Anyone interested in learning about Traditional Rug hooking or looking to connect with other Rug Hookers, are welcome to join the Tin Pedlar of Maine, Chapter 6 of the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists (ATHA)
The Tin Pedlar of Maine Chapter of ATHA (Association of Traditional Hooking Artists) shares a common purpose of promoting the art of rug hooking through education, sharing of ideas and group activities.
Learn the basics of how to hook a rug at this beginner class. You will be learning skills by making a mini mug rug (think 3″ square size) during this class. Youth are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.
There is a $30 kit fee for each individual attending which will be due at the class (check or cash).Kit includes: backing/foundation material, cut wool strips, hook, and small hoop. Individuals will go home with all kit pieces.
Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Time: 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Wescustogo Hall & Community Center, 120 Memorial Drive, North Yarmouth, ME 04097, Grover Room
Anyone interested in learning about Traditional Rug hooking or looking to connect with other Rug Hookers, are welcome to join the Tin Pedlar of Maine Association of Traditional Hooking Artists. We meet on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Our program year runs Sept. to June.
The meeting space doors open at 9:30 AM. The planned meeting starts at 10 AM. Most formal meeting ends around 11:30 PM. The meeting space remains available for hooking and conversation following completion of the planned program until 1 pm.
We meet in the Fellowship Hall of the Blue Point Congregational Church, 236 Pine Point Rd, Scarborough, ME. **To access the meeting in the lower level of the church you have around 5 stairs to descend.
Directions: Take Exit 42 off Maine Turnpike. Turn right onto Payne Road at the lights after the tolls. When meeting up with Rt 1 go south and get immediately into left lane. Turn left onto Rt 9 – Pine Point Rd. Follow 2.1 miles. The church is on the left – its a brick church building. The parking lot is just to the right side of the church.
The rug design for our 2025 Guild Fundraiser has been chosen. The color planning is complete. Now it’s up to our members to add their talent to complete the hooking of the rug. The goal is to have the rug completed and ready for fundraiser ticket sales in late 2025.
We are hoping to have many members add to the hooking by having it available at meetings and sharing out among us. All wool is provided with a color plan.
If you want to help complete this Fundraising project rug please complete this form to help us coordinate the effort: CLICK HERE
As part of ATHA, the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists, the Tin Pedlar of Maine chapter of ATHA looks to promote interest in rug hooking, provide and exchange ideas and new information about the art of rug hooking and to sponsor educational activities to upgrade and improve the quality of rug hooking.
We annually exhibit in the Cumberland Fair, with members providing demonstrations during fair week. Our exhibition and demonstrations provide individuals the chance to get up close to hooked items. There is the opportunity to even try pulling a few loops.
We also plan Beginner Rug Hooking classes as interest indicates and members are available to teach. If you are interested in exploring rug hooking and would like to attend a class please complete this Beginner Class Interest Form
The past few years the Tin Pedlar of Maine chapter offered sign-up for our “Beginner Rug Hooking” class at the Cumberland Farm.
What does a class look like?
Tin Pedlar member(s) would provide instruction to a small group. A simple hoop, hooks, wool strips and foundation piece are provided. The goal would be to have a focused opportunity to pull loops and learn more about the technique and history of rug hooking. For those that wish to explore further they will have the opportunity to purchase the class kit for a low cost that covers materials/tools.
Coloring: Your choice! Make it primitive or realistic. But if you’d like an additional ‘challenge’, we saved some “poison” wool you can incorporate into your leaf. It will be available to you at our monthly meetings.
Finishing: Finish as an ornament. Cut it out as close to the leaf shape as possible (but doesn’t have to be exact). We do not want it finished as a square or circle with background. Ways to finish this edge are hand sew, whipping, crochet or glue up with a felt backing or heavy heat and bond fabric … your choice! You could even attempt a double-sided leaf!
Label your work: Please make sure you have a simple label on your leaf with your name and the date and “leaf challenge”.
Due date: no later than the May meeting, so that we can collect them and configure the display well in advance of the fair.
The goal: Our President is challenging us to have at least 20-30 participants!
Does anyone remember the presentation on hooking a Maple leaf?
Please note the Tin Pedlar will still be looking for other finished hooked pieces to fill up our usually fair exhibit space.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this story in the Fiber Folio which as posted April ’22.
