Editor’s Note: Rose Magee is displaying artwork at the Dillsburg Area Public Library in March and April 2023. Rose works in hand hooked wool rugs and previously displayed work at the library in Fall 2021. Since then, she placed in two categories at the 2022 Dillsburg Farmer’s Fair, and made progress on a major project.
Rose currently has 16 pieces on display at Dillsburg Library. They vary in size, with the largest being about 28 inches high and 32 inches wide. You can contact Rose at [email protected].
The following interview is from Fall 2021, with a few updates. – KLG
What is the source of your inspiration?
After watching a demonstration, I was curious as to how one could use strips of wool to make beautiful images on a piece of linen. With the history involved as to how our ancestors made rugs for their floors using all kinds of old clothing and seed bags and flour sacks just to have a covering for their floors.
How would you describe this art form?
This art form is so different from other forms of art. [It’s] an art a lot of people know nothing about. Some people get this art form confused with latch hooking, which is very different. Basically, you weave strips of wool into a base cloth. In the old days, a farm wife would have used cloth gathered from scraps and weaved them into an old burlap sack. Well, burlap does not last very long, so I use cloth made for the purpose. I still use old clothing, gathered from thrift shops and like, as the source of my wool.
What do you enjoy most about making these rugs?
I enjoy making these rugs because it is like drawing and coloring pictures with wool instead of ink and paint.
How do you get started on a new rug? Is that process always the same or is it different for each rug?
I get started on a new rug by looking at pictures in books and magazines. Once I see something that gets my attention, I keep it in a file for future use.
Why do you currently prefer rug making over some of your previous efforts, like quilting?
I prefer rug hooking because the end result is different than other forms of art. A lot of people do quilting, knitting, and crochet, but a rug hooker is rare.
If you ever get stuck or blocked, what do you do?
I hardly ever get stuck because ideas are always in my mind!
What was is like keeping up this work during the pandemic?
Rug hooking during the pandemic kept me focused on something other than sickness and all the crazy news going on in the world.
Do you have an artist or a quotation that inspires you?
I am inspired by a women named Magdalena Briner Eby who hooked rugs years ago just to have a covering on the floors. She passed in 1915. Her rugs that were saved are very valuable and are in museums across the country. Kathy Wright wrote a wonderful book about her rugs. I am a member of a rug hooking club named after Magdalena Eby; the club meets once per month in Newport, PA.
Folk artist Maud Lewis is another inspiration. Maud overcame considerable personal challenges including very bad health to practice her painting. There’s at least one good movie about her called Maudie and a few books too. (Maudie is available for rental on DVD at York County Libraries here.)
What are some of your future projects?
My future project is hooking a rug with a state bird and flower of each state. That’s a plan for fifty rugs! Each rug can take more than 2 months, so I’ll be occupied for a while. Note: As of March 2023, Rose is about a third of the way to 50!
Curious to learn more about this art form? We have a few books on rug hooking available. Come by the exhibit at Dillsburg Area Public Library and get inspired!