TOP 10 Reasons to Attend Atha Biennial

Top 10 reasons to attend an ATHA BIENNIAL

drumroll please…………………………………

10. It is an incredible opportunity to gather with people who share your same passion.

9. Where else can you go to hang out with so many of your rug hooking friends?

8. The Rug Hooking Auction where all kinds of wonderful treasures are up for bidding.

7. All the new friends you make at the biennial.

6. The Rug Show is phenomenal!

5. Vendors, vendors and more vendors!

4. Location, Location, Location….the next one in Sept of 2013 is in Long Beach, CA.

3. Diversity of classes offered at ATHA. From hooking, felting, needle punching, embellishing to braiding, the class schedule offers something for everyone.

2. The quality of the teachers all under one roof for four days of non-stop hooking!

AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR ATTENDING THE ATHA BIENNIAL is …………………………….

1. The energy, inspiration and creativity that you gain from attending the Biennial is priceless!

Seriously, Dave Letterman’s top 10 aside, the ATHA Biennial was wonderful. I was blown away by the incredible amount of thought and preparation that went into making the ATHA Biennial such a grand experience. I left the Biennial with renewed energy for rug hooking and many new ideas for craft. If you are reading this post wondering and considering if you should attend the next Biennial, don’t hesitate as it is worth it.
Check out this link to see many pictures from the PA Biennial. I'm having trouble with the link showing up so if you go to Woolwrights website, there will be a link at the top of the page for the ATHA Biennial.

Star of Texas pictures

This is the first of many pictures from my class at Star of Texas. I managed to take pictures of most of my students rugs at camp but missed two as the gals left a day early. Again, I took pictures with my Iphone and they are not the best. I'm using my canon from this point forward. This rug was wonderful in person but the pictures are not showing it at its best. Marguerite did a fantastic job on this rug and was so willing to try my suggestions.

Check out the collar and the beaded hair on the witch. Her collar is fringed and oh so cute! I'm trying to remember how we did that and of course I can't remember. I'll figure it out and do a post on it for you. We used the same technique for a tree on Debra's Winter Walk rug. (picture of that tomorrow)
Love the striped hat on the skelton guy!
The wool for the pumpkin guy's jacket rocked!
Marguerite's cat makes me smile. Love the wool for the cat!
Stay tuned for more rugs from camp. Maria

Pictures from 2011 Ghoultide gathering

First of all, I apologize for the poor quality of my pictures. They were taken with my Iphone and while the Iphone is usually great, it wasn't great for taking pictures on a rainy day. Even so, you can get an idea of what it looked like at the show. The first few pictures were of my booth. I have a few small canvas pieces left that I will offer for sale in another post.


Lori Corelis was next to me at the show and what a talented artist she is. The items she made were truly amazing. I couldn't resist purchasing one of her wonderful creations. Across and to my right, was Debra Schooch from Hop Hop Jingle Boo and a fellow Michigander. She is uber talented when it comes to paper mache. Her ideas are amazing and very clever.

On the other side of me was the talented duo of Steph and Vaughn Rawson. Their carved creations are whimsical and bring a smile to your face.
Aaron Lowe was directly across from me and her felted needlework is incredible. Just look at those details.
I'll be posting some pictures from the Star of Texas camp so stop by tomorrow to see some inspiration. Maria

My latest rug pattern......

I'm still around just having a hard time keeping up with the blog. My bad, I'll try to do better. Over the last few weeks, I've been working on Halloween Quartet, my latest pattern. If you follow this blog, you know my affinity for Halloween and this rug is my new favorite.






I just love how that Pumpkin guy is belting out the song!


The pattern comes in two sizes 14.5 x 30.5 for $58 plus shipping and 20.5 by 45 for $85.00 plus shipping. If you would rather have a skeleton in the quartet, I can add him in place of the owl. If interested shoot me an email. Maria

Atha Magazine

Warning......This is kind of a shameful plug for my patterns!

Oh good you are still reading.....in the latest issue of the ATHA magazine, there is an article featuring rugs that have been hooked by Linda Long from Texas. All I can say is wowzer! The rugs are fabulous. She hooked Matilda and Tilda and turned them into pillows. Around the edges, she added fringed wool that matches the hooking beautifully. They are amazing..... Swoon!
They make my heart sing.
Isn't her Mister Snowman rug the best? There is also a tiny picture of my Halloween Hooligan pattern that is colored planned perfectly in the one photo.
She also hooked my Daper Sheep dude pattern which is just terrific.

I had the pleasure of working with Linda at Star of Texas Rug camp in Fredericksburg a couple of years ago and she is the most amazing hooker. Her loops are so high and she spaces them perfectly. I kept rubbing my hands over her rugs because I loved how they felt. Linda must have thought I was a complete loon!

Keep the pictures coming!.....Maria

Friends

We all have them...and aren't they the best? I was talking to a pal last night and after I hung up the phone I reflected on how lucky I am to have such neat people in my life. You all know who you are and I am thankful to count you as a friend! Maria

Sheep Eye Candy

As many of you know, I swoon over sheep. Currently, I have a few sheep rugs in progress and need to finish them. While cruzing the web, I found some great sheep photos.....Enjoy the show.......


Artiparti

RainbowHamj
RainbowHamj


Marion Rose

Love,love....the colors in this painting!

Marion Rose

Rachelle Levingston


Marion Rose Make sure you scroll through the blog to see all the pictures.


Marion Rose


Sunshine Sheep



KILSOOK

I included this photo because of the circles all over the body. Can't you just envision a sheep rug with the rolled circles for the body? Did any of these sheep inspire you? Happy Hooking, Maria