Mariner’s Lament/Justy Daley

Mariner's Lament, 54" x 35", #8-cut wool on burlap backed with linen. Designed by Joan Moshimer. Started by Grace Terantin and completed by her granddaughter, Justy Daley, Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, 2016.

Justy Daley had never hooked a rug. But that did not stop this enterprising young woman who wanted to give her mother a special gift: Justy wanted to finish a rug her grandmother had started. This was October, so time was short and the rug was in need of some TLC. Justy came to my house in late October, and I gave her some cut strips, backing, frame, and hooks and taught her the technique of pulling up loops. The rug she wanted to finish is the Hutchinson mermaid rug which was reproduced by Moshimer. The rug was on burlap and had several tears, so I was afraid it would split when hooked. While Justy went off to practice hooking, I tackled the rug. I backed the entire piece with linen, rehooked some outline areas to give it some stability, and then hooked one row of the border all around. Then I looked for wool that would “match” the old wool already hooked into the piece.