ARTIST STATEMENT

I moved to the Asheville, NC area from Miami 11 years ago. My Husband Jan owns Harry’s Body and Fender on Smokey Park Hwy. I have two teenagers in school in Asheville – causing many gray hairs! My background is in interior design – I had a design firm for 25 years, and a retail store for 7 years.

My grandmother Verna taught me to hook. The memories of her collecting wool clothing, taking the skirt or jacket apart, washing the pieces and hanging each piece of the garment to dry still goes thru my mind when I am doing the same thing, except that I use a clothes dryer rather than a clothes line. After she passed away, I continued learning different techniques from many McGowan-Certified teachers in rug hooking. I try to attend a couple of workshops in a year, finding that each teacher has her/his own approach to hooking, that offers something new and different. I learned how to dye wool at the Pro Chemical and Dye plant in Massachusetts, using the acid dyes. Have also dyed with natural dyes, using roots, berries, etc.

SCHEDULE

Currently teaching in Burnsville, NC at The Design Gallery - I am usually there one Satuday a month. If you call the shop at 828-678-9890 they can tell you when I will be there next.

Currently teaching at My Quilt Shoppe and the Historic Johnson Farm in Hendersonville, alternating each month.

Will be having a "Hook-In" at the Johnson Farm on January 9, 2010 from 10:00 to 3:00. Cost is $25 + materials.

MEMBERSHIPS

Association of Traditional Hooking Artists (ATHA)
Handmade in America
Southeast Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF)
WNC Fiber Guild
ASID
Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists
Johnson Farm 

MOUNTAIN WOOL
RUG HOOKING BY SARA-BETH BLACK
FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
sarabeth@mountainwool.com

WEB DESIGN BY HANDWOVEN WEBS