Hooked wool area rugs became popular in the middle of the 19th century when burlap and machine-made cloth were first available in the United States. The early designs were home-drawn with charm and originality and have since become prized works of art. The most cherished rugs were often made of scraps richly textured with creative and varied colors.
Once printed patterns and chemical dyes became available for home use in the 1860’s, rug makers began to create more realistic designs using finely cut strips and many graduations of color. It wasn’t uncommon for a single flower to have ten different shades. These rugs may have lacked the expressiveness of earlier works, but were, nonetheless, crafted with enviable skill.
Preparing the Backing
While a few early rugs were backed with linen, burlap became the traditional and most popular backing material. Much of the early burlap came from empty grain sacks and if you have no other source, you could consider this for a small project. However, the burlap sold by rug-hooking equipment suppliers is much more durable, wears longer, and has evenly spaced holes for easier hooking. Before making a purchase, hold the cloth up to a light to make sure there are no broken threads that could cause a gap in your rug. Another durable backing is Monk’s cloth. However, its softness makes it difficult for beginners to use.
Choosing and Preparing Your Fabric
Hooked large area rugs are an excellent way to recycle torn or damaged woolen clothing and blankets. Medium weight, tightly woven fabrics, such as flannels, are easiest to hook. Once you’ve become an expert, you’ll be able to use different weights and weaves to produce a variety of textures.
You should collect all-wool fabrics. They wear best and are resistant to soiling. To prepare cloth for hooking, remove linens, facings, and other non-wool parts. Wash the remaining woolen material in warm water and detergent. It’s best to wash even new or freshly dry-cleaned woolens in order to shrink them and tighten their weave.
After washing, remove seams, button holes, and other stitching and discard any parts of the material (such as knees or elbows) that have worn very thin. If you wish, you can even dye your material. Tweeds and plaids can be lightly over dyed (tinted) with a single color to impart a unifying cast to them. Bright colors can be toned down by dyeing with a contemporary hue. For example, red cloth dyed green becomes a mellow brown.
After washing and dyeing, the fabric must be cut into strips that parallel the grain of the weave. To do this, first tear the material into 2 inch widths, then carefully cut these into narrower strips. For medium weight flannels 1/8 inch is usually the right width. Light weight fabrics should be cut a bit wider in order to make a heavy pile that doesn’t pull out of the burlap backing. Heavy fabrics must be cut narrower or they’ll be difficult to pull through the burlap and may strain its threads. If you plan on doing a lot of hooking, you may want to buy a mechanical cutter that can produce many strips at one time and make the job go quicker.
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