Explore expertly crafted, contemporary hooked rugs with designs ranging from abstract to political statement, and from adorable pet depictions to painterly expressions. The Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild mounted a great exhibit for a few short weeks in November 2008 at Shelburne Museum in Vermont, and now displayed forever in the pages of this rich book. Two featured artists - Rae Harrell and Diane Kelly -display their personal styles through retrospectives of their work. Members from the guild were challenged to think "outside the box," and they came up with a variety of imagery and form ranging from lifesize, three-dimensional sheep to extraordinary miniature punch-needle works. Other categories include animals, florals, landscapes, penny rugs, and even a small section dedicated to the smallest members of the group: the children. The colors, forms, and variety will astound and inspire anyone with an interest in fiber arts.

A giant high-top sneaker embellished with golden scissors floats in a polka dot sky along with the surprising motto, "Run With Scissors." Hooked rug maker Jill Cooper explains, "The older I get, the more I don't follow 'the rules.' This rug was a way to share my belief that you must take every chance you can to enjoy all the beauty of life." Taking chances with hooked rugs -- those cozy accessories of hearth and home -- is just what members of Vermont's Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild do best. They tackle unconventional subjects, delight in using unheard of fibers, and love the challenge of designing their own contemporary work. At the same time, they are experts on "traditional" rugs and can replicate hooked pieces from the 1800s with uncanny precision. The guild's annual exhibit in 2006 featured more than 900 wonderful rugs, of which half are presented here and half in the companion volume. Feast your eyes on winners of the coveted Viewers' Choice Awards, rugs in Oriental designs, florals, abstracts, animals, architectural designs, and delicate miniature rugs smaller than a credit card. Rugs by one of the show's three honorees, Pat Merikallio, are featured here, as are rugs made by children, rugs illustrating "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and over 100 pieces depicting the theme "Strong Women." This book is a delightful, inspiring look at what can be accomplished with the versatile and exciting medium of hooked rugs.

A giant high-top sneaker embellished with golden scissors floats in a polka dot sky along with the surprising motto, "Run With Scissors." Hooked rug maker Jill Cooper explains, "The older I get, the more I don't follow 'the rules.' This rug was a way to share my belief that you must take every chance you can to enjoy all the beauty of life." Taking chances with hooked rugs -- those cozy accessories of hearth and home -- is just what members of Vermont's Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild do best. They tackle unconventional subjects, delight in using unheard of fibers, and love the challenge of designing their own contemporary work. At the same time, they are experts on "traditional" rugs and can replicate hooked pieces from the 1800s with uncanny precision. The guild's annual exhibit in 2006 featured more than 900 wonderful rugs, of which half are presented here and half in the companion volume. Feast your eyes on winners of the coveted Viewers' Choice Awards, rugs in Oriental designs, florals, abstracts, animals, architectural designs, and delicate miniature rugs smaller than a credit card. Rugs by one of the show's three honorees, Pat Merikallio, are featured here, as are rugs made by children, rugs illustrating "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and over 100 pieces depicting the theme "Strong Women." This book is a delightful, inspiring look at what can be accomplished with the versatile and exciting medium of hooked rugs.

A giant high-top sneaker embellished with golden scissors floats in a polka dot sky along with the surprising motto, "Run With Scissors." Hooked rug maker Jill Cooper explains, "The older I get, the more I don't follow 'the rules.' This rug was a way to share my belief that you must take every chance you can to enjoy all the beauty of life." Taking chances with hooked rugs -- those cozy accessories of hearth and home -- is just what members of Vermont's Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild do best. They tackle unconventional subjects, delight in using unheard of fibers, and love the challenge of designing their own contemporary work. At the same time, they are experts on "traditional" rugs and can replicate hooked pieces from the 1800s with uncanny precision. The guild's annual exhibit in 2006 featured more than 900 wonderful rugs, of which half are presented here and half in the companion volume. Feast your eyes on winners of the coveted Viewers' Choice Awards, rugs in Oriental designs, florals, abstracts, animals, architectural designs, and delicate miniature rugs smaller than a credit card. Rugs by one of the show's three honorees, Pat Merikallio, are featured here, as are rugs made by children, rugs illustrating "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and over 100 pieces depicting the theme "Strong Women." This book is a delightful, inspiring look at what can be accomplished with the versatile and exciting medium of hooked rugs.

The queen of the craft Amy Oxford offers to beginners and advanced crafters alike a one-stop resource! This is the guide you'll keep at your fingertips while you learn, and throughout your punch needle adventures for years to come. Enjoy Amy's amazingly effective instruction, tips, inspiration, and in-depth info about every aspect of enjoying punch needle rug hooking. Create her colorful contemporary pomegranate project and ginkgo project, and learn to skillfully turn your work into long-lasting treasures like wall hangings, chair pads, rugs, cushions, stair runners, and whatever else your imagination can dream up. Enrich your work with fascinating info on things the other books don't include: the top secrets about the craft that beginners need, and careful step by step photo instructions for doing it right-from choosing your first project's materials, to creating a lovely result the first time, finishing techniques, mounting, adding complexity, and making your own designs. Enjoy the history of the craft of rug punching, gorgeous photos of works by today's biggest names, fun interviews with top makers, how to handle the unexpected, and much more.

Learn to make beautiful punch needle hooked rugs with veteran instructor Amy Oxford. A complete "how to" photo essay walks you through every stage of rug making. Never dry, Oxford entertains as she teaches. A question and answer section, fascinating interviews with professional punch needle rug hookers, a look into the origins of the punch needle technique, and exciting photographs of work from some of the field's most innovative and inspired craftspeople make this book a must for any textile lover. A gallery of more than 140 rugs, pillows, chair pads, and stair runners shown in full color will inspire your original designs.