First received by Mary Sheppard Burton in 1994, the Founders’ Cup is presented to a member who has promoted rughooking and TIGHR. The selection is up to the current recipient and announced during the Triennial with the actual cup being passed on to the honoree for display during the next three years.

Following are profiles of the recipients since 1994 compiled by Susan Feller through research and the interviewees responses to background questions.

1994 Mary Sheppard Burton, Maryland, USA

www.MarySBurton.com was instrumental in creating the invitation list and coordination of the first conference with Dar Ford Kayuha (a fellow American living in the UK). She purchased the Founders Cup in a London antique market and then was awarded it beginning the tradition.

Certainly Mary and many other influential members deserve the gratitude today, twenty years later from the rughooking community for their talk about forming an organization with term limits rotating from one country to another spreading friendship through rughooking and the results.

The last project which Mary created, Noah’s Ark in 3-D, involved dozens of talented people and is a visual example of her support and sharing spirit. Mary is the author of “A Passion for the Creative Life- textiles to lift the spirit” and passed away on July 1, 2010. Her grand-daughter Jennifer Zamora continues rughooking and promoting Mary’s work.

She presented the cup to Carol Harvey-Clark in recognition of Carol’s leadership of TIGHR in the first term and active role promoting the heritage of rughooking in Nova Scotia.

1997 Carol Harvey-Clark, Nova Scotia, Canada

www.SpruceTopRugHookingStudio.com

I am a member of the Nova Scotia Teachers Branch, Southern McGown Branch, and earned a Certificate in Rug Hooking at St. Lawrence College in Brockville Ontario. Hooking since 1992, my work has been in Celebrations, articles in Rug Hooking magazine, The Loop (Nova Scotia Guild newsletter), and the local newspaper. I am a founding member of TIGHR. Spruce Top Rug Hooking Studio, in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada has been operated by me for more than 21 years.

I was honoured that the cup came to me at our second meeting in 1997, here on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. I did not think for a moment the cup would come to me so it was a delightful surprise.

During my time I have supported TIGHR by spreading the word, talking to the local guild, and keeping the lines of communication open. I have attended all the Triennials and plan to take the TIGHR Train across Canada to Victoria next October.

I look forward to continuing teaching this wonderful art to as many as possible. Creating an atmosphere where it is safe to experiment and share will keep us thriving.

**Fumiyo, Carol, Jeanne, Mary, Peg, Linda Rae**

2000 Peg Irish, New Hampshire, USA

www.pegsrugs.com, I have been a member of TIGHR since its inception in London (or to be more precise, Ruislip). I have attended all but the last meeting in Australia and look forward to the next one in Victoria, BC. In 1997 I took over the newsletter from Jeanne Field. She and her fellow Canadians gave the organization a great start and Maryanne Lincoln and we on the US board carried it a bit further along. I enjoyed adding features to the newsletter. We gave it a name, Hooking Matters, added the logo which is still used today, and instituted the Collector Cards. Of course now the internet has really changed the way we can all communicate and that has been quite exciting.

I was terribly pleased to receive the award. At that time, the newsletter was the primary means of communication between conferences so I recognized that Editor was an important position. By receiving the award I felt that I had done my job. I made many friends through the newsletter and continue to support TIGHR in whatever way I can.

I didn’t know about rug hooking until I moved to New England and consider myself fortunate that it has such a presence here. But, it is continually growing throughout the world and I am thrilled to see it flourish in other areas. I am also proud to see that it is growing beyond a craft and into the fiber arts community. There are so many opportunities through the internet and in local galleries to view rug hooking as art.

I have always thought of TIGHR as a social network for rug hookers throughout the world and now that we can connect via the computer it makes it much easier to do so.

I live in a retirement community with many artists and craftspeople and plan to show my work. I am arranging for a couple of my pieces to be installed in the public halls (too big for my apartment).
In selecting the next recipient, I wanted to honor someone who had an important role in keeping the organization together, regardless of which country had the leadership. It was clear that Jeanne Field was that person. She advised many of us in the operation of the guild. I felt fortunate to be able to speak for the membership in honoring her.

2003 Jeanne Field, Ontario, Canada

A founding member, Jeanne took up the responsibility of being the first Editor, hand typing each newsletter and collecting the news by postal mail and phone calls. Her passion for rughooking is known throughout Canada and the US, promoting rughooking through the OHCG Teachers program, acquiring Rittermere-Hurst designs and adding Field to that lineup and with her open attitude to newcomers and new ways.

