I found this interesting piece in an antique shop today… My Mother was a rug hooker from way back. She taught herself to hook and was well ahead of her time as a designer.

I have some of her rugs and I value them dearly. I remember she even cut up one of our good blankets when she ran out of wool.!!!

It seems to me that rug hooking and quilting are kin. Take a look at this pattern.

Traditional rug hooking is a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. In contrast latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn.

These are rug hooked chair cushions .

The picture below is another hooked rug, but completed in a more formal pattern.

I love the colors and the design of this piece.

Since hooking was a craft of poverty, rug makers put to use whatever materials were available. Antique hooked rugs were created on burlap after 1850 because burlap was free as long as one used old grain and feed bags. Every and any scrap of fiber that was no longer usable as clothing was put into rugs.

In more recent decades hookers have followed quilters in exploring new materials and new techniques. This experimentation, combined with knowledge and respect for the past, will allow rug hooking to evolve and grow in the 21st century.