When rug hooking began, it was a craft of necessity.
A craft is an art or trade requiring special manual skill. Utility is defined as the state of being useful. Rug hooking started as a craft of utility. In the mid 1800’s, people would use burlap (later loosely woven linen or rug warp) as a backing when making rugs to keep their floors warm. To make rugs, they cut strips using fabrics of worn out clothing and other fabric sources. Using a handmade hook, they pulled the cloth strips through the backing to create loops. By pulling the loops up close enough to each other, the loops would stay tight together and create a sturdy rug. The edges were finished either by sewing them down or covering the raw edge with another piece of fabric. These handmade rugs were foremost used for utilitarian purposes and secondarily as decoration.
The craft of rug hooking is frequently dated back to the mid 1800’s, as that was the period where burlap was first available. Burlap was a great backing at the time, because of its availability, durability, and cost. It was also used for other reasons. Burlap bags were made to transport other goods and housewives would repurpose them into backing for rugs. Being able to reuse or repurpose these items to create warmer floors, or even coverings for beds, was the start of the craft of rug hooking.
When rug hooking began, it was a craft of necessity, much like knitting was used to create clothing to keep people warm. At its start, it was not primarily a decorative or artistic endeavor. These first rugs were simple, useful, and created with the supplies at hand. When there was a design on such rugs, they were basic, and reflected the times. Not many colors were in the repurposed cloth strips. While the fabrics and their colors were used to their best ability, the rugs had simplistic motifs based upon people’s surroundings whether they be geometric patterns, nature, or vocation.
As the world changed, so did the craft of rug hooking. Colorful fabrics made way for more colorful rugs. More leisure time and disposable income led to commercially available patterns and classes in rug hooking. The shift from the craft of rug hooking to a true art form was a transformation over time. Rugs went from utilitarian pieces to true art.
Today, the breadth and creativity of rug hooking will have you in awe of what can be accomplished with a backing, materials, and technique. From these humble beginnings, the greatest of artistic tapestries has grown.