35 years ago
by Denise Vandenbemden
President
President
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| Artist: Salvatore Vuono at www.freedigitalphotos.net |
At
the same time, in Belgium, I had a teenage daughter and a full time job. I knew very little about Canada
and nothing at all about traditional
rug hooking, but I made latch hooked rugs.
Latch hooked rugs came in kits, the pattern printed onto the backing and
the wool
already cut. When I became a single mom and
finances ran low, the expensive kits made place for needle point which,
later
on, made place for embroidery.
Seven years
ago, I discovered the many beauties and cultures of Canada as well as the privilege of living in Beaconsfield and the joy of rug hooking. Already the first year of my arrival I saw a demonstration of the craft
during the Heritage Day celebration and it was love at first sight. I was “hooked”.
I
have not one artistic bone in my body and
creativity is something my brain does not handle well, every new project
is a challenge
and it takes me weeks to find the right
pattern and the right colors and since I am a Virgo and Virgos are known
to be perfectionists
I am never entirely happy with the result,
and this is good. It keeps me going, trying to get to the same level of
accomplishment
as those ladies who started 35 years ago and
are still members today. And then there is Lois, the founder of the
Guild, who
now lives in Rawdon and comes down to Beaconsfield every single Monday from September to May. She
still teaches
the tricks of the trade to us, newcomers,
with the same energy and the same enthusiasm as 35 years ago. We can’t thank her enough for this.
If
35 years ago someone had told me that I would end up in Canada,
being the president of the Beaconsfield Rug Hooking Crafters, I would
have called 911, convinced that
the person was in need of mental help, and
yet, here I am, feeling blessed and privileged and celebrating the Guild
to which
I am proud to belong.
