There's a dark side to everything, I suppose, and that includes the world of rug hooking. We've been made aware of the brazen theft of two beautiful hooked rugs belonging to rug hooking teacher Norma Batastini. Below is her description of what happened and pictures of the two rugs that were stolen:
Last week I was teaching a workshop in Ohio for a small group in a local church. Two rugs were stolen from the church sometime after class on Tuesday and before class began Wednesday morning. The room was filled with wool, hooking equipment including frames and cutters, other rugs and a digital projector. None of those items were touched. Please forward this email on to your rug hooking guilds and groups. If you are a frequent follower of Ebay, Craigslist or any other internet site that sells things I would appreciate it if you would be on the lookout for the rugs. I am offering a reward for information leading to the return of the rugs.
Rug #1 is my Crocodile Mola design. It was featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Rug Hooking Magazine. It was exhibited at the ATHA Biennial exhibit in Lancaster, PA in October 2011 and at the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild exhibit at the Shelburne Museum in November 2011. The rug is 36 x 48.
Rug #2 is my Pumpkins and Leaves design. It was hooked by Linda Woodbury and has been exhibited at many local shows in New Jersey. The rug is 28 x 40.
If you see either of these rugs, in person or online offered for sale on Etsy, eBay or another venue, please contact Norma at g_batastini@msn.com or Linda Woodbury at linda.woodbury@yahoo.com.
Luckily these incidents are few and far between, but they hurt and make us angry. I hope the rugs are found quickly and are undamaged. Perhaps with all the publicity this has received, the person or persons who stole them will have a change of heart and return them. I'm sure Norma would be very happy just to have them back.
3 comments:
Oh, what a shame!! I hope the rugs are found or returned to the owners soon!
Oh, so sad. This has happened from time to time with award winning quilts at major quilt shows. A crime.
My mother had a quilt stolen from a store display (it was hung on the wall!). It is just unbelievable that someone would think they can just walk away with another person's hard work. They can certainly never enjoy possessing it. I hope it turns up and was a big mistake or misunderstanding. Karmen
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