Celebrating 35 Years At Fraser-Woods

To commemorate Fraser-Woods Montessori School’s 35th anniversary, the students created two handwoven rugs reflecting the school’s history. Craft professional Liz Alpert Fay, whose work has been featured in craft shows nationwide, managed the project.

Teresa Saboe, a parent coordinator, assisted the students during the work sessions, and some parents also partook in the project to help complete the rugs. While the rugs reflected a collection of many thoughts and events for the community to see, “The process is as important as the product in Montessori philosophy,” said head of school Myriam Woods. 

For months, students from preschoolers to teens gathered twice a week to work on the project. First, they drew pictures of their favorite school memories, such as Fraser-Woods original location, the red schoolhouse on Route 302 in Dodgingtown. These pictures would become a template for the rugs. The weavings were from old clothing donated by Fraser-Woods families and alumni.

Next, the students carefully replicated their pictures onto Aida cloth, which acts as the rugs’ backing. Ms Fay taught the students the history and techniques of rug hooking, which included dyeing fabric and cutting it with a hand-operated machine.

The students quickly became skilled in hooking strips of woolen cloth with a punch needle, monitoring their progress by excitedly looking on the reverse side. 

Amy Oxford, inventor of the punch needle, was delighted to hear about the school’s project and donated needles. She also requested that pictures of the rug be included in her next book, soon to be released by Schiffer Publishing.