Get Hooked at Sea 6

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Join us for the next rug hooking adventure on the J&E Riggin on August 20 – 24, 2024 out of Rockland, Maine

We are so pleased to announce that our teacher for Get Hooked at Sea 5 is Diane Learmonth!

I have been hooking rugs for 25 years. Early on I attended The McGown Teachers Workshop achieving a double certification fairly quickly. It was not a good fit – I wanted to make my own patterns, use different materials and create. I lasted 6 years.

Since then I’ve discovered very forward thinking teachers who’ve encouraged me to create, create, create. I’ve taken many classes learning how to hook faces, animals, landscapes and more. Along the way I’ve become a mixed media fiber artist featuring rug hooking in most of my pieces.

My work has been in several different books and galleries. I’ve taught and lived throughout the country including Canada. Michele Wise and I started the Puget Sound Rug School in Federal Way, Washington making sure it was a teaching school vs. a place to hook.

During Covid I took a 2 ½ year Art and Design course from Gail Harker in LaConner, Wa. Seventeen sketchbooks later I received my certificate. That course taught me so much about design – it’s helped me immensely in my work. And Gail learned that rug hooking is indeed a form of art.

Teaching is important to me; this wonderful art of rug hooking needs to keep evolving, students need to be encouraged to explore what can be done and there should be very few rules. Why can’t we add shells, driftwood, embroidery, cotton, silk, threads etc. into our work? The sky is the limit.

Diane will be taking us through an exciting and creative journey in mini landscapes and driftwood art!

Diane’s workshop description is:

This class is chock full of choices; you’ll get to decide if you want to hook a little 8” x 8” landscape from a photo you’ve taken or hook a little piece of driftwood art. Or both!

I consider the 8” x 8” landscape a practice piece or a little study in color and form. The two pieces I’ve hooked (one in yarns and one is wools) are from a photo I took on the J & E Riggin in 2023. These are not detailed pieces; I let the yarn or wool do the work and hooked it fairly quickly keeping an eye on the overall effect of the piece. These are little studies, not masterpieces although I do think some of mine are rather good! I’ll be teaching you what makes a good landscape and how to use color, shadow and light. You’ll bring a photocopy of a photo you’ve taken and you’ll transfer that onto backing, simplifying along the way.

I invented the driftwood art 3 years ago. Through trial and error I’ve come up with the method I’ll show you. You’ll each get to choose a small piece of driftwood I’ve found on local beaches, your yarns plus a variety of rocks, shells, sticks etc. to embellish with. The rocks and shells will be sewn on the backing then you’ll hook your design following the driftwoods shape. Mine usually feature water, sand and grasses (blue, tan and green yarns) although some are fields or just water and sand with rocks and shells. This is where your imagination comes in. They will be small (less than 10” hooked) pieces that will be hooked on linen then stapled on the driftwood. I’ll bring a piece that is hooked to show you how to finish it and staple it to the driftwood.

Some of the things you will learn:

How to put a pattern on backing
How to hook a landscape
Color Choices
Whether to use yarn or wool and why
How to finish a piece
How to use your imagination
How to be flexible in your color choices
The basics of rug hooking and tricks of the trade

I’ll be supplying:

Linen backing for both projects
An 8” x 8” black wooden frame
A wide assortment of wools and yarns
Stones, shells and small pieces of stuff from the beach
Driftwood

You’re going to have a lot of fun in this class and laugh a lot! I think this wonderful art of rug hooking should be fun and not stressful. I do not have “rules” for you to follow just suggestions. So gear up for a good time both in my class and on the magnificent J & E Riggin. I’m looking forward to creating with all of you.

Here is some of Diane’s beautiful work showcasing some of the techniques you’ll have an opportunity to learn:

Our trip includes:

Ten gourmet meals cooked by a professional chef on the wood burning stove, including a grand all-you-can-eat lobster bake on a beautiful Maine island. Coffee, tea, and most often snacks are available all day in the galley.
Four nights aboard the National Historic Landmark Schooner J&E Riggin, sailing Penobscot Bay by day to island hop, go into beautiful Maine villages, or hike. And, there is never seasickness in these protected waters.
Inspiring instruction with Diane Learmonth. No prior hooking experience necessary!
All materials needed for your rug hooking project; you just bring your hook and scissors!
A hand stamped 207 Creatives canvas zipped tote that contains a brand new hardwood, gripper strip rug hooking frame and an assortment of other gifts.
A small surprise gift bag as a token of our appreciation that you joined us for this trip of a lifetime.

This summer’s trip will be August 20th – 24th, boarding the evening of the 20th and back in port before noon on the 24th. The price of the trip is $1895 USD for new sailors and $1795 USD for previous sailors.

If you would like to bring a cabin-mate who is not participating in the class, they may also join us for $1795 USD.

Payment plans are available! IF you need a more spread-out payment plan than is listed on our registration form, please contact us and we can very likely accommodate it for you.

We are so looking forward to this year’s experience and hope you will join us!

Our last five rug hooking cruises were a huge success, with some guests sharing that the trip was “life changing” or “the trip of a lifetime,” particularly in terms of personal growth, creativity, and stretching their comfort zones in a good way. Previous teachers were:

Get Hooked at Sea 1 with Maggie Bonanomi

Get Hooked at Sea 2 with Susan L. Feller

Get Hooked at Sea 3 with Hayley Perry

Get Hooked at Sea 4 with Meryl Cook

Get Hooked at Sea 5 with Rebecca Martin

Ready for more information? Email us at 207creatives@gmail.com

Don’t miss out on this! We have only 18 guest spaces and the trip fills quickly.