Chizuko Hayami: Class of 2018
Name: Chizuko Hayami
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are some of your interests and hobbies?
*Walking with dogs—I have two Labrador retrievers. My husband and I walk with them for an hour/day.
*Gardening—caring some flowers and plants seasonally
*Reading—this is not always good when I have to do something in time. When starting reading, I can’t stop it until its end.
How did you get introduced to rug hooking?
When I lived in NY (1989–94), a friend took me to her rug hooking teacher’s studio one day. Soon I fell in love with rug hooking and piles of dyed wool.
What was your first project?
Foot stool pattern, called Bubble in 1990
Is there one rug that stands out as being particularly memorable?
Duck Pond, which I designed and hooked for the memory of our family’s life at Edgemont, Westchester NY.
Is there a particular style of rugs that you're most interested in hooking?
I prefer fine-cut hooking that I can express details.
What's your favorite part about hooking a rug?
The more I hooked, the more motifs appeared. That way makes me happy. Also, color planning is a challenging thing but another favorite part of mine.
What's a piece of advice you'd give to a new rug hooker?
Pick up a small pattern that doesn’t have tiny motifs, just play some colors with primitive way. If you have to hook a big motif or background diagonally, you should be careful to keep the rug’s shape (square or rectangle). Sometimes the backing is stretchable.
What do you love most about Celebration?
I can meet new techniques, ideas, and friends there, as I am far away from them.
Table of Contents
Changing, Celebration XVIII
"There were many rugs with leaves, but I couldn’t find leaves changing their colors in one rug. I have some trees in my yard; their leaves show their beautiful transformation with..." Read more.
Japanese Cranes, Celebration XX
"I love Japanese cranes with red caps flying in the air. They live in and around the Amur, very cold areas in Russia in summer, then come down to a bit warmer areas in..." Read more.
Mae Morris, Celebration XXI
"I had a chance to teach William Morris pattern at the McGown Northern Teachers’ Workshop in 2005. It was a one-day teaching, so the assigned pattern was small. I love..." Read more.
My Labs, Celebration XXII
"These three dogs did not live at the same time. The first one, center, was very smart and good character, but died at 11. The second one, right, had been abused by..." Read more.
Masterful Morris, Celebration XXIII
"This is a larger pattern than the one I hooked and taught at McGown Northern Teachers’ Workshop in 2005. I hooked two smalls at that time. Each rug were used only..." Read more.
Treasure Spots, Celebration 27
"We went to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada for a studio tour in May of 2015. We were a twelve-person group, so rented a bus to make the..." Read more.
Anemone, Celebration 29
"When I saw a white small anemone flower at my yard, I wanted to make it larger to appeal so that everyone could see its beauty. I had thought I would like to hook a rug with colors that weren't what was shown. I read a color book and saw..." Read more.