Rug Hookers - Meticulous Craftsmanship

Handmade hooked rugs in all different shapes covered the wide planked oak floors of the Thinkers’ Lodge. The villagers of Pugwash rushed to the Thinkers’ Lodge when the fire broke out and carried the rugs, furniture, books, paintings, and other priceless treasures of the lodge to safety. Many of the hooked rugs, including the 34 stair treads were salvaged by careful cleaning, a “testimony to the endurance of fine art.” Several  stair rungs were irrevocably damaged by the smoke, water and foam from the fire. The Remsheg Rug Hookers, meeting regularly since 1993, combined their efforts to replace the damaged rugs. Currently they meet once at the Wallace Museum. They used worn woolen blankets for the fiber, created dyes to match the ones that survived the fire, and hooked as a group to create the new rugs. Ironically the originally stair treads came from Taiwan.

Read full article by Sarah Ladd on "Rug Hooking and World Peace"

Remshaw Rug Hookers spent months designing these stair treads to replace the ones ruined in the fire.

The Flying Cloud, one of the Clipper Ships built by Donald McKay, adorns the floor of Thinkers' Lodge.

This circular rug is officially registered with the Rug Hookers' Guild. This keeps a record of who made the rug, how it was made, and information about its design.