Shelburne Museum

On view in the new Patty Yoder Gallery

Patty Yoder (1943-2005) created whimsical rugs with an acute attention to detail and an aesthetic eye for color. Born in Nebraska and raised in Ohio, Patty acquired her passion for the traditional art of rug hooking after she and her husband Ramsey retired and moved to a farm in Tinmouth, Vermont.

Together they began to collect rugs, particularly from Esther Knipe, a self-taught hooker, that fueled Patty’s inspiration. Yet it was not until 1992, five years after Esther’s death, that she began to make her own creations. Between 1992 and 2005 she completed a total of 44 rugs.

The Alphabet of Sheep  series  combines two of her favorite things: the sheep on her farm and the alphabet. Her rugs incorporate her family, friends, or sheep as the subject matter, a joyous celebration of one woman’s life. Through her affiliation with the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, Patty helped to continue contemporary interpretation of this New England artistic tradition.

Rugs in the exhibition were donated to Shelburne Museum in memory of  Patty Yoder by her family.