Opportunity Calls!

As a rag rug maker and travel enthusiast, I’ve always been curious about the difference between rug making in the UK and other countries. That curiosity was one of the inspirations behind my second book “Rag Rug Techniques for Beginners”. I wanted an excuse to travel the world hunting down obscure rug making techniques (unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be with the Covid years)! Fast forward to 2024 when I had the good fortune to be invited to The Woolery in Frankfort, Kentucky, USA to run rag rug workshops at their shop. You can read more about my trip here. I was super excited to finally be able to see how some Americans make rugs. Better yet, the timing of the workshops meant that I’d be able to visit Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village – the largest rug hooking show in the USA (and possibly even the world).

Sauder Village

Rug Hooking Week takes place every year at Sauder Village in the state of Ohio. I’d never heard of Sauder Village before, but it’s a tourist destination in its own right, even without the draw of Rug Hooking Week. Sauder Village is a living museum which is made up of 19th and 20th century buildings which have been carefully transported onsite and kitted out as they would have been during their heyday. You can wander around and see traditional crafts in action – weaving, woodworking, coopering (barrel making), glass blowing etc… It’s a similar concept to Beamish Museum but in Ohio, USA, not dear old County Durham, UK. It would definitely be a fun day out if you were in the area or road tripping by even without Rug Hooking Week taking place.

As the Woolery team and I were there for two days, not just the one, we did have a look around Sauder Village itself and below are just a few photos to set the scene.

Rug Hooking Week

As lovely as Sauder Village itself is, let’s not kid ourselves, I was there for the main event… Rug Hooking Week. This week-long event, which takes place in August every year, markets itself as a vibrant gathering of rug hooking enthusiasts. You can admire hundreds of rugs on display in the exhibition hall, attend classes, buy specialist supplies from vendors, and take advantage of demonstrations that breathe life into traditional and contemporary rug making techniques (mainly hooked / loopy rag rugging). With hundreds of handcrafted rugs on display, expert-led workshops, and the opportunity to connect with fellow makers, I can now safely say that Rug Hooking Week is a must-visit for anyone passionate about textile arts.

So, how did I get on?

The Rug Hooking Week Exhibitions

It was pretty overwhelming when we first arrived at the show. I was like a kid in a candy shop and honestly didn’t know where to begin. You first enter the show into a smaller hall, which has stands selling beautiful rug patterns, fabrics, books, trinkets… a lot of stuff! Although I did browse all the shops eventually, it was the larger exhibition hall that drew me first as this is where all the gorgeous rugs were on display. The main exhibition hall is broken down into different areas with rugs and hooked pieces curated by theme.

In 2024, these were Animals / Birds / Insects, Fruit / Floral, Oriental / Crewel / Geometric, Originals, People / Places / Pictorials. Notably, this year there was a feature exhibit “Magnificent Bugs in Rugs” in one area with rugs from makers across the world. There were also some non-hooked pieces on display with separate categories for Braiding, Needle Felting, Fusion, Punch Needle, 3-Dimensional and Wool Appliqué.

One of my most surprising learnings from my trip to the USA was that over the pond they tend to categorise hooked (loopy) rugs into either “fine cut” or “primitive”. Fine cut pieces are hooked with narrower strips and generally have more detail. These can be very hyper realistic! Primitive rug hooking, which is the style more commonly done in the UK, is worked using wider fabric strips and more abstract / folksy designs. Below are a couple of photos to illustrate the difference:

I tried to go around the hall systematically, but soon got overwhelmed by the sheer number of rugs on display. I’m not able to fit everything I saw into one post, so below I’ve picked out a few of the exhibits to go into in a bit more detail and then a gallery to showcase other amazing works. I should add that none of these photos do the originals justice! Please do comment below to let me know which are your favourites.

