The craft of Rag Rugging is an
old one. It developed out of the need to make
cottagers’
homes more comfortable, as the floors were frequently beaten earth and
warm insulation was needed.
Our current need
to recycle and
re-use resources is not new, as rag rugging utilised potato sacks and
old clothing to make serviceable rugs for the home.
My interest in
textiles originates
from an early age and from my family with parents and grandparents all
participating in a craft. My grandmother made many rugs
during
the war years. During the 1980’s I worked
as
Handicraft Instructor, in a day centre for the elderly, for Southwark
Social Services as part of their rehabilitation team.
My inspiration for
many of my designs
comes from the landscape and skies in Devon but I also enjoy
contrasting textures and colours which my medium offers endless
possibilities. As a garden designer I use my understanding of
shape, colour and texture to guide my designs and some folk
have
often commented that my designs are like gardens and flowers.
Colour has always been very important to me and I love the way colours
react to each other and blend.
I demonstrate rag
rugging, throughout
the peak holiday periods, at the famous cobbled street village Clovelly
near Bideford. The Fisherman’s Cottage is set out as a
typical
fisherman’s cottage during the 1920’s
I teach rag
rugging at many museums
throughout Devon and Somerset providing workshops for adults and
children. I also teach for the Workers Educational
Association
[W.E.A.] - rag rugging, horticulture and teacher training -
throughout Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
I provide courses for the WI college, Denman's, Oxford.
In my work with children can be contacted and provide a days workshop and Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Fair
I am also
a tutor
for Open University Tutor for their Openings Programme, a Fellow for the Institute for Learning
and
Associate member of the College of Occupational Therapists.
I am a member of
the North Devon Art, Textile Forum South West, Society for All
Artists
and have recently exhibited at Broomhill, Barnstaple, Okehampton
Museum, The Plough, Torrington, and Beaford Arts Centre. I
have
been part of Art Trek and the North Devon Festival in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 & 2011.
As a horticulturalist and having worked for so long in the field of
therapeutic horticulture I am a Trustee for Cultivations
Their web site can be found at: www.cultivations.co.uk
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