Handwork

"THE EXHIBITION, ANTIGONISH VILLAGE, DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES, This department was well worthy of a more extended notice than our space permits. Two hundred and sixty-four articles were entered, comprising productions of the loom and the needle which would do no discredit to the manufactures of skilled artisans. There were 58 samples of plain Cloth, men and women's wear; 6 Balmoral Skirts; 20 yarn and 34 rag Hearth Rugs; 10 samples of home-made Carpeting; 20 Shawls; 3 plaids; 7 knit woollen Skirts; 6 pairs of Drawers; 12 pairs Blankets; 18 woven Bed Quilts; 13 patchwork Bed Quilts; 12 woven Table Cloths; 16 samples of Flannel, and 18 Fancy Cloths, men and women's wear. These articles hung up around the walls of the building made a fine display, and elicited universal admiration from all observers. Being peculiarly the productions of female industry, they presented the inseparable features of excellence which invariably distinguish the handiwork of woman." [Casket, 22 October 1863]

"She was a professional weaver and the whole parish brought her their wool to be converted into dress goods and rugs. The striped wine-and-grey covering on our parlor floor was a product of Sheonaid's loom, as were also the royal-blue-and-crimson-checked dresses worn rebelliously by the girls in the cold weather. 'Ugly ole'drugget things,' they stormed tearfully, little dreaming that the now despised tartan would, in the years to come, be regarded as priceless, even by themselves." [R.A. MacLean ed., Recollections, 1977, p. 68]

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Item:NEEDLEPOINT SAMPLER
Date:1832
Dimensions: approx. 28 cm x 35.5 cm in a wooden frame

Comments:This needlepoint identifies its original creator as Lavenia R. Bigelow, daughter of Reuben Bigelow of Antigonish Harbour. She completed this sampler when she was sixteen years old. There is a flower on the bottom as well as a four-line verse. Unfortunately, the needlepoint is so deteriorated that these words cannot be deciphered.

In the 19th century, samplers served as an important medium of self-expression for women. Like quilts and hooked rugs, they had both a utilitarian and aesthetic purpose. In the mid-1800s, there were several distinct kinds of patterns used for samplers: alphabet; alphabet and verse (usually scriptural); alphabet, verse and borders; alphabet, verse, devices, and borders; family records; and embroidered memorials which listed the births, deaths and/or marriages of close family members. Almost all these samplers bore the maker's name or initials.

Needlepoint was a typical hobby for young Maritime women, but it also had an educational aspect. Needlepoint taught them their letters and numbers, as well as a large range of stitches, including Algerian Eye Stitch and Flat Satin Stitch, two of the most popular Maritime stitches.

Women who made samplers were often constrained by the materials available. Many women recycled old sacks, or any other handy material that could be used to count stitches on. Even supplies of thread could be problematical and choices, especially relating to natural dyes, were very limited.

Edward Thomson and Corinne Nash

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Item: TURKEY RED AND WHITE QUILT
Date:c. 1900
Dimensions: approx. 1.5 m x 1.75 m

Comments: This turkey red and white checkerboard quilt was made by Florence Macdonald of Williams Point, who died in 1955. Several clues help date the quilt. The stitching on the center seam of the reverse side is an old quilting technique and turkey red was a popular quilting colour during the 19th century. The pieced quilt features alternating squares of red and white fabric. The workmanship is basic--there are no fancy stitched patterns--and the design is traditional and highly practical. This is clearly what is called a "utility" quilt which was created for everyday use.

The quilt has been described as a "fabric sandwich" with its three layers--top, filler and back--stitched together. The filling is usually cotton batting, but in early times, raw wool, newspaper, or the remains of an old quilt or blanket sufficed. Before 1850, pictorial designs, most typically a tree of life or vase of flowers, predominated. However, by the late 19th century, more abstract, geometric designs gained popularity. The introduction of aniline dyes also broadened the colour palette of the day to include brighter, sharper colours. Designs were steeped in superstition. Even the stitches had symbolic meaning and could signify anything from hospitality to abundance to connubial bliss. The most elaborate designs were usually reserved for wedding quilts or "best" quilts for honoured guests.

