Rebekah L Smith - Exploring Folk Art with Wool Appliqu� & More: 16 Projects Using Embroidery, Rug Hooking & Punch Needle

Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda Managing Editor: Liz Aneloski Editor: Katie Van Amburg Technical Editor: Julie Waldman Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan Production Editor: Jennifer Warren Illustrator: Aliza Shalit Photo Assistant: Rachel Holmes Cover photography by Kelly Burgoyne of C&T Publishing, Inc. Style photography by Laura Webb and instructional photography by Kelly Burgoyne of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 DEDICATIONTo the matriarchs of art in our family, Zella Mohler and Marj Granny Smith, who have inspired us with their creativity and love of the textile arts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book, more than the previous two (for Rebekah), has been a joint effort, and there are many to whom we are grateful for their help in this endeavor. We are grateful for the gifts that God has given us; ultimately, all the glory goes to Him in bestowing us with creative abilities that reflect His own. Our family, as ever, is a steadfast rock in our lives, and at some point everyone plays a role in the process: Bruce as a husband and father who is always there; Karly as a daughter and sister who helps bring our collective creativity out; and Tessa as a daughter and sister who spent many hours bringing our work to the page with her photographs.

This book would not have been possible without the help and talent of some dear friends near and far, who patiently worked with us and made this book become a reality. These women continue to inspire us. Thanks to Donna Bennett, a dear friend and rug-hooker extraordinaire. We thank Cindy Sullivan, a friend whose rug-hooking skills shine. Many thanks to Susan Meyers, the punch-needle queen and our dear friend and talented rug hooker. We thank Lori Ann Corelis, a fellow artist, stitcher, and friend.

Thanks to Kathy Wright for many years of friendship, her skills in quilting and yarn sewing, and the use of some of her beautiful antiques as props in our photos. Were always thankful for Christine Miller, mother to Rebekah and grandmother to Kelsey, and a wonderful stitcher. We could not help getting a few more friends involved, including Debbie Gulland, Patti Wolfe and Ginger Jackson, Patti Gagliardi and Jill Zartler, and Deb Tomschek and Teri Hedrick. Thank you, ladies, for making your own beautiful versions of the projects for the gallery in the back. We could not do without the talented sewing skills of our friend Rebecca Bihun, and the book would not be as beautiful as it is without Laura Webb, whose time and skill result in pictures that are more lovely than we could imagine. We extend our thanks to all the folks at C&T for their help in creating this book.

Finally, in the spirit of this book, we want to thank all of the creative women in our lives who appreciate our work and work alongside us. You know who you are! FOREWORD Being an artist can be lonely. Creativity calls for its fair share of solitude; imagining and artistic decisions happen in a place no one can enter or see. What can soften the loneliness of the artist? There is, of course, the beauty of the finished work, the smile of delight at the end. The sensation of colors and shapes ordered and worked to point toward something deeperthis is motivating for artists, pushing us through the darkness. Yet there is nothing quite like having a friend who is an artist, too.

Community softens the loneliness whether the friend uses the same materials or not. Sometimes having an artist friend is just what is needed to break through the heavy clouds of a creative block. As a writer, I am indebted to my writer friends who laugh and ache over words with me. My musician friends teach me the limitations of words. My painter friends teach me about perspective. My carpenter and sculptor friends teach me about structure and depth.

My stitcher friends teach me about texture and detail. My mom, the coauthor of this book, raised my sisters and me to collaborate as artists and share our work. We grew up surrounded by artists, mostly folk artists, who helped my mom see her own work differently and who were always willing to work with her. It comes as no surprise that she and my sister Kelsey would write this book, as Kelsey was my moms apprentice for some years. The friendships they developed were integral to their growth as artists and their enjoyment of their work. This is why I think my mom was able to translate her painting into wool appliqu and why Kelsey moved so easily from watercolor to embroidery.

As you step into the pages of this book, my hope is that you, too, can develop friendships that take you beyond the limits of your own creativity. The beauty of collaborating is that it makes artists better. You will see your work and your life differently when you make friends with other artists. I encourage you to do at least one of these projects with a friend. You may be surprised at how your arteven your lifechanges. Karly A.

Smith INTRODUCTION For generations, hand stitching has been a means of building friendships, from the sewing circles of old to the modern-day guild. It has also brought us, a mother-daughter team, even closer. Many of the techniques used in this book have been inspired by the woolwork our friends do, from rug hooking to punch needle to quilting. Most people we meet on our travels are skilled at more than just appliqu. There are so many ways to use wool, so why stick to one? We wanted to combine techniques to create unique projects for the wool enthusiast. Knowing we could not do this alone, we gathered up some dear friends to help us make these pieces.

Each project has a folk art feel and an extra dose of friendship. In part, we hope to share some lovely friendships (including our own) with you. We also want our fellow stitchers to see how the many kinds of wool arts can be friends, too! Each project features a collaboration between us or between Rebekah and one of our friends. The projects either have one collaborated work using a combination of techniques or two works that each showcase a different technique. At the back of the book is a gallery in two parts: the gallery of projects, where some of our friends have worked our project designs in colorways of their own, and the gallery of friends, which puts a face to the name for every project collaborator in this book. Rebekah and KelseyProjects WALLHANGING GARDEN Finished wallhanging: 42 14 Techniques: Wool appliqu and embroidery O ur first project to share brings embroidery and wool appliqu hand in hand.