Guest Author - Iris ten Holder

Rugmaking has a long history. Is there a better way to absorb the history of rugmaking than retracing the steps of earlier designers and rug makers? One can do this by making a sampler rug.

Designing is great if we want to use our creativity, but why not feed our creative spirit by retracing what others have done? I have copied a Persian carpet and enjoyed every stitch as I discovered the intrigue of the design, the repetition of a motif and looked forward to using the colors in the center section of the rug

Is there not some comfort in being guided in your endeavors, knowing the next segment of a project has bee foreseen and the materials will be sent in due time?

Are we not all busy, needing some motivation to accomplish something special. Once we have found that, we may be good to go till the finish.

One such way to do things is the BOM - block of the month program I found. in which a particular sampler is selected because of its merit and presented in kit form over a period of five or six months. In this way the materials are guaranteed to the ones required for the project, colors, texture, and so on. Yet it arrives in shipments over several months and is paid accordingly. A hooked rug can easily cost $250.00 in materials. Each shipment brings you to a new stage, with new materials and renewed excitement.

What is nice about this is that automatically the time is anchored, as it is a five-months project. Costs are known, and the time is known. What is happening five months from now? Is there an anniversary, a birthday. a special event?

What about Christmas next year! Counting back five months (let's say six for safety’s sake) we need to start in June. Oops, that is mid summer. That might not work. Perhaps getting started in April or May will guarantee accomplishment of the project in time for Christmas. Planning is good,, especially when we are busy, but still have a need for something special, a special commitment, and a special goal that is achievable.

After all, designing can be time consuming and may require several decisions - which take time - and so the project may never get started. Moreover, some of us really like history, and recreating an heirloom, or a sampler from the past.

There are several companies that sell kits. Recently I discovered The Rug Hooking Store, which has the five month project mentioned above. You will notice that the program started in June and probably was aimed at a Christmas completion time.

There are also smaller kits with the same company. I invite you to examine the site on your own. So far I have not made any contact, so in that respect you are on your own. I can only say that I liked what I saw.

Explore, Enjoy, get ideas!