Rug Hooking

Rug Hooking

It used to be said that in Nova Scotia it was a poor house that didn’t have at least one hooked rug made in it over the winter,  because they used to be traded for oilcloth..if you can imagine.  Rughooking for me is a chance to sit by the fire in the winter and play with colour and feel the warmth of wool. All of my hookings are made with wool..usually secondhand clothing (clean)  and sometimes a touch of silk.

“I started hooking rugs as a hobby about twenty years ago. Hooking gave me an excuse to frequent second-hand clothing shops to look for wool clothing which I would then wash, cut into strips, and hook into rugs. The other advantage to hooking rugs is that you stay clean, not like when you make pots!


One of a Kind

One of a Kind

One-of-a-kind pots, bowls and sushi plates are a group unto themselves. Their lofty status can be the work of the kiln gods, as some are fired in a propane kiln. The glazes for this kiln come from age-old recipes from studio potteries in England.

On other pots I use real starfish collected from the edge of the sea on which Tatamagouche is perched. Yet other pots are impressed with leaves from my garden which are themselves a marvel of nature.

All pieces are made by hand and will vary in both size and glazing.

All of these pots reflect the moment: the care and the simplicity of that which surrounds us and are a pleasure to use.


Serving Pieces

Serving Pieces

They say presentation is more than half the meal.  After hours in the kitchen put your culinary masterpieces on handmade pots. Eventually some of these serving dishes will adopt your favourite recipe and the rest they say is history.  Enjoy.


Dinnerware

Dinnerware

It is so much fun to make dinner plates and all the accompanying smaller plates because I know that folks will gather for a homemade feast on handmade plates.  It can’t get any better than that. I make each plate individually by hand on the wheel..unless of course you go for square or triangle.  Each plate varies a tad in size but stacks wonderfully in your cupboard. If you are thinking of plates I’d advise ordering all you need of one size before moving on to the next and of course it is always more interesting if the side plates are a little different,  but obviously from the same family so to speak.

All of my pots can go in the oven ; microwave and dishwasher.


Moss Scuttle & Lather Bowls

Moss Scuttle & Lather Bowls

For a wet shaver, life isn’t complete without a Moss Scuttle. The Moss Scuttle is an ingenious design of a wet shaving scuttle that arrived through my fax machine one winter from Dr. Chris Moss of Tatamagouche.

The design came with a request to make one which I gladly did, oblivious at that time that there were any souls out there that used a brush and/or a straight razor to shave.

Chris was delighted when I delivered the first one and said “I have 800 friends”. His posting of the scuttle on Shavemyface.com proved that wasn’t an idle boast and generated an enormous interest from around the world. Chris also asked that I send a scuttle to Corey Greenberg of Shaveblog.com, which resulted in a rave review and instructions on how to use the scuttle.
To make a scuttle requires a month from start to finish. Each scuttle is individually hand thrown by me, then dried, fired, glazed and refired to almost 2300° F.

Click here to read Chris Moss’ instructions.

All pieces are made by hand and will vary in both size and glazing.