Claire Stieff is a rug hooking artist and former elementary education teacher living in coastal Rhode Island. She developed her passion for making rugs during her many years of teaching, specifically after discovering local rug hooker, Meg Little, and her inspiring breadth of beautiful work in the early 90’s. In 2009, after staying connected for many years, Claire found herself at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina; here, she worked beside Meg, as her assistant, for two straight weeks. That experience was proven to be very influential for Claire, as she has been designing and creating her own hand-hooked contemporary rugs ever since. 

 

Claire’s portfolio of work includes geometric styles, nature-oriented pieces or landscapes, sea-side scenes, character portraits, and more; she also creates rug chair pads and colorfully designed wool dryer balls. She is influenced by artists like Wayne Thiebaud, Henri Matisse, Rex Reed, Jean Miro, David Hockney, among other local artisans, and especially her husband, who is a self taught Watercolor artist.

 

Her technique involves mapping out the design, and using either her rug-punching automated gun, with the additional help of her handheld punch hook needle to add further detail, or solely using the punch hook needle for the entirety of the piece. In the process of punching, she applies 3-ply 100% wool into Monk’s Cloth, which is the material that backs all of her rugs. A typical 2’ x 3’ piece takes about three to four weeks to complete. 

 

Claire is always open to commission work. In the past, she has fulfilled requests that are very meaningful to her clients, such as certain places they love, or a theme to go along with their carefully curated home decor. She takes great pleasure in coming up with unique, collaborative pieces that people can enjoy for years to come. Inquire today for your own unique Claire Stieff hand hooked rug.