Rug Hooking At Matthew Curtiss House

The Matthew Curtiss House-Museum will be the atmospheric setting on Sunday, September 17, for a demonstration of the traditional art of rug hooking. The house, which is the headquarters of Newtown Historical Society, will be open from 1 to 4 pm. The building is at 44 Main Street in Newtown.

Rug hooking, like quilting, is a sociable art and rural tradition. Before 1800, Americans kept their floors bare. Around 1825 that custom changed and women began to weave, braid, and hook rugs.

During the long New England winters, thrifty housewives dyed strips of old clothing and then hooked them, using a tool resembling a latch hook, onto empty burlap gunnysacks or homespun hemp and flax foundation fabrics. Until 1870 when patterns became available, women hooked images of the world around them: their families, homes, livestock, gardens, and family occasions, often signing their work with initials.

The group that will be demonstrating at Curtiss House has local roots. Members meet informally in Newtown on a monthly basis, with participants drawn from across greater Fairfield County. The group will display works in progress as well as finished pieces. Members will be available to discuss their craft and the techniques used.

Additionally, costumed guides will offer tours of the historic Matthew Curtiss House and its 18th century room settings. On display will be recent acquisitions including locally produced furniture and an 1829 needlework sampler attributed to Mary Louisa Clark of Newtown.

The event is open to the public, free of charge. For more information call Newtown Historical Society at 426-5937.