in Amherst Nova Scotia at the first opportunity. That opportunity presented itself during a recent trip to visit my family. My sister and I took a day trip to immerse ourselves in rug hooking.
Before I go any further, I need to warn you; don’t let the name fool you! “Rug hooking” is not about making floor mats. Don’t even think about wiping your shoes on one of these beauties!
Deanne’s Studio is a treasure trove of colorful fiber in artistic displays.
One of the best things about visiting the Studio is the legendary Maritime hospitality. Where else would you be given free rein to wander around the entire studio and invited to enjoy a cup of tea with delicious oak cakes? Plus you’re encouraged to learn to hook. Deanne, herself, taught us how.
As promised, it only took a few minutes to learn. Here’s my sister, Marian, giving it a try.
She quickly got the hang of it!
You start with a backing of burlap or linen stretched on a frame. Then using a simple hook you pull strips of fabric, strands of yarn, or other fiber through the backing to make a small loop. You repeat this process until you’ve covered the surface with fiber loops.
Of course, it takes an artistic eye and lots of practice to work up to beautiful pieces like Deanne’s “The Golden Season”.
Deanne and her team strive to “Create Beauty Everyday” and they encourage their customers to do the same. She’s said “it is my goal to live simply, and make hooked rugs that are unmistakably art”. Obviously, she has accomplished that goal.
Special thanks to Deanne and her team for your kind hospitality and a memorable visit!
More Info
You can learn more about Deanne Fitzpatrick, along with everything you need to get started hooking rugs, on the Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio website.
As you can see on the website, Deanne is the author of over a half dozen books including a children’s book. The book, Singily Skipping Along, was a collaboration with beloved children’s book author Sheree Fitch. Sheree contributed the delightful story with her usual charming verse while Deanne contributed the illustration using the color, shape and texture of her hooked rugs. The unexpected combination provides a joyful reading romp. You can learn more about Sheree Fitch in my previous post A Visit to Mable Murple’s.
Here’s a link to the 2016 Globe and Mail article,“Modern Hookers”, mentioned above.
To enjoy legendary Maritime hospitality for yourself and/or to plan a visit to the Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada check out Tourism Nova Scotia’s website.
UPDATE August 20, 203: You can learn more about the John C Campbell Folk School, where I participated in their Work Study Program, on their website or in my previous blog posts at About > Folk School category index.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Explore various mediums and art forms to broaden your range and expand your skills.
2. Much like we’re warned not to judge a book by its cover, don’t miss out on a great craft just because of what its called.
3. Consider enhancing your travel experiences, both near and far, by including arts, crafts and personal interests on your itinerary.
This house is located on Main Street in Madison. I often drive by it when I run errands around town. Sadly, the property was neglected and had fallen into disrepair. Then over the last few months, I noticed things were happening‒workers were present, scaffolding was erected, wooden braces were installed, piles of bricks appeared, and signs were posted.
When I noticed the house was included on the Madison in May tour, I was excited to go have a look. I wasn’t disappointed‒there’s definitely something special about this house! Below you can see the Library as it is today with a large photo showing how it looked previously.
This is the Entry Hall which originally showcased a solid walnut staircase.
This house was obviously beautiful in its day. And maybe that’s the attraction‒its the possibility of bringing it back to its former glory! Every detail that’s still intact‒and there are many‒is just waiting to be restored. Lucky for the house, many citizens of Madison and the surrounding area feel the same way. Here’s a glimpse of the ornate trim on the exterior. Can’t you just picture it as it was?
The house reflects the Aesthetic Movement and, as the story goes, was greatly influenced by a lecture given in Atlanta, Georgia in 1882. Surprisingly, the lecture was given by Oscar Wilde, someone more widely recognized for his plays, novels and poetry, than for his decorating expertise. Wilde’s lecture was part of a 9-month, 140-lecture tour across Canada and America. The Atlanta lecture was titled “House Beautiful” and promoted the virtues of the Aesthetic Movement. This is why I’ve come to think of the Foster-Thomason-Miller House as “Madison’s House Beautiful”.
In regards to the use of color, Wilde said “You have too many white walls. More colour is wanted.” The owners of this House Beautiful seem to have taken this advice to heart. Color is used throughout the house including this beautiful wall in the Library.
Wilde advised his listeners to look to nature for decoration inspiration. “Golden rod and aster and rose and all the flowers that cover your valleys in the spring and your hills in the autumn: let them be the flowers for your art… Nature [has] given you the noblest motives for a new school for decoration.” Here are some examples of floral motifs in this House Beautiful. This stenciled ceiling is from the Library.
The Aesthetic Art Movement was short lived, lasting for only about 10 years from 1880 to 1890. As a result, there are not many surviving examples of this style‒a situation which makes Madison’s House Beautiful even more significant.
The house has been vacant since the fire. It was placed on the Georgia Trust’s 2018 “Places in Peril” list meaning it was recognized as a valuable structure at risk of being lost. This brings us back to present day with the MMC having found a conservation buyer to preserve this outstanding property.
Later in the day, the scene from my picnic blanket looked like this.
Today’s picnic theme is bright and joyful.
