About Joyce
I was born and raised in Merced, California in the Central San Joaquin Valley. As long as I can remember, my Mother was teaching me some kind of handwork, whether it was embroidery, crocheting, knitting, or sewing. She began hooking rugs, in the late 1960's when I went away to college.
In 1995, My husband and I moved our family to Minnesota in search of a better quality of life for our two young boys. My Mom gave me all of her rug hooking equipment, wool, books, and notes and encouraged me to get involved with a rug hooking group and it would be easy to meet a lot of people. She was right; I've met so many wonderful people that love working with fiber, through rug hooking, and share my passion for this art. I am a self-taught rug hooker and have been hooking rugs ever since. I've hooked over 50 rugs and wall hangings.
In the Fall of 2016, I entered a Retail Challenge Contest sponsored by the Owatonna Chamber Tourism Division and the local Economic Development Agency. After going through 3 phases of the competition, I was selected the winner of the Retail Challenge. Winning the Challenge gave me the opportunity to open Straight River Rug Hooking in beautiful, historic downtown Owatonna.
I am very grateful for the support of my family, friends, and the local community. Their encouragement, generosity, and confidence in me, make everything work. I love working with fiber and teaching people how to create beauty with wool and other fibers.