To make the mats, old burlap sacking was used as a backing through which strips of used clothing, torn stockings, and frayed rope were hooked. Worn mats were thrown away and new ones were made each fall. In the early twentieth century mat hooking was refined into an art form by the Grenfell Mission's cottage industry. The Grenfell style remains unique to Canada, with its very fine hooked loops and patterns featuring life in the north.
Mat making is still an important craft that supplements local income.