About Canadian Rug Hooking
This section contains information related to Canadian Rug Hooking and a Glossary of Terms.
On-line Exhibitions and Collections
Canadian Museum of History
In the Canadian Museum of History Website you can visit three virtual exhibitions linked to rug hooking. The first is the Hooked on Rugs exhibition.
Secondly, if you're interested in seeing the Garret's "Bluenose" Hooked Rug, you can visit it in this virtual exhibition called Before E-Commerce, a history of Canadian mail-Order Catalogues.
Finally, explore Heart and Soul: Quebec Folk Art, to learn about Noé J. Champagne hooked rugs.
To see the Canadian Museum of History rugs' collection, follow the link and type "hooked rug" in the "Search the Collections" tool.
Virtual Museum of Canada
Visit The Virtual Museum of Canada to discover Hooked, an on-line exhibition about the Placentia West Matmakers of Newfoundland and Labrador.
You can also explore Narrative threads: Crafting the Canadian Quilt. National Stories captured In Artifacts. This is a virtual exhibition about textiles and pieces from permanent collections of Canadian museums. You can find hooked rugs from:
featuring Georges-Édouard Tremblay work.
Textile Museum of Canada
You can find very interesting information at the Canadian Tapestry Website, which belongs to the Textile Museum of Canada. See Canada's cultural diversity through cloth, and explore textile techniques and hooked rugs from:
To see the Textile Museum of Canada rug's collection, follow the link and type "hooked rug" in the "Search the collection" tool.
McCord Museum
To explore McCord Museum Online Collection, use the keywords "rug, carpet, mat or hooked rug" in the quick search tool.
Websites, Books & Others
Chéticamp
Nova-Scotia
To discover Chéticamp Hooked Rugs in Nova-Scotia, visit Les Trois Pignons featuring the Elizabeth LeFort Gallery.
Read Martine Jacquot's article: "Elizabeth LeFort, de Chéticamp au Vatican" (pdf document, in French).
Read Edward Langille's article "M. Lillian Burke (1879-1952): Three Lost Chéticamp Carpets".
Grenfell Mission
Newfoundland and Labrador
Follow this link to discover the silk stocking mats of the Grenfell Mission of Newfoundland and Labrador. Don't miss Paula Laverty’s Website and book and her article "Silk-Stocking Mats" on the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Visit The Canadian Encyclopedia Website to read Max Allen's article "Rugs and Rug Making".
PEI
Prince Edward Island
To discover Prince-Edward Island hooked rugs, we invite you to read Anne Nicholson’s article "Rags and Bags: Functional Art from Sacks and Worn Clothing, Hooked Mats of Prince Edward Island" (A pdf document, pages 55 to 72).
Glossary Of Terms
Rug Hooking Vocabulary
Cutter: a special cutting machine that allows to cut several strands in one operation.
Dye Bath: A pot of hot water (simmering water) sufficient to hold your fabric and to which an amount of dye or a measured amount of dye formula has been added.
Dye Formula: is an amount of 1 dye or a mixture of 2,3,or more dyes in a specific amount of water.
Dye Pot: A utensil of glass or enamel used exclusively for dyeing.
Dye Solution: An specific amount of dye (1 or more colours) in a specific amount of water (1/2 cup - 1 cup etc.)
Florals: Rugs with flowery patterns.
Geometrics: Patterns representing, geometric figures such as squares, rectangles or circles that are hooked in a certain way to create a special visual effect like a weave, tumbling blocs, etc.
Orientals: Rugs with an oriental pattern, hooked in rows, as if woven.
Pictorial: landscapes, portraits, still lives, etc.
Primitives: The style of rugs as they were made centuries ago.
Swatch: a number of pieces of fabric usually 6 or 8 dyed in different values ex. from pink to dark red, used for the shading and highlighting of flowers.
Value: the hue of a color.
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