Through the years of TIGHR new board members have called on Jeanne to explain the organization’s basis and direction. Her comments have been historical and supportive of growth encouraging involvement of the new generations.

In selecting the next recipient Jeanne reached across the other pond to acknowledge the widening popularity of rughooking in Japan thanks to the dedication of Fumiyo Hachisuka.

Jeanne resides in Ontario and often meets with rughooking friends to share works and past memories.

2006 Fumiyo Hachisuka, Tokyo, Japan

sky.geocities.jp/rughooking234/

I lived in Toronto for several years and learned rug hooking from Ms. Fanie Sinclair. I moved back to Tokyo in 1985 and showed my works at the gallery of the bank. Then some Japanese wanted to learn from me, and I started teaching rug hooking in 1985. Now I have classes at the culture centers and etc. I have held annual exhibitions with the 24th being at the art gallery of Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, October 24 to 30 2014. We receive press coverage and hundreds of people visit.

Ms. Mary Sheppard Burton was my friend’s friend. Mary had visited Japan to see me and my American friend held the reception for the rug hookers in Japan at the American Club in Tokyo. So in 1994, when she organized TIGHR, she asked me to join in. I really thank her for the invitation to become a member. But I could not visit London for the first meeting. From1997 in Nova Scotia , I have attended all TIGHR conferences. In 2015 I am going to visit Victoria with 5 Japanese rug hookers. We are going to learn many things. We would like to see the beautiful sceneries of Victoria and visit some places that the local people like.

I was so surprised to receive the Founders Cup that I could not find the words except “ Thank you very much”. I have tried to do my best for TIGHR.

2009 Linda Rae Coughlin, Warren, USA

www.TheArtRugs.com I have been a member of TIGHR since 2000 and was the Vice President of from 2006-2009. Rug hooking since 1991, I have curated major rug hooking exhibits to promote the art of rug hooking since 2004 (including the Art Rugs: The “Art” of Playing Cards exhibit).

My goal has always been to get this art form recognized and exposed as a major player in the art world.I was very surprised and honored to receive the Founders Cup in 2009 given to me by Fumiyo Hachisuka of Japan.

When it came to selecting the next recipients for the Founders Cup, I was torn because in the past the award had always been given to just one person. But in making my selection I could not do this. At our 2006 Triennial in Tenby, Wales I remember meeting two energetic women; Jo Franco and Judith Stephens from Australia. Over dinner one night during the conference these two women asked what they could do for TIGHR and for rug hooking in general. Susan Feller and I said; “bring the art of rug hooking back to Australia”. And that is just what they did! Thanks to these two hard working and talented women, the art of rug hooking is now well known in their home country of Australia.

Being a member of TIGHR has been a wonderful experience. I have gotten to meet many interesting people; seen exciting places around the world, and learned about various techniques and materials, thanks to the sharing members of this great organization.

**2012 Linda Rae, Jo Franco and Judith Stephens**

2012 Jo Franco and Judith Stephens Australia

www.facebook.com/australianrugmakersguild
www.rughookingaustralia.com.au/blog/

Friends for over 60 years, Judith and I started our rug hooking adventure together in 2001. Judith taught herself to hook and set me the task of researching the craft as I was living in the USA. I was taken under the wing of experienced members of the McGown Guild at Western Teachers Workshops, receiving my accreditation in 2008.

In 2002 I joined TIGHR in preparation for my return to Australia because it included the International aspect that would benefit us. Judith joined in 2004 and we have attended all three triennials since then. It’s an expense to travel half-way around the world for these events which only last a few days, so we include an “adventure”; a coastal walking trip in Italy following Wales in 2006, and in 2009 a pre-conference workshop at Reeth, UK and post-conference self-driven tour through the New England States into Nova Scotia and across to Cheticamp, visiting rug hookers along the way. After Convening and managing the 2012 Triennial in Strathalbyn, South Australia we held a Rug Hooking Expo – no fun and games that year but definitely a chance to cement friendships.

For me, working closely with the international visitors, helping them with their travel plans to attend the 2012 TIGHR Triennial created lasting friendships and a confidence to approach anyone to learn about or promote this craft.

