Laura Pierce: Class of 2018
Name: Laura Pierce
Location: Petaluma, California
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are some of your interests and hobbies?
I'm a Westerner from Oregon, BC, and California, and I grew up in a home filled with music and rugs. I'm a photographer and gardener, but rug hooking has been my main creative endeavor for 20 years. Lately, I've been taking weaving classes and am very excited about learning this historic craft.
How did you get introduced to rug hooking?
My mother hooked and braided rugs all of my life. She got started when she was pregnant with her last child: me!
What was your first project?
My first project was an image of Kokopele that I drew onto linen and hooked with hand-cut wool. It was stolen at a country fair when I was distracted by the belly dancers. My second "first rug" was a companion design of a lizard on a zig-zag background.
Is there one rug that stands out as being particularly memorable?
Emmy, the rug of the little girl blowing bubbles, caused a lot of excitement and recognition for me. As a rug hooking teacher, it paved the way for teaching portraits and bubbles at rug camps and workshops.
Is there a particular style of rugs that you're most interested in hooking?
I like many styles of rug hooking. I often do pictorials but love '"outline and fill."
What's your favorite part about hooking a rug?
Playing with colours and textures, seeing what works, then pulling loops and watching the rug come together. Sometimes the backing colour is not working with the colours you have planned for your project; when the backing is covered up and the colour plan proves to be good, the feeling of accomplishment is sweet.
What's a piece of advice you'd give to a new rug hooker?
Do a small project to begin with, don't pack your loops too tight, use a comfortable hook, buy beautiful wool, and hook at least 15 minutes a day.
What do you love most about Celebration?
I love seeing all the different projects people are doing. Attending various rug hooking events, I meet rug artists I've seen in Celebration, and I love that, too!
Table of Contents
Little Mabel, Celebration XIV
"This rug is based on a photograph of Mabel Irene Sloan, my paternal grandmother. Her mother, Mary Schofield Sloan, was a photographer in the 1800s and often used little Mabel as her model. When..." Read more.
Three Padulas, Celebration XV
"Three Padulas was shown in the first Celebration Rug Show in York, PA. I went out to see the show and was overwhelmed by all the beautiful rugs, the..." Read more.
Blue Heron, Celebration XVI
"Little Blue Heron was assigned to me as a 'show and tell' project for Western Teachers’ Workshop. I was not familiar with little blue herons, so I looked for..." Read more.
Emmy, Celebration XVIII
"Emmy was based on a photograph I took of our daughter, Emma Rose. I was planning to attend Cambria Pines Rug Camp and take a class with Michele Micarelli, but..." Read more.
Will & Kirby, Celebration XIX
"Will and Kirby is another portrait rug based on one of my photographs" my husband, Kirby, and our son, Will, from a vacation in Terrace, BC. It was a happy trip; my family was very..." Read more.
Oonapais Vineyard, Celebration XX
"I was on a kick about hooking quick little landscapes: small canvas and wide-cut hooking! Taking a class with Diane Stoffel at Cambria Pines Rug Camp, I showed up..." Read more.
Fraktur Blessings, Celebration 27
"I grew up with my mother’s rugs and she always used recycled materials. As a teacher, I decided to offer my students new quality wool from Dorr Mills. I see value in both, recycled..." Read more.
Scotty McGruff, Celebration 28
"This rug was the subject of a class at WTW: Western Teachers' Workshop. The theme of the day was 'black animals'. This pattern has a plaid background..." Read more.
Early Spring at Benziger Vineyard, Celebration 29
"I used to work in the tasting room at this winery and took photos on my lunch time walks in the vineyard. In the springtime, the fields are bright green, but the grapevines have been dormant and are just budding out with a bit..." Read more.
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