Hooked rugs on display
Rug hooking is a craft dating back to colonial times, when pioneer women recycled worn garments by cutting woolen fabric into thin strips. The strips were hooked in simple designs. Rug hooking was revived during the Depression and has evolved into a fiber art, enthusiastically practiced by hookers all across the United States and Canada.
Today's hooking artists can draw their own designs or purchase printed patterns on a variety of backing fabrics. Flannel weight woolens are sold in every hue of the rainbow or can be home-dyed using commercial dye powder and carefully developed formulas. Strips are cut with mechanical cutters, then hooked into a wide variety of projects. Wide cut strips become fanciful animals or whimsical scenes, (called primitives), while fine cut strips are used for realistic floral patterns, intricate Orientals or pictorial pieces.
The free exhibit is sponsored by the Rug Hookers of the Finger Lakes, a guild of about 30 women who meet in Palmyra. Members come from Wayne County and neighboring counties.
During the exhibit, Guild members will be present to demonstrate rug hooking and answer questions. Hours are 10 to 4 Friday and Saturday. There will be a drawing for a rug hooked by Guild members.