Ipad apps for rug hookers

 A lot has happened in the world of iPads since we published this post (can you believe it was 5 years ago??)….and we’ve had a bit of activity on our blog showing that folks are looking for this info…so here’s a wee bit of an update.

(Btw, this is just one person’s opinion…there are whacks of other apps out there that wb of use to a rug hooker!) 

First up, we have drawing apps - the 2 most notable are:  Sketchbook and Procreate.  Both are fantastic for drawing and colour planning your rugs.  

Sketchbook is free for most of the functionality, and only $2.79 for the deluxe version.  The folks at Wooly Mason Jar are offering a zoom class on how to use it for rug hooking.  If you’re new to iPads and want some hands on learning….this is a good option.

Procreate is a paid app:  $14 in canada, but is a very powerful tool.  There aren’t any classes on how to use it for rug hooking, but there is a very good video tutorial series embedded in the product which explains a ton of stuff.  Here’s a link to those videos, which are also available under the “help” tab.

If you’re using one of these drawing apps, i highly recommend using a pen or stylus.  They can be expensive, but very useful.

Then there are the photo transmogrification apps:  these are great if you have an existing photo that you want to use as a basis for your rug hooking.  I mentioned a bunch of them in the post from 2018, and here are my current favourites:

- Photomania - available as an app, and as an online tool.  Use the online tool, not the app for the best set of functionality.  Just click on “Edit Photos” to go straight to the online tool.

- Lunapic - an online tool

- Pastiche - an app.  You can get some interesting effects from the free transformations, and more are available if you pay for the deluxe version.

- Picsart - an app with an online version, again, with lots of free options in addition to paid ones.

…and if you don’t have a photo to start with, but want some inspiration, go to Unsplash.com (also available as an app).  It’s a free source of photos that can be used for rug hooking.  If you’ve seen any of the images promoting the OHCG’s virtual events, almost all of them came from Unsplash, and were turned into posters with the help of Procreate.

If you want to develop your colour sense, take a look at this post, detailing some ipad games you can play that are all colour-based.

For those who like to look at pictures of hooked items, try Instagram!  It’s a great source to see what other folks are doing.  Search or follow this hashtag to get started:  #rughookersofinstagram. 

….and finally, there’s a ton of content out there where you can just watch and listen - you can view these on an ipad or on a computer, and they are well worth the time.  Here are 2 very popular ones.

- Thursday Live with Deanne Fitzpatrick - always entertaining and informative.  These are available on her website, but also on facebook (and you don’t need a fb account to view them)

- Wooly Mason Jar & Wooly Soul Strings - produce lots of facebook live videos - check their website for the links and schedule.  They also have a whole whack of video content that’s very useful.

ETA:  Rugspirations with Robin Whitford:  interviews on rug hooking!  Here’s a link to her youtube channel.

Are there other online or podcast things you enjoy, too?  Add a comment with your favourites!