Welcome
Welcome to the National Guild of the Pearl McGown Hookrafters! If you aren’t new to the craft of rug hooking, you may have already heard of us, but if you are a new rug hooker, or just enjoy crafts, then come take a look at what Traditional Rug hooking is all about. On this site you will find links to the stores that sell supplies for rug hooking, and everything you will need for fine and primitive crafting.
You will also find links to the McGown guilds and schools around the world. This is the only site where you can actually find a teacher in this lost art and contact them by phone or e-mail address. By having the McGown certification you are assured that their expertise is proven and an accumulation of both experience and tradition.
Mission Statement:
The purpose of the National Guild of Pearl K. McGown Hookrafters Inc. is to educate and inform the public about the craft of rug hooking. We hope that you will enjoy exploring more information about the craft*. Questions, Comments, or Suggestions: Pearl K. McGown Hookrafters Guild Webmaster
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
Honoring two Instructors who had an impact on our art; Carolyn Clemens and Irene Kemner
Carolyn Clemens
Passed away peacefully on March 19, 2013 in Kitchener, ON. Canada. Carolyn was the author of Jewel Tones, a dye book from which many of us dye beautiful colours for our rug hooking projects. She was a fine shader, excelling in pictorials, crewel, fruit, and flowers amongst other things. Carolyn was a Canadian Trained Teacher and a McGowan Teacher who attended Southern Workshop. Carolyn always picked a big rug to hook and her body of work was impressive. The Barrie RUG group asked her to be their speaker at a meeting last year and her rugs were hung on the walls. It was a most impressive sight and when she had finished, she was given a standing ovation from the packed hall. She was generous with her assistance in colour planning and shading. Her dyeing was beautiful and done with great care. Carolyn will be missed for many reasons but Jewel Tones will carry on for all to use.
Irene Kemner
Irene was born on 2/21/1921 and passed away on 1/9/2013 at 91 years old. When the youngest of her four daughters was a senior at Michigan State University, Irene Kemner took her first rug hooking class and never looked back. Over the next 35 years, Irene became an accredited McGown teacher, taught dozens of students a love of the craft, and mentored a number of other teachers as well. She was an active member of Southern Michigan Rug Hookrafters and particularly enjoyed demonstrating at festivals throughout the area. Irene was featured in a number of national publications and received numerous awards for her hooking.
Although she had given her family and friends many of her creations over the years, in 2005, Irene began a new tradition in her family. Each year, she published a gift catalog filled with pictures and descriptions of some of her finest hooked pieces. Around Thanksgiving time, the catalog was presented to each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well their spouses so each could begin “shopping.” When her family gathered for Christmas, numbers were drawn and selections were made. In this manner, Irene gave her family over 190 precious keepsakes. At the time of her death on January 9, 2013, Irene owned fewer than ten of the hundreds of pieces that she had created in her 35 years of rug hooking, but she had greatly enjoyed sharing her talent with those she loved.
MASTERFUL MORRIS hooked by Irene
SNOWED IN hooked by Irene
