Canada's East Coast has a unique craft heritage that has seen generations hooking rugs during the long winter evenings. Hooked mats and rugs were originally intented as functional pieces--a place to wipe dirty feet at the back door, or a cover for drafty floors. But at some point aesthetics crept into this process, and those simple mats have evolved into the wonderful folk art rugs we see today.

Nova Scotia's Doris Eaton has been hooking rugs for nearly 50 years and is one of the region's most well-known rug-hookers.

A Lifetime of Rug-Hooking features over 80 of Doris's colourful and lively rugs and the inspiration and materials behind her art. Doris also shares some of her tried and true techniques, including her famous "Eaton Edge" for finishing a rug. With a foreword from fellow Nova Scotia rug-hooker and artist Deanne Fitzpatrick, A Lifetime of Rug-Hooking is a marvellous visual tour of the work of an influential East Coast folk artist.

Doris Eaton's involvement with art preceded her interest in rug-hooking. She attended the Massachusetts School of Art and was represented in exhibitions by the Maritime Art Association, the 1st Centennial Exhibition by Nova Scotia Artists, and at Acadia University. Doris was instrumental in organizing the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, and has had her rugs exhibited at the DesBrisay Museum in Bridgewater and Mount Saint Vincent University. She lives on Nova Scotia's South Shore.

Doris Eaton's profile page