Gail Dufresne's "Rug Hooking with Fancy Fibers"

Published by "Rug Hooking Magazine," Gail Dufresne's book Rug Hooking with Fancy Fibers was worth every penny I paid for it. I can't say enough good things about it.

I flipped through the book when it first arrived and knew immediately that I wanted to sit down and actually read it. It soon became apparent that I should take notes, mark pages, talk with friends about it, and do a review for my blog.

If you are a rug hooker wishing to expand your horizons, then this is the book for you. It focuses on the use of three-dimensional techniques for hooking including weaving, knitting, embroidery, beading, embossing, felting, knotting, quilting, sculpting, prodding, crochet, quilling, and more. The other interesting discussion in this book is the use of materials other than wool to complement your rugs.

Through the use of photos of the most incredible rugs, you will get ideas for using the above techniques in your work. There are lots of close-up photos that detail these techniques.

In addition to all this, you will also get a concise history of some of the aspects of hooking. I particularly liked the discussion on Waldeboro sculpting. It's something I've tried in the past, and now want to do more of it.

However, the most fun I saw was in the use of quilling or standing wool shapes. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I have never used this technique but want to try it immediately! I want to do all of these techniques!

Finally, the photographs! There are photos of rugs created by some of the best rug hookers in the world such as Cindy Irwin, Jen O'Malley, Liz Merino, Tracy Jamar, Kris McDermott, and many others. And let's not forget the stunning work of the author, Gail Dufresne.

"Rug Hooking Magazine" always puts out great books on rug hooking, and this is no exception! Go buy it now!!! (Click on the photo above to take you to the amazon.com link for this book.)