November/December – a busy time of the year !
In Western Australia – the Wanneroo Rugmakers Group have been involved with 5000 Poppies – a 
nationwide project which aims to display handmade fabric poppies in Federation Square in Melbourne for the centenary of ANZAC Day 2015.
Communities across Australia were asked to donate their creations in commemoration of those who served in World War One. The Wanneroo Museum has supported those in the community who wished to be involved, by gathering together locally made poppies.
In recognition of the Wanneroo community’s contribution, a selection of the poppies (knitted, crocheted & prodded, attached to a section of WWII camouflage netting) is currently on display in the atrium in front of the Museum at the Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre.
Appropriate timing since the display will be up for Remberance Day (11th Nov).
Another Melbourne Connection: – The Melbourne Cup
At their meeting on Saturday 1st November – the members of the Wanneroo Rugmakers were busy creating proddy flowers which were turned into stunning “fascinators” to be worn to Cup Lunches the following Tuesday.
While in the South West – at Donnybrook
Robin Inkpen is getting ready for Christmas and has created yet another colourful hooked bag.
Robin has patterns for these bags available for sale in a kit which includes the paper pattern, instructions on how to put it together and a coloured picture. You can contact Robin at robin.inkpen22@gmail.com and read more on her website.
South Australia;
While our rug hooking friends in the northern hemisphere are rugging up for winter – it looks like South Australia is in for an extremely hot summer!
According to Jenny Anderson of the Strath Matters group, weather conditions at their meeting on Friday 7th November were extremely uncomfortable. However the very hot temperatures didn’t deter their group from enjoying a show and tell of recent projects –
Jenny’s tea cosy, a commercial pattern, (Willow) hooked in 12ply wool from Bendigo Woolen Mills, was purchased at the Strath Rugmaking Expo from Faye, a South Australian rug hooker who learned to hook from Pam Whitehead in 1972. Pam was from England and had lived in Canada before migrating to the town of Elizabeth in SA in the late 1950’s. Faye also knew Joyce Emery, a member of this Guild until recently, who was one of Pam’s first students, Pam and Joyce taught rughooking at a local girls high-school. Joyce went on to teach rug hooking in country areas around SA when Pam no longer could. Joyce was also a member of The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers; she was the first of the featured Australian Rugmakers during Australia’s term as Host Country 2009-2012.
Faye, Joyce and members of the Elizabeth Rug Group who were all Pam’s students, gathered at Pam’s home one Sunday each month for show & tell, afternoon tea and encouragement on projects. Faye said a lot of information and fabric was shared and Pam held a stock of rug patterns and fabric dyes (imported). Pam also imported cutting machines, hooks and other tools to sell to the Rug Group. It was some of Faye’s 40 year collection of rug hooking supplies that was being sold at the Expo.
Many of the Expo participants purchased patterns and went home eager to start hooking. The one I purchased had an original tag on it from Rittermere in Canada. The company is now Rittermere, Hurst, Field (RHF – http://letshookrugs.com/).
Having met Jeanne Field at TIGHR Conferences and heard how she came to be connected with Rittermere, this was a special purchase for me. Jeanne is now retired from the business and RHF is being run by her daughter Andrea Sheppard. It is truly amazing how rughooking spans the globe and links us to friends and other times.
It will be interesting to see images of the old patterns appear on this blog as they are finished – it will be a trip down memory lane for some of our rug hooking friends overseas.
Trish Carter drew up her own pattern on Hessian for the Koala – hooked with Judith Stephens’ hand-dyed carpet wool – it’s destined to become a cushion cover.
Trish’s dragon rug was also hooked using Judith’s hand-dyed wool yarn.
Expertise Events Quilt 
& Craft Fair
http://www.craftfair.com.au/wp/Adelaide/
13th – 16th November in Adelaide.
As Christmas is not far away, the Strath Matters will feature Christmas Trees on the Guild Stand
Pictured right is a prodded Christmas Tree by Judith Stephens
VICTORIA:
Below; Chris Noorbergen, a member of the Yarra Valley Rugmakers, with Marion Nefiodovas of the Strath Matters, at the Strathalbyn Rugmaking Expo. Chris is explaining her colour plan for the Canadian rug pattern she purchased from Faye. After the event Faye was able to provide Chris with a photo of this rug completed by one of the members of the Elizabeth rugmakers group. You can see the photo and read more about Chris’s experiences at the Strathalbyn Expo on the Yarra Valley Rugmakers blog
NEW SOUTH WALES:
Members there are also thinking Christmas –
in March this year Annette White’s “Three Wise Men” rug was featured as a work in progress in a news report of the Narrawilly Ruggers weekend rug retreat at Milton – here it is again.
…..and now, here is the finished wall hanging. It is 57cm x 57cm and Annette hooked with all recycled silky materials; velvet, wool and ribbon with pieces of broken jewelry added to give the crowns some sparkle.
INTERNATIONAL:
International Rughooking Day – Thursday 4th December 2014.
The TIGHR web manager would like to hear of any specific events Australian Groups have planned for this Celebration which is to be featured in Rug Hooking Magazine.
Please send “who, what, where” to Susan Feller (email: rugs2wv@yahoo.com) so she can post on the TIGHR website. If you’ve got something happening ahead of time, please send her images and a description of the event.
OR….. members can send an image/s of any events happening on the 4th December to Susan on the day – there is a 12 hour difference between Perth and where Susan is, (so 15 hours from Sydney) she will post your Aussie 4th Dec images on the Rug Hooking Magazine page in the wee hours of the morning on the 4th December in the USA thus Aussie events would be the first to show up.
Two events are already scheduled in WA –
The Wanneroo Rugmakers will meet at an ocean-side restaurant on the 4th of December for their Christmas Lunch and then adjourn to the beach for an afternoon of rughooking show and tell. The location is a popular one, so they will probably draw a crowd.
South of Perth in Donnybrook – apple country – rughooking will be celebrated ahead of the December 4th. On November 29th there will be a Gourmet Food and Wine Fest in Donnybrook, a town not far from the the vineyards and wineries of Margaret River.
A small group is having a POP UP MARKET during the Festival where Robin Inkpen will be promoting rug hooking and her workshops. As well as demonstrations, she will also display a few rugs, but is not expecting to sell them. Robins says people always love the rugs but are much keener to know “How did you make them?” Robin says people love watching you ‘do something’ so she’ll sit hooking a rug and is expecting to be a draw-card for the event.
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