How to Make Traditional Hooked Rugs
Hooked rugs at one time offered an inexpensive way to imitate elaborate decors of the 19th century. People who couldn't afford manufactured rugs began making their own by using old clothing and food sacks to hook rugs in colorful designs. The process rose to an art that hasn't changed much, as today's traditional rug hookers still use burlap and fabric scraps to create valued rugs.
Things You'll Need
- Burlap
- Fabric strips
- Rug hook
- Pencil or chalk
- Rug binding
- Rug frame (optional)
Instructions
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Choose a rug hook with or without a latch. Some people prefer a latch because it encloses fabric strips and prevents the hook from getting caught as it's pushed into and pulled out of the burlap.
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Get a heavy-weight piece of burlap to use for the foundation of your hooked rug. It should be big enough for your design as well as a 3-inch border all around the design. Look for burlap with 10 or 11 threads per inch.
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Decide whether you want to work on a frame or lay the burlap foundation in your lap as you work. A frame helps keep the rug square, but some people think slight imperfections add to the handmade appeal of hooked rugs. You can experiment with an inexpensive frame by using thumb tacks to attach the burlap to art canvas stretcher bars large enough to accommodate your design.
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Draw your design on the burlap in pencil or chalk, remembering to leave a 3-inch border that will remain blank. Geometric shapes can be used to create simple but interesting rugs. You also can create your design by tracing around stencils.
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Prepare your fabric strips in the colors you need for the rug by cutting them 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide. You can use old clothing and bed sheets for most of your strips and then buy fabric in any additional colors you need. Many types of fabrics can be used for hooked rugs, but it's often easier to work with similar fabrics, such as cotton blends.
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Hook your rug with your drawn design facing you. Hold the hook in your right hand above the burlap and an end of the fabric strip in your left hand underneath the burlap. Do this in reverse if you're left-handed. Push the entire hook through the burlap to catch the end of the strip and pull it to the top until it's 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch high.
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Continue by pulling the rest of the strip through the burlap by forming loops of equal height as you follow the shape of the design. To prevent puckering, space the loops so that you have three or four per inch. When you reach the end of a strip or you want to switch colors, pull the remaining portion of the strip to the top of the burlap and trim it to the height of the loops.
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Start your next strip about two burlap threads away from where the last one ended. Continue this process until your hooked rug is complete. Finish by sewing the rug binding to the blank border close to the outside loops of your rug. Trim the burlap border so that it's even with the binding. Turn the binding to the wrong side and hand sew it in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Thick fabrics work better if they're cut thin.
Very thick fabrics can cause a hooked rug to pucker.
