If you are interested in learning to hook rugs, this introduction is for you. I hook a primitive style of rugs, which I sell on Etsy.
Rug hookers love wool and most rug hookers accumulate stashes - those collections of wool left over from previous projects and the wool purchased "because it is so beautiful and I know I will use it someday!" So how do you design a rug based on your stash of wool? There is an art to it, and this is the perfect book to get you started. Author Bea Brock is known for her scrappy, stash busting hooked rugs with a unique contemporary flair and she shares her tips and techniques here: Stash-busting ideas for hooked rugs Stash-happy color planning made easy Contemporary scrappy rugs from the experts Free scrappy rug pattern. 128 pages; $24.95
Looking for a winter hobby? You might find everything you're looking for in hooking. I had no idea that I had everything it took to make a spectacular hooker, but a few years ago, on a Saturday afternoon I discovered I was destined to be a pro. And so was my mother. Ask yourself these...Read More
I received an email from a new rug hooker asking “what is a scrappy rug?” The term is widely used in rug hooking circles and we just assume everyone knows what we are talking about. As a new rug hooker, you have not accumulated a “wool stash” yet. However, each project will leave you with left-over …
Rug Hooking Learn for Beginners. What Are Rug Hooking Supplies? How Can Hooked Rugs Be Used in Home Decoration? The Different Styles of Rug Hooking.
Join Practical Color Planning now If you don’t see the price at the bottom of the page, enter your name and email address in the form to get started. Existing members: Go to Dashboard to access the class Do you struggle with color planning? Do you have “that” pattern? You know the one. You loved […]
This 8 X 8 inch rug hooking kit (not latch hook) is drawn on cotton monks cloth and is my own original design. My name is Sharon Perry and I have been hooking rugs for over 22 years. I cannot tell you how many people have taught themselves traditional rug hooking (not latch hook) with my beginner kits. Here's what you will receive if you purchase this item: Pattern drawn on cotton monks cloth sealed at the edges to prevent fraying 100% wool fabric strips that are 1/4" wide (#8) Rug binding to finish your hooked piece A color key Easy to follow instructions The only other items you will need to get started are a frame and a rug hook. I started out with a quilting hoop which can be purchased at any craft or fabric shop. I have a Morgan no slip hoop listed in my shop which would work very well with this kit. As for the hook I have listed a hardwood and steel primitive hook for $13.50 but if choose the option to purchase it with this kit the price is discounted to just 9.00. The finished rug would make a great wall hanging, trivet, table centerpiece, candle or teapot mat when completed. Lots of people hang these hand hooked mats from old cupboards or make little pillows out of them. The sunflower is hooked with two dyed golds and an over dyed chocolate plaid for the center. The background is hooked with mixed hand and mill dyed greens hooked at random. To see a demonstration of this craft please see my daughter's website, loopbyloopstudio.com to find instructional videos and tips for beginners as well as more kits, patterns, etc. If you are interested in my finished hooked rugs for sale please see: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SharonPerryHooksRugs
There are many was to finish a hooked rug...from simple hemming, to elaborate crocheted or trimmed edges. How the piece will be used is the most important thing to consider when weighing your finishing options. For wall pieces and table mats a sturdy whipped edge is not necessary, simple hemming will be adequate. However, floor rugs will stand up to heavy traffic with a neatly bound edge! No matter which method you choose...begin by placing your hooked piece face down on a fluffy towel, cover with a press cloth or a lighter weight towel and using a steam iron, lightly press. Do not iron back and forth! Let dry. I like to zigzag stitch as close as possible around the hooked edge, then about 1 to 1 1/4 away from the hooked edge. Then trim away the excess foundation fabric. next to the outer line of stitching. ♥ Simple hem folded to the underside. Turn raw cut edge in and turn again to enclose it. Stitch in place with tiny stitches. ♥ Finishing Before Your Hook... This method is an old stand by! Before you begin hooking attach twill tape by sewing it to your backing. Line up the edge of tape along the outside line of your pattern and stitch. Fold