Rug Hooking Rug hooking is centuries old and began when pioneering women made their own rugs to cover dirt floors. Using old potato sacks to hook into, they would cut old clothes into long strips and hook them through to form a loop pile rug. At the moment when most Australians hear rug hooking they think of latch hook. That's where you use short pieces of wool and latch them onto a backing fabric to produce a fluffy rug. (you probably did it when you were a kid ). Rug hooking is very different from that as it produces a loop front, and is so much more appealing. It has recently enjoyed a huge comeback in the USA and I have really fallen for it, as I predict many Australians will. There are already quite a few hooked, and we are keen to promote it here. I am just an excited beginner and really just teaching myself from the internet. But I'm very keen to draw up my own patterns and have them available here. They will be already drawn up on hesson ( my only choice at this stage but I am working on sourcing some other suitable backings ), ready to be hooked with wool fabric. If you love quilting or any type of hand work such as stitcheries then you will love rug hooking. I am currently trying to get my first rugs completed then you will be able to see them here! I plan to have a page with simple instructions to get you started and hopefully sell the hooks and frames too. This should all be happening in the next couple of months, so please come back and check it out, you will really get into it!!!
This is my first rug which measures 16" by 23". I started this one as soon as I had found out how to do it, with some old blankets I had, cut into ½" strips. These colours are just as they were. So this rug is very primitive with its bright colours and thick strips of wool. It is hooked onto hesson. If you are interested in having a go just contact me and I can draw up this design (or something else) onto the hesson overlock the raw edges, and have it ready for you to hook. At this stage I have been using a latch hook with the latch broken off. But hopefully soon I will be able to offer the proper hooks as well. A piece of hesson this size drawn up ready to hook will be $20. I am also working on some simple instructions to put on the site to get you started.
This large rug is for my sons room, it measures 31" by 43" and is a much more adventurous size! Since doing my first rug I have started dying my wools and now have some lovely colours. This rug I am cutting my strips only a ¼" so it is a lot finer but still what the American girls would call primitive. Some of them hook with much smaller cuts than that!!! This photo is very hard to see but if you enlarge it as much as you can you might be able to get an idea. It is covered with boys toys etc and each time I finish a section I will update the photo so you can see how it is going. ( Hopefully with better photos ). The photos really don't do the rugs justice they really are beautiful and when I have finished Archies' I will offer this pattern for sale and a heap of others. So keep coming back for updates. Soon I will have the promised instructions and some ideas for how to finish off the edges. If you like the look of all this then please contact me and I can also put you on to some web sites to find out more.
Update photo 12th April 06