At Karen Tiede Studio, I make contemporary rag rugs, both woven and knit, and grown-up dance hoops (think “hula…”) for people to use outdoors. Located on the eastern end of Chatham County in central NC, I make
- hand-knit and handwoven rag rugs
- custom and stock hoops for dancing and exercise
- create and curate a wide and varied garden art collection.
The rugs are made from upcycled used clothing, primarily recycled t shirts, sourced locally. I carry hoops in a range of sizes so that almost anyone can learn to hoop dance, regardless of whether they could hoop when they were younger. The garden art simply happens.
Rugs
The rugs, which appeal to textile collectors, animal lovers, and people with overly “bright” houses in need of acoustic adjustment, are available from this website and from a number of shows in the local area, including the annual Chatham Artists Guild studio tour in December. They can be shipped.
Rugs may be used on the floor as accent pieces, or mounted for display on the wall. Created from clothing that has been machine washed and dried, they are fully washable.
Memory Rugs
Memory rugs, not to be confused with “memory foam” rugs, are a new product this year. Your clothes, your memories, your rug. Similar in concept to memory quilts, which use the logo elements of t shirts, memory rugs use as much of the garment as possible, and provide a much more attractive product. Rugs take approximately three pounds of clothing per square foot, and can be requested in a number of patterns. Your clothing determines the color story, which can be augmented, if needed, by fabrics in my collection.
Hoops
Hoops are available at a number of local events, including the classes I teach at the Cary Senior Center and the Garner Senior Center, the annual Pittsboro Street Fair in October, and the annual studio tour mentioned above.