back the twill tape and pin it out of the way. With this method you can hook closely up to the tape. After hooking is complete, a simple hem can be folded to the backside. The twill tape is then folded to back and stitched into place with tiny stitches. * see how to miter corners below* ♥ Twill Tape Covering Folded Hem... This picture shows backing hemmed to front, then twill folded over to backside. It has been my experience that these methods are best for mats that won't receive a lot of wear...table mats, wall pieces. The following methods will provide more protection to the edge loops than just the simple hem or twill tape edge. ♥ Yarn whipped edge with cording... This is my favorite finishing method for floor rugs and chair pads. The cording sits next to the last row of loops, providing protection to the cut edges. Place cording behind backing and fold edge over. Baste in place. The basting stitches should lay in the ditch created between the cording and the hooked loops. The cording should be NEXT TO the last row of loops NOT under it. Basting in place. Thread large eye tapestry needle with yarn. To secure yarn end, run needle under backing then begin whipping. Whip around corded edge by placing the needle in close to last hooked row. Stitches should be close together so no backing shows through. To join a new length of yarn, stop when you can't do another wrap, thread this tail FORWARD under the backing for an inch or so. Remove needle and thread a new piece of yarn. Run the needle under a few inches of completed stitches and continue whipping around the rug. Trim off tails close to stitches. Stitch on Twill Tape... Now stitch the twill tape in around outer edge slightly covering the yarn binding, with matching thread. Ease around corners. *Mitered Corners* Step one: Fold UP *Mitered Corners* Step two: Fold DOWN Stitch the inner edge in place covering the foundation edge, mitering corners. ♥ Yarn whipped edge with hem folded to the front... This method provides a neat finish on the back side so twill tape is not necessary. However the edge is flatter than the corded edge. You could add cording, by rolling it up in the hem, but this is very tricky to do. Especially at the corners. Fold the cut edge of backing to the front, fold again to enclose this edge. Clip corners to reduce bulk, fold inward and baste in place. Thread large eye tapestry needle with yarn. To secure yarn end, run needle under backing then begin whipping. Backside view of hem folded to front ♥ Whipped edge using wool strips... follow 'whipping with yarn directions above ♥ Back View of Twill Tape on Curve Notice tucks in twill tape on curved edge... ♥ Crocheted Edge... Crocheted edge...single crochet around mat covering corded or hemmed edge. This can be done with yarn or with wool strips. When joining hide, bury tails under crochet. ♥ Piping or Wool covered cording... Hand or machine stitch wool around cord to make piping. ♥ Pieced Wool covered cording... hand stitched in place. Snugged up very close to outer row of loops ♥ Pieced Wool binding... hand stitched in place over hemming to front
That's the name of my class at Loyalist College next July. And it is inspired by the many incredibly brilliant borders I have seen on rugs done by friends, strangers and many talented people in the rug hooking community. I received a pdf of the Rug Hooking School flyer from Loyalist college today. And this is the image that was used with the description of my class. I would love to say this was my creation, but it is NOT. And so far, I have been unable to locate the person whose it is, which is why there is not a credit with the image. As I said at the top, I think this piece borders on brilliant!! It appears to break all the "rules" that one would normally follow when choosing a border, but in fact, it is the border that "makes" the piece unique and memorable. And is my favourite border reference piece - for many reasons. If anyone knows who created this piece, would you kindly let me know - so that I can give the credit, and congratulations that are due. In the meantime, I will use this piece as a teaching example and give credit as "artist unknown", which is what I should have done when I submitted it as an image with the class description. As a person who truly respects copyright, I sincerely apologize for using an image without giving credit. I will continue to try to find the creator.
Now that everyone knows the RUG SHOW is happening this year . . . Ive collected the rugs and labeled them and registered online at the ...
What are wool sizes? How much wool do I need? How does wool size make a difference in the look of the rug?