“14 Birds” Hooked Rug

When I first walked into the main exhibition hall at Rug Hooking Week 2024, this was the beautiful piece that was front and centre. This cool and quirky piece, “14 Birds”, was hooked by Jenifer Rudolph based off the design of artist, Alison O’Donoghue. Apparently Jenifer loved the character of the different birds and vibe of 1960s old world Mexico that the design evoked and asked Alison for permission to translate her artwork into fibre. I have to say, it was one of my favourite pieces from the whole show. I’m a sucker for bold colours and this rug made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Gustav Klimt’s “The Maiden”

I’ve always loved Klimt’s artworks, so I was delighted when I came across this spectacular rendition of one of his most famous artworks, hooked by Nancy Liebenstein. Apparently it was a commission by Nancy’s daughter, Chloe, who is an amazing illustrator and sketches out all of Nancy’s rugs. Like me, Nancy loves Klimt’s use of colour, fun shapes and as quoted from the info card next to the piece, “female images representing a young woman’s dream of all she might become”. Strong words from a very talented rug hooker.

Majolica 1541

As a self-confessed sucker for tiles, this tile-inspired rug hooked by Dana Davis caught my eye immediately. Apparently the pattern is based on majolica tiles from 14th century Italy and Dana carefully researched the colours and hand dyed the wool to match. With the strong geometric pattern, it’s quite easy to miss the wavy line that runs through the border, which is a lovely touch. I’ve always thought tiles make excellent pattern inspiration and this rug just goes to prove that.

The Patterson Oriental Series

A very talented rug hooker called Genevieve Patterson came up with this design “The Patterson Oriental”. After Genevieve passed away in January 2024, the rug hooking group she belonged to – the “Friendship Rug Hookers” in Kentucky – decided that it would be a fitting tribute to display the rugs they had hooked using Genevieve’s design over the years. I was in awe when I saw this trio of rugs on display as the work is just sooo detailed. It was only after a double take that I realised they were actually the same pattern hooked in different colour schemes by different makers (Dianne Doss, Becky Headley and Susan Thomas). The loops are so tiny that it’s only when you get up close that you can even tell the rugs are hooked and not woven on a loom!

Good Luck Rug

I wasn’t able to find out much about this piece, except that it was hooked by a lady called Jan King who loves elephants. I wasn’t able to chat to Jan to confirm, but it looked to me like the body of the elephant may have been hooked with one of our woollen blanket yarns. Perhaps “Battleship”? Either that or the fabric definitely comes from the same mill.

And now for a less detailed gallery of other beautiful pieces I saw a the show…

So that gives you a flavour of some of the beautiful designs on display at Rug Hooking Week. As you can see, it was quite the feast for the eyes. As well as the exhibits, stallholders also had soooo many gorgeous pieces on display, so below shows shops at the show with a few photos of what was on offer…

The Vendors at Rug Hooking Week

I went around the show with my US hosts for the holiday – Perri, Wave and Amy from The Woolery – and they were great guides as they knew many of the vendors so were able to introduce me (friends in high places!) Mostly, the stalls had woollen material (that’s mostly what makers in the US use to make their rugs), pre-sketched out patterns and craft equipment. Below are just a few of the shops I took a look around at Rug Hooking Week, but you can find a full list here.

Spruce Ridge Studios

Spruce Ridge Studios stood out to me immediately for their gorgeous, modern rug hooking designs. Visiting their stand was like stepping into a modern rug hooker’s dream! They had a fantastic range of seasonal designs—whether you’re looking for cozy autumn motifs, spooky halloween rugs, festive winter patterns, or something cheerful for spring, they had it all. We’re not as into our seasonal designs in the UK, so it was fun seeing all the possibilities. It was impossible not to leave their booth with a head full of ideas and a bag full of craft goodies.

The Wool Studio

One of my biggest surprises whilst in the US was realising that the majority of US rug hookers buy pieces of woollen material to hook their rugs with, as opposed to working with old clothing and a mix of different fabrics (as we mostly do here in the UK). The Wool Studio is one of the biggest suppliers of woollen cloth in the US, but funnily enough I think quite a lot of it makes its way there from the UK. It was brilliant to see their sampler of how different colours hooked up – I’ll definitely have to make one for the blanket yarn some time!