Colorful pinwheels set the mood.
A clear plastic tray, decked out as a color wheel, carries the colorful theme forward.
A matching picnic blanket, pillow and napkins pull it all together. Plastic glasses and melamine plates add ease and convenience. A wicker picnic basket and small table tray help with transport and set up.
Meanwhile, a vintage lawn croquet set adds playful fun and character.
A simple meal of bread, cheese, olives, meats and fruit hit the spot.
After this nice light meal, a little cloud gazing was in order.
Cardstock turned out to be the ideal material. It comes in lots of colors and can easily be printed to add a little extra interest (eg black stripes). Cardstock is flexible enough to bend the wings without creasing or folding. I drilled a small hole in the end of a bamboo stick to hold the pinwheel. We have lots of bamboo in our yard so that was an easy choice. Alternatively, you could use small dowels.
The tricky part was making the pinwheels spin smoothly. After a little trial and error, I found a solution that worked. Short pieces of wire, with a small loop at each end, held the pinwheels to the bamboo sticks. But getting the tension and spacing right was the challenge. The pinwheel didn’t spin if it was attached too tightly or too loosely. I finally got the right tension when I inserted 3 small wooden beads as spacers between the layers‒one bead on top of the wings, one bead between the wings and the paper back, and one bead between the paper back and the stick. That worked like a charm and the pinwheels were spinning in the breeze.
The tour included 5 great gardens and encouraged visitors to “immerse yourself in this self-guided tour filled with garden creativity and ideas”. I followed those instructions to the letter and immersed myself in 4 beautiful gardens. Today I’d like to share some of the creativity and ideas from those gardens.
But just around the corner, this delightful scene took the edge off the formality. And, yes, that’s a rock alligator in the green grass! I love how the gardener used a variety of grasses and plants to “paint” this scene.
Touches of whimsy, like this bird sculpture, kept things light and fun.
This gardener strategically placed large potted plants throughout the garden. It’s a great way to vary height and add interest. Planting a delicate ground cover at the base of the potted tree helps the pot blend in and hides the potting soil. That’s a nice detail I’ve filed away for future reference.
The Cavan garden at Mal Bay Rd had a fun, casual vibe. Here a set of stone steps and a simple arch connect the backyard seating area to a grassed section.
This potting shed caught my eye. It’s situated towards the back of the property, has open walls, a fun collection of vintage items and a delightful, laid back feel.
Several casual floral arrangements were placed throughout the seating and eating areas. I rarely think to do this but it’s easy to do and adds such a nice touch.
The Carey garden on Fox Trace featured a network of dry streams and bridges leading to this lovely covered seating area.
The coffee table adds interest to the seating area with its unusual surface. It reminds me of a vintage heat grate floor register.
Here’s another take on dressing up the soil under a potted tree. A little driftwood, a few carefully selected stones, and some creeping jenny complete the scene.
I wrapped up my tour with the Middendorf garden on Jefferson River Rd. As it turned out, I saved the best for the last! All the gardens were lovely but the Middendorf garden is located on a 137-acre horse farm, called Silverthorn Farm, which was open for our viewing pleasure. Gardeners often strive to frame views in their designs but not many have vistas like this!
This horse barn is 200 years old and packed with charm and character.
The flower gardens were lovely as well. This enclosed rose garden was at its prime.
The setting was delightful and the roses were splendid. It was the perfect way to wrap up a day of magnificent spring gardens.
Upon closer inspection, a curtain of rich color and shape came into focus.
The curtain consisted of dozens of pendulous blooms called racemes.
Separate flowers clustered along a central stem to form the raceme. The flowers open from the top down.
Not only was this wisteria beautiful, it also smelled heavenly. And it created a soft, musical buzz from all the bumble bees that were busy at work.
It was so lovely that I couldn’t resist staging a charming spring picnic under the wisteria. Luckily, my neighbor was very accommodating. Thank you, Bill!
Here’s how it came together.
Special thanks to my favorite chef, David, for the curry chicken salad croissants and the caprese salad.
This was my first time using this picnic basket. It was ideal. It’s a generous size, solidly constructed, and the top serves as a handy, little table.
I actually found the wicker basket at a local thrift store for only $7.00 but it was missing the lids. A couple of pieces of MDF, some black spray paint and black cord solved the problem. Of course, I couldn’t just leave the covers plain black. A few strips of adhesive vinyl in a simple woven design added some punch. The new colorful grid is perfect for an impromptu game of tic-tac-toe.
Staging this picnic was a great photography challenge. In fact, it was so much fun I may have to do it again!
In 
In 
I didn’t post about every class I attended although I enjoyed them all. I participated in a week-long class on glassblowing with Alex Greenwood and Tony Prince. Here Tony demonstrates flamework.
Weekend classes on Basketry, Inkle Weaving and Portrait Photography were also informative and great fun.
Vasanto demonstrated felt making.
A blacksmithing demo was hosted by Paul Garrett who is the Resident Artist for Blacksmithing.
Marlow Gates demonstrated broom making.
This is merely a sampling of what the Folk School has to offer. For instance, I haven’t mentioned the music and dance program but it is very popular and offers a wide variety of classes.