Stand on a hand hooked mat and feel instantly charmed and connected to days gone by, days to come, and to the moment.
Feel underfoot, the softness and the warmth of the wool. In the air smell the slight hint of lanolin and burlap lifting as you wiggle your toes in the joyous adventure underfoot! Put simply our primitive style hand-hooked rugs appeal to human sensibilities. The name Parsimonious Mats came about as a joyous and lasting sentiment of expression through found fibre, remnants of loved articles of clothing, finds at thrift shops or the perfect colour on someone's back that you have bee longing for! Each of our hand-hooked works of art expose an extension of ourselves, loved ones, loved places, and simply our love of colour and texture. Our creative style, our mood, our view of the world and the inspiration provided through found cloth is what forms our mats from the most simple to the complicated. Each rug is an open invitation to gather together one's self and or one's love for reconciliation and peace. We aim to support and promote the love of rugs hooked in a primitive style. Primitive style rug hooking is rustic, uses a wide-cut wool strips made from found cloth that are hooked into simple, patterns outlined on a jute burlap backing. We also wish to maintain the excitement of a good, found wool sweater or coat! We think of ourselves as rug hookers without traditional borders and have formed a bond through learning and sharing in this heritage craft of our ancestors. Rug hooking dates back to the early 1800's in Eastern Canada. Women and men would hook mats for practical purposes such as to keep their floors warm in the winter, but many a rug was rolled up and put away until company arrived when it would don the parlour's floor where everyone could admire the beauty and workmanship. For more about the history of rugs in Canada go to Stories Inside a Rug. |