HOOKED RUGS AND HANGINGS

Rug hooking started in the mid-1800s in New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Settlers created utilitarian rugs and bed covers by pulling up loops of strips of material through burlap backings. Over the decades, the craft has changed and developed, and now we see both rugs and wallhangings made by this technique.

The work in this exhibit has been created by participants in the Friday morning rug hooking class which meets at the Phelps Senior Center in Laurel, Maryland. The rug hookers range from people who have been hooking for a couple of years to long time rug makers. Many of the exhibitors have seen their work included in Rug Hooking magazine, have won awards at the Montgomery County Fair and the State Fair, and have shown their work in other local exhibits, such as the Montpelier Cultural Arts Center and the Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt.

The exhibitors include CCC's own Joanne Hollcroft, Sarah Province, Bernice Howell, Carol Koerner, Carol Weingartner, Beverly Auckenthaler, Jane Bettien, Jean Shultz, Billie Jean Levely, Sally D'Albora, Madeline Cholwek, Peg Murphy, Peggy Godwin, Berta Morray, and Mary Noonan.