As Judith and I live 2,000 miles apart in different States, working together on TIGHR was a challenge. Fortunately our strong points are in different fields – Judith, as Vice President of TIGHR and Convener of the 2012 Triennial, sees the big picture and the creative side of rug hooking, producing many artistic pieces, while I’m detail oriented and love to talk about things I enjoy, so the position of TIGHR Newsletter Editor really suited me. Today we each hold Board positions in the Australian Rugmakers Guild we were instrumental in founding. I am still promoting both Guilds, most recently TIGHR’s International Hook-In Day, organizing an event in my home State. I published a wrap up of all the celebrations around Australia on the Guild’s blog. www.RughookingAustralia.com.au/blog/

Publicizing the 2012 Triennial provided me the chance to write articles for textile and rughooking magazines. I continue to be a freelance writer promoting the Australian interpretations of our traditional craft. Along the way I’ve learnt much about rug hooking and I’m learning a great deal about the internet, and networking. I firmly believe that it was through the internet rughooking got off the ground in Australia.

When we were presented with the Founders Cup in Strathalbyn, I was thrilled to think that as relatively inexperienced rug hookers, our efforts to promote this craft and art-form had been recognised by talented rughookers. This gesture validated our efforts over the years.

Considering the award of the Founders Cup we are looking for a recipient who believes in, and has worked to further the Guild’s aims: to come together in friendship to share ideas, explore the different rugmaking techniques using a variety of fibres and further the art of rugmaking, while also enjoying the experience of travel, virtually even if it’s not physically possible.

**(Left) Susan Feller receiving the Founder’s Day Cup from past-recipient Josephine Franco.**

2015 Susan Feller West Virginia U.S.A.

The acknowledgement of my contributions to TIGHR by the past honorees was gratifying. The first recipient, Mary Sheppard Burton, and founders of the organization had a vision which we each have helped develop and move forward since 1994. As technology has advanced, fibre art has developed into creative contemporary styles; my efforts continued in that vein.

I knew of TIGHR peripherally since beginning to hook in 1994 but finally joined in 2003 when Maryanne Lincoln offered to send the membership fees for the year in British Sterling to Wales if we US members paid her in our dollars. (How much easier joining has become.) The previous conference in Toronto was held in 2000, the same year as the ATHA biennial; I could not travel to both but learning about Wales and maybe traveling caught my interest. I had followed the news of events and knew many of the original members through networking.

What stands out for me most about my time as a member is the challenge to connect our global community. My board took on the responsibilities of leadership in 2006, developing internet tools (www.TIGHR.net ), blogging in between the quarterly newsletters, signing on to NING, increasing communications with individuals and sharing of work, events and the archival material of the organization. The transition to Australia in 2009 expanded these services. Jo Franco and Judi Tompkins had used the internet to communicate within their vast country and were eager to broaden the avenues of networking.

I value being able to “meet” past and new enthusiasts of these heritage crafts. Jeanne Field answered my phone call when I reached out to her for historical information and advice as did so many others. I realized anyone can ask another to share, we all welcome interest.

While still living in new Jersey, 1994, I learned to pull the second loop and not have the first come out from Lillian Vail. Off to the thrift store to find “100% wool” (of course the wrong weight at first), the self-sufficiency, historical connections, and utilitarian results of rug hooking all drew me to making my own rugs for a log home we were building in West Virginia. The local library had a subscription to Rug Hooking Magazine and I read every past issue before seeing the show in Ephrata, PA and Mary Sheppard Burton’s collection. Fast forward, I took to designing patterns making more than I could hook up myself. That grew into Ruckman Mill Farm vending hand dyed wools, patterns and teaching throughout the US. When we transitioned full-time to WV, travel continued and studio work took over. Since passing that line on to Green Mountain Hooked Rugs I am focusing on addressing the beauty of Appalachia and the human impact on our resources, exhibiting, writing, and advocating for the arts in West Virginia under ArtWools.com and my own name Susan Feller.

I consider the many tools used in rug hooking as another technique in my toolbox of creativity. I work in multi-media as an artist of the times reflecting on the origins of each media in my artist statements.

Textiles are the element humans live with most – our clothing, surroundings, even shelter. Manipulating fibres into useable items will continue. The therapeutic benefits of working with tactile material, motor skills and visual satisfaction is the best way to “sell” this craft to the keyboard generation of the 21st Century. Our responsibility is to show how a tool and material works, and encourage exploration.

