I have dreamed of this as an art project ever since I saw the real thing in person with Monica in 2017. We were on the return route from our trip to the Kentucky Derby and stopped into the town of Franklin, Pennsylvania, to see the windows in St. John’s Episcopal Church. All the windows in the church are by Louis Comfort Tiffany including this one, my favorite rose window.
As a rug hooking project, I knew it would present many challenges. The size alone, at 44″ in diameter, would keep me busy moving it around the hooking frame. Also, I knew it would be difficult to find wool that matched Tiffany’s multi-colored opalescent glass. And, I realized early on that trying to recreate every single lead line of the original would overwhelm my scaled down version. So, I improvised here and there but always kept the original photograph nearby for reference.
New learning on this project included the blending of colors in an attempt to emulate Tiffany glass. I experimented by pulling apart 2-ply yarn and then combining two single plys of different colors and hooking them together. It worked quite well but really slowed down the process, which extended the enjoyment. win-win 😁
The greatest artistic challenge was to make each colored section of the same shape slightly different from the others. Although Tiffany followed a general color scheme, the variations in his handmade glass make each section unique. Given that there are 24 components in the wheel (not including the center), there was lots of opportunity to practice “uniqueness”.
Thanksgiving ’26 was shared with family. I am thankful for that. Working away at this project through Thanksgiving got me to the half way point. I am also thankful to have a project. It keeps me focused for long periods of time with busy fingers and a free mind.
I especially love the colors in this piece… from the intensity of the center fading out to the cooler perimeter. Tiffany used the full color spectrum in his pallet… and so did I.
The sometimes sore neck and shoulders were testament to the many hours sitting in one position. But, it was a good tired… the kind you get when you know you’ve accomplished something. Through it all, memories of our road trip in 2017 danced around my head, always leading me back to that cute little church in Franklin, Pennsylvania… and I count my blessings.
Thanks for reading. I am pleased to present the Tiffany Rose Rug.
