An Interview With Jason Sumner About Hook Rugs

Allen: As we have been designing both the interior and exterior spaces of the garden home retreat, the type of rug that we will be using indoors came up. So I have visited a factory where they are keeping a lot of an old art form called Hook rugs. In fact, you may be interested to know that some of the rugs in the white house were made this way. When I visited McCauley in home they took me across the street to their sister company were they were actually working on a rug for the green room of the White House. Jason Sumner tells us more. So Jason, tell me what is going on here? Jason: Oh sure this is a very special day in the world of spinning wheel rugs. Allen: Oh really? Jason: We are in the process of starting the rug for the green room in the White House. Allen: Really? Jason: What we’re doing is hooking rug on a monk’s cloth. You can see he can pretty much guide this needle not just up and down or left and right it follows a curvilinear pattern. Allen: Now other than him using a hand machine, this is really traditional method for making rug. Jason: Absolutely we have been making rugs in this building since the late 1930’s. My grandfather Frank McCauley, the founder of this company thus the story goes, he drove down south, because he had heard that the local people here hooked rugs. Not only from a simple fabrics and pieces of cloth. Allen: Because they were depression things we’re tight. Jason: As the story goes he went to the chamber and asks, “Are there people here who would like a job?” And they said let us have it tomorrow and that is how we started. And many people in this area have this skill. Allen: That is fascinating, while look at this floral motifs on there. I see the great cornucopia and you know I understand how you mind make a geometric patterned rug. But this floral motif, I was never sure how they, you know these swirls and curls and cascades and flowers. Jason: Might well, they call this the magic needle and that is the reason they call the magic needle, it can virtually loop like a crayon. Allen: So Jason he is really working in reverse here is he not? Jason: That is right, it is actually upside down and reverse because he is making a rug on the back of the rug. The face of the rug on the other as where the pile is being created. Allen: So the rug itself is coming to life on the other side, we are seeing the back side here. Jason: Correct! That is absolutely correct. Allen: I can see that there are a lot of colors that are very popular today in it. Jason: Yes. There are. Allen: Look at that gorgeous cornucopia. Jason: Yes. Allen: That is just really fantastic. Jason: You can see hook rugs is really a North American art form. It did not come from Europe that is really a North American art form. Allen: Well, they really are gorgeous and this is colossal. Congratulations! Jason: Well thank you Allen. Allen: I really appreciate the tour Jason. Jason: It is wonderful you come down. Allen: Thanks! If you would like more information on this topic or any other garden topic just check out my website, pallensmith.com