Cheticamp Hooked Rugs | Rug Hooking Capital of the World

Cheticamp: The Rug Hooking Capital of the World!

Where else would you want to buy a hooked rug but in the rug hooking capitol of the world? Cheticamp is a beautiful Acadian fishing village located at the western entrance of the famously renowned Cabot Trail and its’ handmade hooked rugs are known as the most beautiful and highest quality hooked rugs in the world. Not only will the scenery take your breath away, but for those who love the finer things in life, these rugs will also take your breath away. Cheticamp hooked rugs are made with high quality burlap and sheep’s wool that is dyed by hand locally. They have been made and presented to many important people, including the Queen of England, a US president and large one which was made in 1998 with each floral emblem of the provinces of Canada and is still displayed in Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Cheticamp’s “hookers” are often called upon to make specialized hooked rugs for special occasions and they definitely know how to deliver the goods. The fact that they were first introduced in Cheticamp by a New York artist, Lillian Burke, and by the family of the famous telephone inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, also gives them significant value.

History of Rug Hooking

“Hooking" is what we call the making of wool rugs on burlap. In Cheticamp, the burlap is stretched tightly on a wooden frame, and the hook is a simple nail with a curved tip attached to a wooden handle. Rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through the burlap. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage.

Originally, hooked rugs served as throw rugs to cover the cold floors in winter or to exchange with traveling salesmen for merchandise which wasn’t available locally. The turning point of the rug industry came in 1927 when Lillian Burke, an artist from New York as well as a friend of the Bell

family of Baddeck, visited the Cheticamp area. She became interested in these works of art which she introduced on the U.S. market. Profit was still minimal for the rug "hookers" and because of that, a few women began operating their own boutiques.

The name "Élizabeth LeFort" is another important name which immediately comes

to mind when one speaks about rug hooking in Cheticamp. Like most others, Mrs. LeFort started her career by hooking sceneries but the turning point came when her talent for hooking portraits was discovered. Referred to as "Canada's artist in Wool", Mrs. LeFort was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Université de Moncton, as well as the Order of Canada in 1987. Her works may be admired at various places throughout the world such as at the Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the White House and at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. You can feast your eyes on many of her tapestries while visiting the gallery which bears her name, at the Trois Pignons, in Chéticamp.

In January 1998, a group of rug hookers from Chéticamp, under the skilled direction of Marie-Claire Doucet, undertook the task of hooking a large rug (15ft x10ft) destined for the Canadian Room at Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa. The finished product of this venture is, like many before, a real masterpiece.