Susan Feller and Kris McDermet after Kris received the Founder’s Cup at Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week in 2018. They are standing in front of Kris’ piece

2018 Kris McDermet Vermont U.S.A.

In 2018 Kris McDermet was at Sauder for the week. The main exhibit that year was on Rug Braiding and Rug Hooking and Combination pieces. She and her friend Christine Manges curated the exhibit which was very successful. Towards the end of the week, she attended the TIGHR meeting held in Kathy Wright’s suite. Kathy is the director of Sauder Village Rug Hooking week. Kathy announced that they had a surprise and Susan Feller pulled the TIGHR Founders Day Cup out of a paper bag and began talking. Kris had her phone ready to take a photo when she realized that Susan was talking about her. She shed a few tears because it “was such a lovely honor.”

Over the years she has attended TIGHR conferences in Louisville, Long Beach, Australia, and Victoria and had taught or given a talk at the four gatherings. She was not able to attend TIGHR in 2018 because she was the featured artist at the GMRHG Show in Vermont that same fall.

Kris learned to hook in 1979 right after she learned to braid. She was living in Maryland at the time. She felt it changed her life. Isabel Clough, her rug braiding instructor, informed her that she had been told by Braid Aide in Pembroke, MA that some were putting braiding around hooked mats. Kris said, “I was fascinated right away. She talked me into taking a hooking class from Mary Shepherd Burton.”

She now only makes combination pieces that combine rug braiding and rug hooking, with neither one having more importance than the other art form. She loves the balance they create; both can be delicate or strong. There are only a few who combine the art forms.

She feels rug hooking has a brilliant future because there are so many possibilities with shapes, fabrics, sizes, and patterns. “I know we need more younger people to take up both art forms and it is up to all of us to make this happen.”

2021 Kathy Wright

Susan Feller, Kris McDermott, Kathy Wright

Founder’s Cup speech given by Kris McDermet 2018 recipient to Kathy Wright 2021 on Zoom (read at the TIGHR 2024 meeting)

The Founder’s Cup was started in 1994 and is presented to a member who has promoted Rug Hooking and TIGHR. It is up to the current recipient to choose the next honoree. Mary Shepard Burton was first to be honoured inn 1994 and because of her vision and organization with others, TIGHR was started. A special memory for me was in 1979 I took a rug braiding class and my teacher Isabel Clough suggested to me that she and I take a rug hooking class from Mary. Those 2 classes changed my life forever! Mary and I reconnected at the Louisville TIGHR gathering. There are wonderful stories on the TIGHR.net website that tell you more about the honorees.  I asked myself how does one honor our art during a pandemic when we are all at home?  Luckily Zoom was available to teach classes and for me that was adding braid to hooking. I with another friend and braiding artist Christine Manges came up with a project that could involve people who hooked and braided in both Canada and the USA. We then asked TIGHR member Dianne Tobias to be our tech expert to help us. Thanks again to the internet world, we got the word out and received 140 braided or hooked 9-inch circles and 10 of us made them into 28 rugs that we raffled off online- we raised over $21,000 for Canadian and US Food Banks.

The past TIGHR Founder’s cup honorees are Mary Shepard Burton, Carol Harvey Clark, Peg Irish, Jeanne Field, Fumiyo Hachisuka, Linda Rae Coughlin, Jo Franco and Judith Stephens, Susan Feller, myself, and now I’d like to announce the 2021 honoree: Kathy Wright.  There are so many wonderful ways to describe Kathy-she has run Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week in Ohio for so many years, she is open to ideas from all rug hookers, she loves research about our rug hooking history, she promotes creativity from both beginners to experienced rug hookers, she is fun, she promotes international events, and she is the most organized person I know. And finally, she is kind. Hundreds of rugs are sent or brought to Sauder in August and she, along with a troupe of volunteers, arrange striking layouts on portable walls. In addition, she arranges for an incredible variety of classes, vendors where one can shop or look for hours, and tours and educational talks.

I presented the physical cup to Kathy at Sauder in August 2021. At that time we knew that TIGHR 2021 meeting would only be on Zoom because of COVID. It is traditional for the previous honoree to give a small trinket to the attendees at the TIGHR meeting. Susan Feller made the most wonderful cards with braid and I wondered what to present in August at Sauder Village. Maple sugar candy in the shape of a maple leaf seemed appropriate but I decided to wait until I arrived in Ohio. I thought the Maple leaf honored Vermont, where I live, Ohio-a big producer of Maple sugar products, and Canada, where the TIGHR meeting was to be, another large producer of maple products, and the maple leaf is on their flag. I was not able to find any and finally settled on Maple sugar cinnamon buns that are made at the bakery on the grounds of Sauder Village. They are enormous and delicious. We all had a good laugh at this surprise treat.

