Hooking with T-Shirts Rug Hooking Workshop

THIS EVENT IS PAST.

Follow this link for more information about the
upcoming 2025 Rug Hooking Week.

Description:  

The thrifty rug hookers of yesteryear did not buy premium fabric to cut up and use for their rugs – they used old clothing, rags and scraps, whatever was available. Have you ever considered the modern equivalent – hooking with old t-shirts? T-shirts are everywhere, inexpensive, accessible, and come in a rainbow of colors. You can hook with them even if they are too worn or stained to wear.

T-shirt material produces a different “look” than the beautiful wool we buy from our vendors, and it may not be right for all projects. However, it is an alternative worth considering – and one our fellow fiber artists abroad are quite familiar with. T-shirt material can be mixed with wool and yarn for hooking projects that are not going to be floor rugs.  Hooking with t-shirts may open up some new ideas for you as well as being a fun and inexpensive way to extend your stash of hooking materials. 

Instruction will include how to cut up a t-shirt for hooking, how wide to make the strips, and issues to watch out for.  Martha will bring examples of hooked mats which use a mixture of wool, yarn, and t-shirt material - as a reference and inspiration. The color photos are just a few examples hooked by Martha, using t-shirts.

You will work on a small 12” x 15” mat for this workshop, selecting from three decorative patterns drawn on linen, with extra space provided if you want to add a border to the design. The finished piece will make a great tabletop mat or pillow. 

This will be a fun and creative class as you may choose your pattern, colors, and whether you will hook it only with t-shirts or if you want to mix it up with wool and yarn.  Martha will contact you in advance, to choose your pattern and do your color planning prior to the workshop, so that you can bring materials in colors that you prefer, and be ready to start, when you arrive.

Teacher will contact students prior to class:  Yes

Level: Basic - students must have basic rug hooking knowledge & experience.

Supply fee description:  Your choice of 3 (A, B or C) 12” x 15” pattern drawn on linen, with extra space provided to add a border if you wish. Optional Supplies: Martha will have t-shirts, wool and yarn for sale for those who wish to purchase them, these are great for those who may need additional or different materials. 

Students Need to Bring:  Basic hooking supplies: a frame, scissors, cutter, your choice of cutter blades #5-8, & hook. Additional supplies: uncut cotton or cotton blend (at least 30% cotton) t-shirts in your choice of colors, a rotary cutter, cutting mat, a straightedge/yardstick, wool or yarn (for hooking, if you choose to add them to your project). 

Bio: 

Martha Rosenfeld lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she teaches rug hooking at the Kirk Newman Art School at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. She has a Master’s degree in Ceramics, and worked as a potter and sculptor, in addition to a career in legal services. In 2007, she switched media from clay to rug hooking, taking lessons in hooking and dyeing from Karen Schellinger in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Martha moved back to Michigan in 2013. Since then, she has had her rugs accepted into Celebration of Hand-Hooked Rugs three times, and has shown her rugs in invitational and juried exhibits around southwest Michigan.  She is a member of Signature Artists, LLC, an artist’s cooperative active in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. She has taught previously at Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week, as well as selected workshops around Michigan.

Martha designs original rugs, loves to do landscapes, and especially loves to hook trees of all types and in all seasons.