Rug Hooking Demonstration
By Rose Kandy
On a beautiful
sunny May Sunday morning, Denise Vandenbendem and I went to McGill University,
Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, a town situated at the western tip of
Montreal. We were invited by Le Coin Artisanal (our Saturday hook-in home) to
demonstrate the art of rug hooking to visitors and quilters attending the
Beaconsfield Quilters Show held in Centennial Centre.
We set up shop
next to the LCA Booth with our rug samples and literature on the Beaconsfield
Hooking Crafters Guild. Soon we had visitors stopping by to inquire about the
rugs, the tools, how hooking is done, what materials are used. We had been told
that our demonstration would be for 20 minutes, however, more than two hours later
we were still explaining, in English or French, the art of rug hooking. Before we left, we took the opportunity to
visit the many quilts on display: memory quilts done with such love, challenge
pieces where quilters are given a subject which each one quilts according to
their vision and inspiration. Almost
every type of material one can imagine seemed to find its way into quilted
blankets and art pieces. Undoubtedly the most fascinating pieces were quilted figures
incorporating cheesecloth, which gave a whole new dimension to the work.
Other than Le Coin
Artisanal, there were many vendors in the hall, while in an adjoining area BQG
had set up a delightful tearoom featuring tables with green tablecloths and
small flowering plants as decorations. Our time there was very enjoyable and
our congratulations to the Beaconsfield Quilters Guild for such a beautiful
show of quilts.