www.littlehouserugs.com
Creating Heirlooms
Featured Rug of the Month--
April 2011
Autumn Walk 35"x21"
Designed and hooked by Heather Wilkinson
The first rug that my hands hooked was a sample piece designed and packaged by Bonny Loomer for the Nova Scotia Rug Hooking School. Autumn Walk is my second rug, but my first 100% Heather Wilkinson rug.
I was living in Canmore, Alberta when I was inspired to hook this rug. One day while thumbing through an animal tracks book for the Canadian Rockies I came across the shape and dimensions of Grizzly Bear prints. I thought that life size prints would look great on a rug, as well as be a good reminder when I was on the hiking trails of how big these animals are!
For the background I envisioned as autumn leaves on a trail, somewhat obscuring the prints. Quickly realizing that trying to hook autumn leaves was too daunting a task, I decided that straight coloured lines would do just as well and be something I could finish without frustration. I started this rug in 2004, hooking the border and completing the grizzly prints first. I had several grizzly bear sightings on my hikes during the time I worked on the rug. The colours in the background took on the colours I saw around me, the yellow of the aubumn leaves in Alberta, some greens and brown, but also the blue of a stream where I came across bear prints on a sandbar. I finally completed this rug in 2010 after moving it from Alberta to Montreal. It now serves as a wonderful reminder of all my time hiking through the mountains of the Canadian Rockies.
Heather Wilkinson, Montreal Canada
Do you have a rug you would like to see featured on this website? E-mail me! Every rug has a story, and we love to hear all about them! If your rug is featured, you will receive your choice of a free half-yard of linen or our "I'm a HOOKER and PROUD of it" totebag. To view the many rugs that have already been featured, visit our archive.
