Bio:
Jyl Robbins is a McGown trained instructor and completed her certification at the Northern Teachers Workshop in 2007. She began hooking at the age of eight thanks to her mother, Joan Blauvelt, who also was a rug hooking instructor in Southeastern Michigan.
Jyl began teaching in the Southern Indiana – Louisville Kentucky area and was a founding member of the Buffalo Trace Rug Hooking Guild of ATHA. She co-owned Cat House Rugs with Mary Silva in New Albany, Indiana for 7 years. During that time Jyl taught classes in her shop two nights per week with workshops on various weekends. Jyl continues to teach at workshops and out of her home. In 2024, she will be teaching in Manistee, Dragonfly on the Lake, Geneva on the Lake, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Her work has been featured in many shows in the Kentuckiana area and at Sauder Village. Her rug “Naomi’s Hudson Star” was selected for Celebrations 2023.
Fine hooking and shading are a favorite of Jyl’s and she reintroduced the technique of hooking a true plaid pattern several years ago. Pairing this technique with fine shading she started a series of season tiles; holly plaid, pumpkin plaid, and sunflower plaid have already been completed. The last in the series will be a spring motif.
Geometric patterns are another area that allows tremendous creativity with color and pattern and are a joy to hook. Jyl likes to put a spin on her geometrics by adopting a challenging color plan that is unexpected or to change the pattern to a unique design.