A colourful, photo-filled history of Nova Scotia's iconic Bluenose hooked-rug patterns, featuring step-by-step instructions for aspiring rug-hookers.

In 1892, John E. Garrett (1865 — 1937) and his father, Frank, began to design and sell printed burlap patterns out of their home in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. John's three sons, Frank, Cecil, and Arthur, later joined Garrett's, and by 1926, their patterns came to be known as "Bluenose," for the famous Nova Scotia schooner. Over the next eighty years, Garrett's would produce hundreds of designs. John and his son Frank, who had studied commercial art in New York, produced bold, artistic new designs — florals and scrolls, geometrics, pictorials, animals, and whimsical patterns — that stood out from the rigid, Victorian-style patterns of the past. Catalogue and mail-order sales soared, and soon Garrett's became the world's largest producer of rug-hooking patterns.

An absolute treasure trove of Nova Scotia's history, The Garrett Bluenose Patterns is accented with hundreds of vibrant photographs, including preserved stencils and burlap patterns as well as finished rugs, celebrating the meticulous, beautiful Bluenose designs that have been hooked into colourful finished rugs worldwide for over a century. Also included are practical tips and how-tos for the budding rug hooker on everything from creating thematic pictorial scenes to modern geometrics, as well as a glossary of common rug-hooking terms.

The Teachers Branch, Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, was formed in 1980 by a small group of Maritime rug hookers wishing to share their knowledge and craft with others. Training was provided by Ontario teachers, and the Branch was officially established in 1985. Today this organization is a strong, vibrant group of certified teachers dedicated to providing opportunities for study and creative development. Respecting the importance of our rug hooking heritage, the Teachers Branch proudly presents this celebration of the historic Garrett Bluenose Patterns.

The Teachers Branch Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia's profile page