How to Hook Rugs from Start to Finish A Free Beginner How to Course in Hooking Rugs compliments of Deanne Fitzpatrick Rug Hooking Studio Hooking rugs is easy. You can even teach yourself. You pull…
It was just about a year ago that I made the announcement I was a hooker. As expected this proclamation was met with several yawns and a very nice handwritten note outlining the specific play time preferences of an older man of Norwegian heritage. This note was written by the very tired wife of an older man...Read More
I’m often asked how to prevent twisted loops…this is what I share with my students… May people like twisted, uneven loops and that is fine! However, if you don’t and are struggling try this… My #1 tip is what I call "scooping"...it works with any width wool and any type of hook on any foundation!. Begin by holding your wool strip/yarn FLAT between your thumb and forefinger underneath your foundation. Hold it close to the foundation, my thumb nail often scrapes against the underside of my linen. To avoid twisted loops or splitting the wool, insert your hook so that the handle touches the top of your foundation. The shaft of the hook is completely underneath, tilt the hook slightly, catch the strip and pull the loop up, tilting slightly toward the beginning tail or previous loop. This way your loop is formed on the shaft, the “hook end” just keeps the wool from sliding off. If you only insert the tip of the hook, you’ll have difficultly pulling up a loop, it may twist or the wool may split and your loop will not be nice and full. By tilting your loops toward your beginning tail, the new loops are fed from the strip/yarn you are holding. If you move in other directions the loops are fed from previous loops, resulting in low, uneven pile. Some people prefer large shank hooks and that’s fine. I think most of those hooks are too heavy and fatiguing, and in my opinion not a substitute for good technique ;) The easiest way to keep ends from looking messy and forming a ditch is to stagger your cut ends. Hook your first row normally having a trimmed end on each side. Begin your second row by pulling up your tail in the hole where you would normally pull your 1st loop. Now go back and pull a loop in the hole you skipped, ignore your tail and pull your second loop on the other side of it. When you reach the end of the row, leave a bit of slack in your strip, make sure the strip is not twisted and pull the tail up in the hole before the last. Now pull up your last loop. Keep your hook in the loop and gently pull on the tail to tighten the strip on the under side of backing. Hook the rest of the hit-n-miss section by repeating this staggering of tails Trim tails even with loops. Another method is to actually hide the tail inside a loop. This is a bit tricky to get the hang of at first, but I know some hookers who hide or bury ALL of their tails. This technique is especially good when there isnt a bordering row. The downside to this method is it is a bit bulky. Not so pleasing with thicker wool. Another word of caution...be very careful when trimming, its easy to cut a loop! Beading... a great technique for beauty-lines, flowers, bird wings
Dimensions: 51" x 32" Materials: #6-cut wool on monk's cloth Designed by Jane McGown Flynn and hooked by Jan Winter, Hollywood, California, 1998. Featured in: Celebration IX "As a longtime quiltmaker, I was immediately attracted to this pattern because it reminded me of applique quilt squares. I’ve always loved the Caswell carpet in the Metropolitan Museum that was the inspiration for this design. I wanted to create a sophisticated primitive that looked antique yet went beyond the traditional “outline and fill” technique. To attain this goal, I used some shading with hand dyed fabrics, thrift store wool, and lots of tweeds for texture. In creating backgrounds for past rugs, I had used mottling to create texture and movement. In this rug, I wanted to try a richer and more varied background. So, I gathered together blue, black, and brown solids and tweeds. Combined, these produced the effect I was hoping for and became my favorite part of the rug. The hardest part of the rug was balancing the colors because the motifs vary considerably in size. Too bright a color on a large flower would cause it to jump out. So, I used red/orange in the large areas, and yellows in little bits around the rug to keep the viewer’s eye moving." - Jan Winter, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018
Yes, you can use thrifted wool for rug hooking. Find out what to look for at the thrift shops and how to disassemble the garments.