TIGHR is a combination of wonderful, creative, and talented artists and it is never easy to choose one person, but I hope you will agree with me that Kathy is best person for 2021.

Thank you.  Kris McDermet 10/2021

2024, Yvonne Itten-Scott & Leslie Knight, Ontario, Canada

From Left to Right: Kris Mcdermott, Leslie Knight, Kathy Wright, Yvonne Iten-Scott

Presentation of the Founder’s Cup at the Oct 2, 2024 Triennial meeting, Niagara Falls, Ontario by 2021 Founder’s Cup Recipient, Kathy Wright to 2024 recipients, Yvonne Iten-Scott and Leslie Knight

The Founder’s Cup is a rotating honor bestowed on a member selected for outstanding contributions to furthering the objectives and purpose of TIGHR. The hand-chased, engraved antique pewter loving cup is not to be polished but rather cherished for its hallmark patina, which has accumulated at least since a documented presentation at an English village celebration (fete) in the 1800s. The current Cup holder selects the next Cup recipient. If they are unable to make a decision regarding the passing of the Cup, the decision reverts to the Executive Board who selects a committee for this purpose. The recipient’s name is engraved on the base of the Founder’s Cup, which they get to enjoy and hold for 3 years. They also receive an engraved plaque, which they get to keep, along with an honorary membership to TIGHR for their 3-year term as Cup Holder.

Founder’s Cup recipients are ambassadors for our fiber art. In their own way, they have shared fiber art traditions with our contemporary world, such as: exhibiting, demonstrating, mentoring, documenting or writing about fiber art, and posting on social media – mainly with the current and next generation of fiber artists, but also with the general public.

This is the 11th Founder’s Cup Award Presentation. The recipients truly exemplify the ambassador spirit through outstanding personal work in numerous fiber art mediums, in teaching and mentoring in many parts of the world, as well as organizing and leading fiber art tours. The development of a unique project was also part of their ambassador spirit, with the gathering of global artists resulting in an outstanding traveling exhibit and a beautiful, and educational book. The book profits go to creating programs aimed at children, to promote the traditional craft of rug making to a new generation. This exhibit and book can be found here at our TIGHR conference. It is called “Magnificent Bugs in Rugs.”

There is almost no end to the fiber art talent and generosity of spirit when it comes to this year’s Founder’s Cup recipients. By now you may have guessed that I have been talking about Yvonne Iten-Scott & Leslie Knight.

This is the second time in the history of the Founder’s Cup that 2 recipients will be awarded the Founder’s Cup in a single year.

For those who have been members for many years, you know that this 30-year-old organization, while not super large, has been a strong one – that is until Covid hit. When the last in-person conference was canceled, and there wasn’t a country to step in and take over, the future of this organization was in question. In some ways, you could also consider these two ladies to be life savers – stepping in to take the reins, along with the wonderful TIGHR Executive Board, and carry on for the last 2 1/2 years. With their fresh ideas, talents, organizational skills and wonderful social media and promotional skills – this conference has the largest attendance in the history of TIGHR conferences. An amazing accomplishment!

As it is a tradition, Yvonne and Leslie’s names are engraved on the base of the Founder’s Cup which they will share between them for 3 years, then pass on to their choice of Cup recipient. They each also receive an engraved plaque to keep, as well as 3-years honorary memberships, as Cup holders.

Another Founder’s Cup tradition is for the Cup Presenter to include YOU, the members, in the Award Presentation. This is done by passing around the Cup and each member takes a token from the Cup. Jeanne Field gave maple sugar candies, Fumiyo Hachisuka had candies wrapped in Japanese rice paper, Linda Rae Coughlin gave out a small metal tag engraved with TIGHR and the year, Susan Feller gave out red, white & blue wool braids, and Kris McDermet gave out Maple frosted baked buns.

Since this is the largest Triennial attendance, my 300+ tokens will not fit inside the Cup, but instead a large bin! So instead of passing the bin, please be sure to sure to pick up your token as you leave the meeting this morning.

The token I selected is LifeSaversô candy – which was invented in a small Ohio town not far from my hometown. The name of this candy reflects this year’s Founder’s Cup recipients’ lifesaving abilities for this organization, as well as their fresh ideas — not to mention their sweet talents & personalities!

It is my honor to present this year’s Founder’s Cup to Canadians --- Yvonne Iten-Scott and Leslie Knight.

The Founder’s Cup