Have you ever seen locker hooking? you use thin strips and they are hooked onto rug canvas. there is a special hook that has a eye at the end. When you have 3 or 4 loops on your hook, you pull a cotton string/yarn thru them to keep the hooks from pulling out.
http://www.bzyqltr.blogspot.com/2007...r-hooking.html
There is a short tutorial on my blog from 2007.