Coastal Quilters Upcoming Event

Camden, Maine - Coastal Quilters will meet at the Camden Lions’ Club on Lions’ Lane in Camden on Saturday, March 14, gathering at 9:30 a.m. for socializing and coffee, program at 10 a.m. This month’s program features Gabrielle Wicklow of Camden who will present a program on “Rug Hooking.”

Wicklow’s program will be a demonstration on traditional rug hooking done 250 years ago in the Maritimes. Those rugs were hooked on burlap and were made out of necessity to provide floor coverings for practicality and warmth. She’ll provide a narration of the wonderful, rich history of the craft to accompany her demonstration of rug hooking basics.

As well as demonstrating the historical art of traditional rug making, which has stayed pretty much
the same over the centuries, Wicklow will go through the years with updates on the art, particularly the fabrics and designs used today. For instance, today, Wicklow creates rugs using Belgian linen and beautiful, most often hand-dyed wools.

In addition to a variety of fabric materials, Wicklow will show samples of basic tools including hooks, frames and hoops and will have work stations for folks to try their own hand at this wonderfully, relaxing craft.

A special treat for audience members will be the variety of hand hooked rugs Wicklow will show, including her own hand hooked rugs created from her own designs. The stunning pieces of art may well motivate many to try their hand at this craft.

A mom and grandmother, Wicklow grew up in New York City and lived in New Jersey for 32 years before moving to Camden in 2005. She’s also a registered nurse and a certified teacher. Wicklow has “always” been a fabric artisan and designed and taught needle art for over twenty years before she discovered rug hooking in 1996.

Wicklow’s professional associations include membership in the National Guild of Pearl McGown Hookcrafters, the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild and the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists (ATHA). Locally, Wicklow is a member of Camden’s Cashmere Goat shop’s “Goat Team,” lending her expertise to folks who visit the shop. And, at one point inn her career, she died all of the wool for Searsport Rug Hooking. She teaches rug hooking at the Farnsworth Museum, and has taught at Halcyon Yarns in Bath, Maine and at the historic Old Stone House Museum in Brownington, Vermont.

The program will be followed by refreshments, a quick business meeting and Show & Tell All meetings/programs are free and open to all. FMI about the program or CQ, call Gail at 236-3821 or Louisa at 236-6215.