Karen Maddox: Class of 2018
Name: Karen Maddox
Location: Kerrville, Texas
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I play the piano for my Sunday School Class and two nursing homes. I have a cat that keeps me entertained and I really enjoy rug hooking!
How did you get introduced to rug hooking?
I saw a Rug Hooking Magazine at a local book store and loved the textured look of the rugs. When I found out I could "do my own thing," I was really excited.
What was your first project?
I picked up a kit from Jane Olson who happened to be in Texas. I was leaving on a trip and ended up staying ten days with my father in the hospital, so I went to a craft store, bought a 10" hoop, and hooked the kit in that ten days. (Of course, with no instruction, I had twists, tails on the back, etc., so I decided I needed to get the technique down before I continued!)
Is there one rug that stands out as being particularly memorable?
"Kerrville Story Rug" was about my husband's and my life in Kerrville. Deciding what to include was challenging. My husband had built an experimental airplane that we traveled in all over the United States, and he kept insisting the airplane wasn't large enough in the rug! I also included the art center where we volunteered, the Guadalupe River with our grandkids playing, deer, and the cat sitting on a hooked rug surveying her kingdom!
Is there a particular style of rugs that you're most interested in hooking?
I really enjoy pictorials. I also paint in oils and pastels, so now I am "painting with wool!" It is much harder to dye wool the colors you need rather than squeezing paint from a tube, but I enjoy the challenge.
What's your favorite part about hooking a rug?
Designing rugs and working out the problems are my favorite parts. After that I wish I had an elf to come and finish them!
What's a piece of advice you'd give to a new rug hooker?
Persistence, persistence, persistence. Hook at least six strips a day, and you will finish before you know it.
What do you love most about Celebration?
The challenge and excitement of entering the annual Celebration contest is fun. I love looking at all the beautiful rugs that are included each year, and I know how many hours are invested in the art/craft we love.
Table of Contents
Mallard Duck, Celebration XI
"The colors of a male mallard duck are so eye-catching that I wanted to see if I could get the look in wool! Most of the rug was hooked with..." Read more.
Chinese Scroll, Celebration XIII
"This was a free pattern in Rug Hooking magazine, and I fell in love with the colors. Since the formulas were given in the article, and I was a fairly new rug hooker, I decided to tackle it! Enlarging the..." Read more.
Night Mare, Celebration XIV
"I used an oil painting that I had painted as my reference for this rug. I was interested in hooking a white horse using as many different colors of wool as I could. The most challenging part was..." Read more.
Basket and Apple Bucket, Celebration XV
"On a bright sunny day, I put the bucket and basket in the yard. I was interested in the texture of the basket but needed to tell more of a 'story.' I decided apples spilling from the..." Read more.
Shelburne Museum, Celebration XVIII
"I had recently visited the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and was very interested in its history, so I decided to hook it as a wonderful memory of my time there. Using my..." Read more.
Girl in a Straw Hat, Celebration XXI
"I enjoyed hooking the hair as there were so many different values and colors in it. The background was hooked with slashes of red mixed with the blue to simulate the Impressionist’s..." Read more.
Quaint, Celebration XXIII
"I hooked this rug to use up my #3 “worms”! I had several swatches, so I decided to hook each diamond from light to dark. The most challenging part was moving..." Read more.
Birds and Birdhouses, Celebration XXIV
"This rug was designed for a student who wanted lots of birds on a large rug. I researched each bird, placing them by color and size on the tree. This was the most fun part. My daughter, Sondra Kellar..." Read more.