Show & Tell / January - March 2018
The 150th Anniversary of Canada
Canadian Cultural Heritage
The year 2017 was Canada’s 150th anniversary. To extend and
commemorate Canada’s Culture and Heritage, this year our Website’s “Show
& Tell” section will be dedicated to heritage buildings and historical
sites. In the coming months, two of these structures, lighthouses and covered
bridges, will be shown as seen by our rug hookers. Starting in January,
Lighthouses will be highlighted in Show & Tell, to be followed by Covered
bridges a few months later.
Show & Tell : About Lighthouses
In view of Canada’s substantial watercourses, and Quebec’s geographical position, lighthouses hold a big place in the history of our country. Starting in 1734, when the Louisbourg lighthouse was built, their number has increased to 750 over the years. They have fulfilled an essential role in navigation, providing safety and sanctuary. Many of these beacons have evolved or have moved on to new roles. To learn more about lighthouses, please visit:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Parks Canada
The Canadian Encyclopedia
La route des phares du Québec
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Parks Canada
The Canadian Encyclopedia
La route des phares du Québec
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| My Little Lighthouse Mat - Judith Dallegret |
My Little Lighthouse Mat
Judith Dallegret
This mat was hooked as a learning piece and was part of a Nova Scotia teachers’ workshop project.
First, we dyed the sunset sky and water and it was to be hooked as it came off the cutting wheel in order. I completely mixed my pieces up and was quick to forget that rule. I just hooked the colours as I felt it would best create the sunset and its reflection on the water. Thus, it became a more painterly piece for me.
Dyeing one piece of spot wool for the rocks was another challenge. They were then hooked in a different “direction of hooking lines “ as this seemed to keep the rocks simple without adding too many different colours. This lighthouse is in Cape Breton, as I recall. The mat was designed by one of the teachers in the Nova Scotia guild, Kathleen Gorman, whose mother taught us to “Always hook a red line around your border” before finishing a mat - and she was right!
This little mat is now owned by Shelley Ambrose, the executive director of the Walrus Foundation and publisher of The Walrus magazine in Toronto, Ontario.
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| Lighthouse on a Stormy Day - Candace Fradette |
Lighthouse on a Stormy Day
Candace Fradette
I began my lighthouse piece as the subject of a session I was taking in Brockville with teacher Laura Boszormeny in summer 2016. The subject was Primitive rugs. I finished it in early 2017, submitted it to the Williamstown Fair this summer and was awarded 2nd place under primitive rug hooking.
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| Little Light - Claire Fradette |
Little Light
Claire Fradette
This little footstool representing a lighthouse is from a kit from Doug Rankin I picked up while visiting his shop in Halifax.
More rugs with the same theme!
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| Portland Head Light - Jeanne Osler |
Portland Head Light – A childhood Memory
Jeanne Osler
This lighthouse is the Portland Head Light, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Pre-World War II my family and many relatives always vacationed in the Portland area. A visit to the lighthouse was always a must where as children we played on the rocks and collected periwinkles to bring home to our grandmother, one of her favourite meals.
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| Atlantic Puffins - Rose Kandy |
Atlantic Puffins
By Rose Kandy
This wall hanging is 35 in. long x 12 in. wide. I purchased the stamped pattern on burlap from Encompassing Design Rug Hooking Studio in Mahone Bay, N.S. This is a design by the late Susan Leslie. The rocks were hooked with a variety of dyed and natural re-purposed Harris tweed jackets, while the sky, lighthouse and puffins were hooked with recycled and new dyed wool cut in no. 3, 4 and 5 widths. The border was whipped using recycled black knitting yarn.
Puffins are fascinating creatures; who can resist a combination of Peggy's Point Lighthouse and puffins? This rug hooking project started off life as part of a hooking demo. The burlap was stretched on an ancient hooking frame at the Dorval History Museum - fellow rug hookers Betty Austin, Alice Hamilton and Denise Morissette may all claim a couple of the rocks.
Note: This rug has been already showcased in the past
See Show & Tell July - September 2015
