Rug Hooking Rules

I read a post on Cindy Gay's blog that I found to be very interesting. It basically stated that the main rule in rug hooking is to do what feels right to you.

I heard a comment once about a famous hooker who's work I adore. The woman making the comment said that she had a friend who saw one of Miss Famous's work once and it was technically horrible. I remember thinking that the way Miss Famous hooks is what makes her rugs so unique. As Cindy Gay mentioned on her blog, no one ever criticizes and artist on how they painted a painting or looks at the back of the painting.

There is always more than one way to hook a tree, or a sky, or a chicken. Each individual will find their own style. As a beginner I believe there are basic techniques that need  learning.  We can't say, for instance, that all stitches "have" to be the same height, for on a Waldoboro style rug the loops are sculpted.  Sometimes the tails need to be hidden, other times it really doesn't matter. If the tails bother you, hide them. If not, don't.

We should all try to learn as much about a craft as possible, but rules are meant to be broken. We learn to use only 100% wool, but yet in Patty Tyrrell's rug, Quaint Town, the church window was hooked with a sparkly ribbon that made the stained glass stand out. The Greenfell rugs all use nylons. Rug hookers are learning to use other fibers besides wool to create the desired effect they want to achieve.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with perfection. Seeing a perfectly hooked rug is like seeing a famous painting. But next to it can be a rug that broke all the rules, which is just as breathtaking. It all boils down to doing what makes you happy.


Post written by Sylvia Gauthier

Prairie Rose Rug School Rugs

I (Sylvia Gauthier) finished by Button Basket rug! The pattern is designed by Susan Quicksall. I chose this design to take to Prairie Rose Rug School at Assumption Abbey, in Richardson ND. It was so hard to pick a design to take to the rug school. Patty Tyrrell and I were headed into the unknown of rug schools and camps. Neither of us had ever been to any kind of hooking events and quite honestly we didn't know what to expect. You would have thought it was the last rug either of us would ever make! Patty finally chose Quaint Town by Karla Gerard and I chose the Button Basket.

Button Basket had several lessons I wanted to learn at rug school, especially the Bead, or Seed Stitch. That is the stitch on the basket and in the flowers that looks striped.

Once the pattern was picked, it was time to choose the wool colors. I dyed several colors and several shades of each color. With the help of Michele Wise, our teacher, I made sure I had a light, dark, bright, and dull.

I have worked on this rug since August. While I was binding the rug I laid it on the floor to have a look at my work and my son's black lab laid right on top of it, of course. I decided right then that it wasn't going on the floor. I will hang it on the wall. I love it too much for it to be covered in hair, and he really loses hair!

Patty's choice of Quaint Town was the perfect design to take to rug school too.

Karla Gerard's patterns are on paper, which makes it really nice if you want a larger rug like Patty did. She had the pattern enlarged, drew it on her linen, sewed around the edges and started picking out, and dyeing wool.

During our class, Michele gave Patty some sparkly ribbon like stuff to try in the church window. It truly looks like stained glass. I think I'm most impressed with how the moon glows, which is another lesson from Michele.

Patty finished her rug long before I finished mine. It was smaller but she is faster and more experienced than I am.

Patty and I both have plans to attend Prairie Rose Rug School again this year. Two of our other members, Barb and Craig Pearson, attend Friends by the Sea Rug School every year. They have attended Friends for something like 15 years. No matter how long we hook, or how many classes we take, there is always more to learn.

Post written by Sylvia Gauthier.