The story starts: “Maine Tin Pedlars has been meeting for over 40 years in and around Southern Maine. The Chapter is a member of the national group—Association of Traditional Hooking Artists. Back in 1980, one of the very first meetings of the group was held at the home of Jackye Hansen, who promptly set out to organize an exhibit of hooked rugs.“
and continues with story and rugs shared by some of our members at the April’22 meeting of the Tin Pedlars.
The Board would like to invite you to participate in a “Chapter Challenge” that will be displayed at the 2021 Cumberland Farm.
We are providing you with a pattern that can be adapted in any manner you please as long as the sheep is included in your design! Your sheep project can be any size between 8” x 6” to 32” x 24”. It can be a rug, mat, pillow or stuffed sculpture. It needs to be done for the collection of Cumberland Fair rugs in August.
Here’s the pattern. It is sized for printing on standard sized copy paper – 10” x 8” without additional borders beyond the flowers. We will have copies of the pattern at the June parking lot meeting. Here’s the link to download.
The pattern is drafted on 1” grid to help if anyone wants to resize the sheep alone or the whole pattern.
**Remember this challenge is about using the sheep design/shape found in this pattern. We included a border option as different Board members thought that might provide inspiration for members.
You can also take inspiration from this rug Donna completed as part of a workshop.
Or check out the original hooked piece the workshop was from in Rug Hooking Magazine / Nov.-Dec. 2013: Sheep in the Hills, 18″ x 12″, #8-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Mary Johnson/Designs in Wool, Tujunga, California, 2013.
As always we hope many of you will participate. If you want help with transferring the pattern or getting your idea onto a foundation, please reach out. We have members that are happy to help with design and transferring, you just need the foundation material. We will be together in June at the parking lot meeting, or drop an email and we’ll connect with you to arrange a different time.
For years members of the Tin Pedlars have looked forward to the September meeting which signifies the start of a new program year for our association. While COVID-19 has impacted how we are able to gather inside at this time the Board decided to see about holding an outside meeting. We thank all who responded to our survey about staying connected and informed. The many positive responses to an outdoor gathering in the church’s park lot allowed us to go forward with that. The weather while cool allowed for a Sept. gathering with facial coverings and social distancing.
A view of the group as we first gathered. We ended with about 20 members joining us.
While we all missed being able to hold our normal meeting, for those present the outdoor meeting was a positive experience. If only we had warmer weather ahead we’d do it again for sure.
The Presidents didn’t hold a traditional business meeting, but they shared that the church isn’t open for inside meetings yet, so we are moving forward with using Zoom for the future. Our Vice Presidents have been working hard to provide opportunities to future our learning using technology that is available to us at this time again using responses from the survey. We will be sending out email reminders, as well as, keeping this website and Facebook updated on the monthly programs.
Those present shared what has been happening in their lives since last we met. Then those that had brought projects with them shared what they have completed and/or been working on. The membership of the Tin Pedlars is definitely a creative group and that creativity extends beyond rug hooking. Please enjoy some images of what was shared:
It’s time to have another CHALLENGE for Tin Pedlars members and the 2019 Cumberland Fair provides the perfect opportunity. We plan to hang the finished challenge pieces on the back wall.
The CHALLENGE! ……..
You must hook a piece with the worms you have on hand. No cutting new ones. You can trade with others, but only use current worms.
The rug can be any size that will accommodate your stash or gathered collection of worms. Another reminder that worms are not just for geometric style rugs. Picture this free pattern done with worms……
Here’s some inspiration from finished challenge pieces: (check back as we’ll update as others share what they’ve done!)
Your challenge piece needs to be completed by the September 2019 meeting, so it can be hung by the Cumberland Fair committee for showing during the fair.
We have established a “community worms box” that will be available at the upcoming meetings while the challenge is active. So, if you need some, take some. If you have some to share, please do so. And yes, you can just grab a handful or two, or you can sort through for those special colors.
Members have also offered to help design rugs that will hook up well with worms. Just ask.
If you have time, you can submit multiple pieces to the challenge.
This challenge was originally designed by the Ozark Mountain Rug Hookers Guild.
ATHA has invited all chapters to hook a Birthday cake to celebrate them reaching their 40th year. The celebration will be in Denver at the 2019 Biennial Rug show.
We will be celebrating together enjoying carrot cake and joining our hooking skills to complete this birthday cake (designed by a member).
The group hooking of this 16” x 16” mat will start at the Dec. meeting. Please feel free to bring a variety of bright, colorful, sparkly materials to add to the donated fabrics for this mat.
Tin Pedlar of Maine 