Searsport Rug Hooking is Wonderful!



Let's talk about Searsport Rug Hooking. My friend Tina and I were on a jaunt down to Camden to Lucy's Doll House, but this was our first stop. It's one of the places in Searsport that you must stop to visit. That and the Penobscot Marine Museum. Searsport Rug Hooking might be easy to miss - because the shop is housed in an unassuming center chimney cape house, built in 1790.



As you step through the doors you are enveloped with homey-ness and beautiful color and the spirit of creativity. The floors tilt and turn a bit, as old houses do, but every tilt and turn invites you to view something beautiful.






My friend Edyth O'neill wrote the book Pockets and Roll-ups for My Red Cape.



Scrumptious Color!



The owners, Chris Sherman and Julie Mattison, are a mother and daughter team who have been in business together for 25 years. And they are still smiling! ;-) and telling lots of "hooker" stories.



About 3 years ago, they sold the Searsport gift shop Silkweeds to open Searsport Rug Hooking. Chris and Julie graciously took the time to show us the building, and their passion for rug hooking was shining through! Not only that, they are extremely gifted at decorating and display. The shop meanders through rooms in the oldest part of the house - out to the area where cloth is sold for rughooking, and finally to a large classroom area. You really just don't want to leave! The visit there makes me want to take up rug hooking (new hobby alert!).





Chris (the mom) designs many of the rug patterns, and Julie (the daughter) hooks them as well as designs her own rugs. How interesting and rewarding it was to meet these two artists who work together. How fun it is to see the results of their artistic collaboration! Julie had a rug in process on the table in one of the old 1790 rooms of the business - and it's amazing how she uses different widths of wool strips, and different kinds of wool fabric to create a dimensional effect to the piece.



Another artist who works with them approaches rug hooking as a painter would approach a canvas. That warmed my artist heart! I sometimes have a challenge "coloring inside the lines."



I brought my little Izannah Walker inspired doll to show them, and it became clear she wanted to have her picture taken with the wool. Chris moved stacks of wool to make a home for her on the shelf.



What a beautiful place! Even if you are not into rughooking, you should stop just for the experience. I usually stop to fondle the beautiful over-dyed wool fabric. I purchased some beautiful red wool to make a cape for a Little Red Riding Hood doll. Scrumptious color!

Go to Searsport Rug Hooking! ;-)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

great pics. Hope all is well with you!!! Mica

Denise Aumick said...

Hi Dixie....I especially love the penny rug on the chair....by the way, you look so cute down below!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the pics...Planning on a trip to Maine in Sept...Will stop.. Diana


"Do not let what you cannot do
keep you from doing what you can do."

John Wooden