Cindy Irwin: Class of 2018
Name: Cindy Irwin
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are some of your interests and hobbies?
I really like to play tennis and am usually on several USTA teams at any given time. I enjoy spending time with family including my CO clan. My granddaughter is ten minutes away, and my grandsons are only a plane trip away. I also enjoy entertaining and cooking as well.
How did you get introduced to rug hooking?
I was on vacation in MI and went into a little town near us to "finger the goods." I saw something called rug hooking in the back of a gift store. I was intrigued; so I bought a kit, got a five-minute lesson, and never looked back. From designing, to dyeing, to deciding how to hook something, rug hooking satisfies every creative urge I have.
What was your first project?
A little 8-cut pillow. I didn't know what I was doing but had a chart and liked it enough to keep going.
Is there one rug that stands out as being particularly memorable?
Dad because it was a tribute to my father who passed away the year before. It was part of my grieving process and will always be a family favorite.
Is there a particular style of rugs that you're most interested in hooking?
I like hooking something that has never been done before. I love adding my gemstones and doing whatever I have to do to make it work.
What's your favorite part about hooking a rug?
It has to be when I'm about 3/4 of the way finished, and I can see the whole thing coming together.
What's a piece of advice you'd give to a new rug hooker?
Find a teacher! I have taken classes from over fifty teachers in my life, and I learned something from everyone. If I hadn't taken classes from a variety of teachers, I probably would still be doing fine shaded #3-cut rugs. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I'm so glad I branched out and tried different things.
What do you love most about Celebration?
The variety! It's fun to see what different people are doing. I'm blown away every year by the talent in the rug hooking community.
Table of Contents
Masterful Morris, Celebration XIII
"Masterful Morris is the first rug I did with my teacher Peggy Hannum. It was my first day in her class and she had me look at catalogs to choose a pattern. At the end of class, she asked..." Read more.
Cock-a-Doodle-Doo, Celebration XV
"I started this rug with Michelle Micarelli where I was introduced to her bright and wonderful colors! I discovered that the more bright colors I used, the more I needed to use. I tried..." Read more.
Primitive Fruit, Celebration XVII
"I did this rug as my show and tell for Teachers' Workshop. I had just finished my first primitive rug and was excited about doing another one. I was told that they had seen..." Read more.
Paisley Shawl, Celebration XIX
"It was at this point in my rug-hooking journey that Peggy Hannum, my teacher decided it was time for me to color-plan my own rug. Paisley Shawl is a very..." Read more.
Dad, Celebration XXII
"Dad is a tribute to my father who passed away a year before I completed the rug. The hardest thing about hooking this rug was the people’s faces. They were very..." Read more.
Madison's Fairy, Celebration XXV
"This rug depicts my granddaughter, Madison, as a fairy. Her face was the biggest challenge because it is rather small and hooked in a 6 cut. Laura Pierce taught me to..." Read more.
The Virgin, Celebration 26
"One of the biggest challenges when beginning a rug is the color plan. Priss Butler solved that problem for me when she gave me a multi-colored piece of wool that became..." Read more.
Deco Dress, Celebration 28
"I've always wanted to hook a series of dresses in different historic styles. This is the first one. I find that my rugs tell me what they want, for example, color and embellishments. I love to use gemstones on my hooked pieces and..." Read more.
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