ISSN 2207-001X 27th June, 2017
While most of us sit quietly, contemplating design and colour choices as we hook, on patterns drawn out on a table.
Textile Artist, Bec Andersen of Mt. Tamborine, Queensland, completes her design on a computer, and then clambers up onto a scaffold to draw the design directly onto her backing stretched taught on a large vertical frame, before plugging in her electric hand tufting gun and starting to work on her creation.
These images were taken (with permission) from Bec Andersen’s website, where you’ll see that while her technique is physically more demanding than the traditional way of sitting in an easy chair to hook, or even bent over a stretcher frame on trestle legs ……. and, she does have to wear protective safety glasses ….. she can still “plug in” and listen to her favourite music, or get lost in her thoughts as she creates her rugs.
Bec’s somewhat unusual rug making technique came to mind as I was sharing a video post on the Guild Facebook page and updating the Guild Calendar of Events.
The Facebook post was “Soft Machine”, a rug made at Dovecot Tapestry Studio in collaboration with Glasgow based artist Jim Lambie. The rug, gun tufted by Dennis Reinmüller and Kristi Vana at Dovecot in 2016. Bec tells me she uses a similar technique but has a looser/more relaxed approach to the art of rug making.
Bec has traditional rug hooking workshops (not tufting gun) coming up at her Studio on Mt. Tamborine on the 4th & 5th of August this year. She also offers private workshops, maybe you’d like help in the design and planning stage of your rug?
If you’ve already attended a workshop with Bec, you’re invited to the monthly gathering of the Happy Hookers. RSVP essential.
Details for these social days and all workshops – Basketry, Dyeing, Printing and Special Events can be found on her website.
Bec is also very involved with community art projects as you will see from this video.
Guild Members – do you have a rug hooking event coming up? or know of an 
associated textile craft event you like our members to know about?
Contact me via email and it will be added to the Calendar of Events. Cheers – Jo Franco, Editor
Lovely that we’re all doing things differently.
I wondered about the Yarn Bombing.
Do they leave it up there? How does it weather?
Or just bring it out for special occasions ?