Rughooking with Elissa Crouch & Friends

On Display March 21st through June 1st 2013

About Elissa

Elissa Crouch is a certified McGown teacher (25 years) and a member in good standing of the McGown Guild. She comes from a long line of artistic women, in one form or another, from oil painting, to basket making and more. Her main interest began about 29 years ago when a dear friend introduced her to traditional rug hooking. Due to a full time job and the lack of available instructors, Elissa taught herself. Eventually she took classes from several well known rug hookers and began to regularly attend schools and workshops to further hone her skills.

Elissa has completed many projects, with numerous rugs and hangings in private collections. She is a member of the Tidewater chapter of the Association of Traditional Rug Hooking Artists, as well as the National Guild of Pearl K. McGown Rug Hookcrafters. She has taught adult rug hooking classes at Chesapeake College and the Dorchester Arts Center. Above all, Elissa enjoys the creative process of designing, custom dying and applying that to her incredible work.

Bonnie Anthony

Bonnie has been rug hooking for 3 years and is self taught. She is also a quilter and cross stitches.  Her travels often end up at a fiber shows, gaining knowledge for her art.  Bonnie is a member of ATHA.

Toni Breeding

Toni has hooked since 2001.  She took a course at the Chesapeake Community College taught by Elissa Crouch. She was influenced by her Aunt Catherine Trice, who had hooked many beautiful rugs, and passed her passion of this art to her niece. Toni also collects antique rug hooking tools as well as very interesting old rug hooked pieces. Her piece Rose and Lattice is shown in Jane Halliwell Greens book on flowers.

Katharine Butcher

Katharine began hooking in 1972 in Medford, NJ. Her teacher was Lillian Izakson. She enjoys many topics to translate in her rug hooking as well as usable pieces, rugs, wall hangings, etc.

Harriet Ennis

Harriett has been a fiber artist for many years. She was introduced to this art by taking classes at the Chesapeake Community College over 10 years ago and continues to take classes and learn new techniques.

Margaret Grabus

Margaret was introduced to this art by Jane Halliwell Green in 2009 and has completed many rugs, wall hangings and accent pieces.  She has placed 1st in State Fairs and her work was published in a book that Jane wrote about Flowers. Margaret is an accomplished stained glass artist as well as master gardener and now adds punch hooking to her resume.

Dr. Jane Kiltz

Dr. Kitz graduated from McGill College in Montreal, Canada and moved to Rock Hall 17 years ago. Her interest was in oil painting until she met Elizabeth Kerr, 10 years ago, and began rug hooking. She has hooked many pieces and is working on a very large rose rug, keeping her very busy in her retirement.

Jacqueline Lewis

Jackie was born and raised in Nova Scotia,where rug hooking was born.  Her background in interior design, artistic color sense and talent all reflect in her original designs.She has painted floor cloths and now finds most of her time is spent rug hooking.