Rug Braiders International
formerly known as the Valley Forge Rug Braiding Guild
Wild, Wild West
Rug Challenge 2024
Sherry Chilcutt of Washington made this dramatic Sheriff's Star. It is made of 5 continuous diamonds surrounded by a butted braid. Lovely!
Gail Stephens of California made this braided shadow box, called, "So Many Stories of My Dad That I Didn’t Get To Hear,"with her father's cowboy boot. She never got to know him well, and has many unanswered questions about his life. Note the perfect dot pattern center, the lovely and symmetric zigzag border, the double-double braid edging, and the braided spur strap to hold the boot. The back is stiffened with wire to maintain the shape and anchor the boot.
Marjorie Corrow of New York made this Wild Buffalo Rug. The center is a purchased hooked rug of buffalos, and she surrounded it with beautiful red, white, and blue braids. Note the lovely framing multistrand, made with 7 strands. And note the double-double braids in red.
Catherine Leonard of Illinois hooked this image of a log cabin in Wyoming, made it into a pillow, and gave it to her host, Heidi (who lives in a log cabin in Wyoming). She surrounded it with two rows of braid that she learned to butt together at the conference. What a wonderful gift!
Christine Manges of Pennsylvania braided this rug, A Hike in the Painted Desert. It is essentially a strip rug, with T-Starts on one edge and blunt endings on the other. The triple corners alternate between rows to maintain the 90° angles. The colors are browns, tans, pinks, and oranges like the Painted Desert.
Sherry Chilcutt of Washington made this braided Dancing Cactus. She hand-dyed the wool for the sky. Putting these multiple shapes together to create the sun, the sky, the cactus, and the ground ... and end up with a rectangle.... was tricky! A masterpiece!
Sonia Bukiah of Florida created this amazing journal featuring images of the Wild, Wild West. She braided borders and decorations for each page, using colorful paracord. The pages are recycled jeans and other fabrics. What a beautiful journal!
Cathy Winship of Maine is modeling Pam Rowan's braided cowboy hat, and completing her look with jeans and cowboy boots. The hat is perfectly shaped!
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Marion Morrison of Wyoming braided this beautiful rug called, "Sage Rose" of entirely recycled wool from coats. The combination of pinks, mustard, greens, and browns is just beautiful. And it is large!!
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Patsy Simon of Washington braided this vibrant oval rug in peach, rust, and a lovely blue. The colors are those of desert flowers and sky. An excellent example of how pretty a 2' X 3' rug can be.
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Cathy Winship of Maine created this gorgeous all-butted rug of desert tans, rusts and turquoise. Note the lovely patterns: the double-star center, the arrowhead border surrounding the center, and the border with a single strand of white in a double-double braid. The colors are fabulous, and the all-butted rows give it a perfectly symmetric design.
Sherry Chilcutt of Washington braided this lovely Desert Sun. From a continuously braided and tapered golden center, the additional butted rows seem to release heat as they develop increasingly sharp corners. Masterfully made, the sun radiates!
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From a class on Snow Stars designed by Marjorie Kauffman, Gail Stephens of California braided this stunning rug in desert colors. Called, "Desert Blossom," the pinks, tans, browns, and rust give a very different feel to a snowflake design! This rug is a challenge with its many cornered rows, twisted centers, and 6-DC inserts. This rug represents hours of careful braiding to create a beautiful design.
Although the next two rugs weren't made specifically for the Rug Challenge, they belong on this page to honor the Speaker at our conference, Betsy Sturges, who co-authored The Braided Rug Book with her mother Norma Sturges, who lived in Wyoming. One of Norma's lovely heart rugs in shades of pink and mauve is shown next to Betsy. Norma was known for her double-cornered heart rugs, and this one is especially beautiful.
Another rug by Norma Sturges features this swirling multistrand. From a round start with three strands, each row adds strands up to a maximum of 13 strands, then tapers back down to three. The pattern is originally from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, May 1949, p. 195.
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The final rug to show is the raffle rug, created to raise money for class and conference scholarships. Titled, "Pink Hearts and Yellow Moons over Story," the rug was raffled at our Story, Wyoming conference. The rug has many special features: A double-star center, a hooked wreath featuring moons and stars, several arrowhead designs, double-double braids, and an outer multistrand border.
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Makers of the Raffle Rug, from center outward: Christine Manges, Kris McDermet, Debbie Wykosky, Daria Gehris, Karen Levendusky, Pam Rowan, Cathy Winship.