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Tuesday was the year end get together for the Sunshine Rughookers….a day of hooking…a yummy pot luck…friends to visit…..hooking projects to see….and all at a wonderful…
Hooker Hill continued Wool Poppies President Katie was in my (Brigitta's) class. She is working on a Karla Girard design. Top picture taken early in the week, bottom was taken on Wednesday. Katie didn't get to work on her rug as much as the rest of us do to her hosting duties. Katie shared the rug below during our classes show and tell. The rug won first prize in our local fair. My tablemate and Wool Poppy, Barbara is working on a rug to go in her cabin. This squirrel is so cute. She was still trimming his tail when this was taken. Another classmate is working on a pattern called "Sleigh Ride" designed by Wool Poppy, Carla Jensen. This will be a night scene. I learned a lot watching the color selection for this rug. I took a 2 evening mini class from Laura Pierce. On the first night I learned how to dip dye wool for fall leaves. On the second night I learned how to use the wool to hook the leaves. In future posts I will show this project as I work on it. I'll also post pictures of the pieces of wool I'm working with. I'll wrap up my rug camp post in my next post. Til next time Ronda
Crystal Ross discovered rug hooking. She dyes her own yarn and her designs are inspired by traditional Nova Scotian crafts.
Good Soggy Sunday Morning! yep, rain again today ~ ...and the ants have invaded our pantry. went to get the honey for my tea and there they were ~ such funny little buggers ants are…they come in when there's no rain for a drink, then they come in again when there's a lot of rain to get dry ~ oh well, hazards of old farmhouse living I guess….. Yesterday I finished the chair pad I was working on: thought I'd show you how I simply finish it… after it has been steamed with a damp towel & hot iron, and while it is still damp is when I like to bind it. I cut to within about an inch of the last hooked row all the way 'round… then I snip into the linen and turn the edge back ~ I like to use Valdani Pearl Cotton #8 for the stitching part, it blends in well and is strong. I also like to use binder clips to hold down the edge while I'm stitching it back. these come in super-handy! stitch up to the clip, then take the clip off :) close-up of my needle and thread… see how I turn the linen back super-close to the last hooked row for a nice clean edge? …and all stitched: love the colors of the mustard wools with my old blue chair, ...don't you? the wording on this rug has double-meaning: the PA Germans have used this term, 'sit a spell' or 'sit before you go once' as meaning to stay & visit with them a while… of course being the witch-y girl I am I like to think the term used otherwise ;) and speaking of wool ~ had a customer email me & ask what color wools do I carry in the shop? and I tried to tell her, ~ but pictures work better… lots of textured, as-is & off the bolts… new hand dyeds from Blackberry Primitives too! 1/4 yds & 1/2 yd cuts ready for the picking and your next project ~ personally, when hooking my projects, I like to use 90% of the textured/as-is wool … then throw in 10% of a hand dyed mix. i think it gives my rugs instant primitive-ness. ~ I just drew up another chair pad to hook today…a geometric based on an antique motif. I'll share my progress tomorrow…. and what's with all the chair pad-hooking? well, I like to hook them ~ i have hooked & sold hundred of them in the past ~ they are fast, fun and small in size yet add lots of charm to a home… not only to be used on a chair, but on a table or hung on a wall as well. ~ and yes, I use a round wooden hoop when I hook a chair pad ~ as opposed to my ©Hookinpunch Adjustable Gripper Frame. {who is sitting here looking at me sadly empty….now I have to draw something to use on it. geeeez.} sometimes ya just have to mix it up a bit :) and please don't forget…. today is day #7 in the ~ Martha Stewart American Made Contest ~ Click HERE to vote for Notforgotten Farm today remember too, that you can vote up to SIX {6!!!!} times EACH & EVERY DAY from now until October 19th… Last I checked, we were at 7,898 votes! We appreciate each & every vote we receive from you, and also THANK YOU to those dear friends who help spread the word about us on Facebook and on their own personal blogs! Hoping you all enjoy a wonderfully creative day my sweet friends ~ ~ Blessings from the Farm ~ Lori
My 22 Goals for 2019 Goal #1 — Spend More Time Doing What I Love Playing with Miss Lucy, a little gardening, an art class and no smoked meat. It was a good week! 🙂 Goal #2 — Garden, Garden, Garden Yesterday we had 10 yards of mulch delivered so getting out of bed this Read More >>
After seeing my rugs, many people want to learn how to finish their hooked rugs with a crochet edge. So I am updating my photo tutorial for my blog readers today.
Wool mug rug coasters made out of scrappy wool worms. A simple design perfect for holding a hot mug of cocoa on a cold winter's day! Qu...
I've been working on this rug for unknown number of months but finally it's getting close to completion so check out these progress photos. ...