The Old Tattered Flag

Wandering through The Old Tattered Flag’s booth at Rug Hooking Week was an absolute treat. Their collection of rug hooking patterns, from charming primitives to more intricate designs, had something for every hooker, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out. It was a perfect spot to stock up on supplies and get inspired for my next project (as if I don’t have enough to do!) I bought a pre-sketched out wall hanging panel to have a play with back in the UK. I loved the bee design and thought it would be nice to follow someone else’s pattern for once.

Teresa Kogut

Teresa Kogut from Creative Whims is an absolute gem in the world of rug hooking. Her patterns have a distinct, whimsical charm that instantly draws you in, blending folk art with a touch of vintage flair. I loved how her designs feature a mix of heartwarming scenes, playful animals, and folksy motifs, all crafted with incredible attention to detail. Personally, I love a cute sheep design and Teresa had those in spades.

Let Nola Do It

Let Nola Do It is an absolute game-changer for anyone looking to dive into rug hooking without the hassle of sketching out designs. At Rug Hooking Week, they’d brought along lots of lovely folk-inspired scenes, each design felt ready to come to life with a bit of wool and imagination. My personal favourite was the fishbowl, which had all my favourite colours in.

W. Cushing & Co.

One of the final shops I made it to was W. Cushing & Co. in the main exhibition hall. I was lured in by the five foot 3D Father Christmas (Santa Claus) who welcomed passersby into the stand. My mum is a huge fan of Beatrix Potter and the hooked Peter Rabbit on display was a firm favourite of mine. I also loved the Christmas tree skirt, which was so incredibly detailed. Apparently that rabbit design was AI generated – is that the future of rug designs I wonder?

Wow, well done if you’ve made it this far down the article – it’s turning out to be much longer than I anticipated! Rug Hooking Week wouldn’t be Rug Hooking Week without its top class rag rug workshops, so here’s a little bit on that…

Workshops at Rug Hooking Week

Rug Hooking Week workshops get booked up pretty much as soon as they go live and, as my plans to travel to the USA were quite a long time after sign ups went live, I was unfortunately not able to sign up to any of the courses. However, I knew a couple of the teachers, so was able to pop in and say hi. It was a lot of fun seeing what amazing creations the students were working on. Participants can choose from immersive 3- or 4-day retreats or shorter 1- or 2-day classes, perfect for those with tighter schedules. The workshops looked like the perfect place to work on a specific project whilst connecting with fellow rug hookers from all over. I had a lovely chat with Deb, one of super nice ladies who manages the programme, and she made me very jealous that I hadn’t managed to sign up to anything! Oh well, maybe next year…

I did however manage to pop in to see Yvonne Iten-Scott who was running a class themed around the “Magnificent Bugs in Rugs” special exhibition in the main hall. Her students blew me away with their bug and insect themed creations, which used a variety of different rug embellishment techniques. I wish I’d taken more photos in the classroom, but didn’t want to get in the way too much.

I also found Rebecca Martin from Storyteller Wool whose book “Rug Hooking in Harmony” features one of our Ragged Life rugs. Rebecca was running a 3 day retreat for students to make either a nautical compass or tree design with quillies and other standing wool techniques. Rebecca often combines punch needle and rug hooking in her work, which makes it very interesting to look at.

I popped my head into a few of the other workshops and met some wonderful people, including talented Cindi Gay, Ruth Decker and The Hooking Colonel.

In Conclusion…

In case it wasn’t obvious, I had an amazing time at Rug Hooking Week and came back to the UK with a million ideas and no enough time to execute them all… isn’t that always the way! Stay tuned to the Ragged Life Newsletter for some limited edition workshops that we’ll be launching off the back of my visit and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see more photos from the show…

Happy rag rugging!

Elspeth x