This type of handwork harks back to a pre-industrial time of self-reliance, thrift and a "needs must" philosophy of household economy. Bleached sugar or flour bags were often salvaged for scraps of quilting material. So too were the silk and satin patches which lined cigarette packages during the early 1900s. Wool and cotton were the predominant quilt fabrics in the 19th century. Flax was grown in Nova Scotia, so linen was at one time used for quilt-making. Sometimes women would have a template of sorts, most commonly a piece of cardboard, to cut out their material. The thread was almost always cotton, although silk was sometimes used. Only the most basic tools were required: cloth, scissors, a thimble, needles, and for those who could afford them, a quilt frame and clamps. The introduction of the sewing machine in the 1850s presented a new challenge to quilters. Many relied on the sewing machine to finish quilt edges; however, despite its allure, quilters stubbornly believed that a good quality quilt had to be done by hand. Maritime women derived great pleasure and pride from fine handwork, but they also enjoyed the benefits of the quilting bee which was both a work event and a social occasion.

In 19th-century Nova Scotia, women played a central role in textile production. Spinning, knitting, weaving, sewing and dyeing--these were the requisite skills of 'a good housewife". She made the cloth "drogaid" (drugget) and "clo" (homespun) for apparel, as well as the hand and dish cloths, tablecloths, blankets and bed coverlets. Owing to the production of flax in Antigonish County, many items were manufactured from linen, like the hand-woven bags used to convey grain to the grist mill or the fine tablecloths.

Corinne Nash

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Item: HOOKED RUG WITH LEAF PATTERN
Date: c. 1895
Dimensions: approx. 3.1 m x 2.1 m

Comments: This particular hooked rug has a rich history. The original owner of this rug was "Jenny the Widow", wife of "Big Angus" MacDonald of St. Andrew's. Jenny and her three daughters started the rug around 1895. They were a farming family and the winter months afforded lots of time for domestic projects and female-centred socializing. The colours--predominantly tones of red, brown and green, all outlined in a border of brown and black--are still fresh and brilliant. Some experts believe that the dyes for the sheep's wool came from all natural sources such as berries and onion skins. The motifs are highly symmetrical, especially in the positioning of the leaf pattern, suggesting that the rug was based on a printed design.

The majority of historians believe that rug-hooking gained popularity in rural New England and Maritime Canada during the 19th century. In the beginning, mat designs were drawn freehand, usually with a piece of charcoal from the stove, on a backing of linen or burlap. After the 1850s, the ground tended to be burlap made from jute. Burlap was readily available from dry-goods stores or mail-order houses. In fact, it was also used to make feed sacks which were sometimes recyled as grounds for rugs. This explains why so many rugs run about 46 by 40 inches, the exact size of a flattened sack with its seams opened. During this period, hooked rugs featured a wide range of designs from pictorial to floral and geometric. Evidence suggests that there was a clear hierarchy in rug use, as specific designs were reserved for certain rooms of the house. Geometric designs were usually relegated to the kitchen, the focus of much social activity. Floral patterns were confined largely to the parlour and those rooms reserved for entertaining special guests. By the late 19th century, commercial designs became available. These stamped patterns quickly gained popularity. Garrett's was a popular rug-pattern manufacturer located in New Glasgow. The company opened in 1892 and distributed its commercial patterns on burlap through Eaton's, Simpson's, Hudson's Bay and Woolworth's. Garrett's had over 400 designs, the most common of which were intertwined roses, twigs and leaves as well as large Victorian scrolls. "The Bluenose" and "Sugaring Off" were also staple designs. Garrett's advertising claimed that hooked rugs would "give your home the air of coziness and comfort that is so desirable."

Rug-hooking was born out of necessity. Rugs were created for largely utilitarian reasons to cover the cold damp floors of the home. They also had an ornamental role and became a way for housewives to decorate their homes on the extremely tight budgets of the time. Rug-hooking was usually done by women and girls in the home. It became a popular form of personal expression as well as a practical pastime. Old fabrics and bits of used clothing were cut into strips as material for the rugs. Wool was preferred but nothing was ever thrown away. Hooked rugs are made with loops of yarn, strips of fabric or ribbon pulled through a ground of coarse fabric with a hook-like tool which was often little more than a filed-down nail attached to a carved piece of wood shaped like a handle. The loops are left unknotted and unsewn, but the greater the number of loops, the tighter the grip and denser the pile. It is said that the finest rug may have 120 loops per square inch.

Rug-hooking eventually developed into a cottage industry in Maritime Canada. There was a cash market for these products and a huge number of mats were sold to central Canada and the United States. Rug-hooking thrived through the Depression and the craft reached the height of its popularity just before World War II. At the end of the War tastes shifted, and the introduction of linoleum and wall-to-wall carpet supplanted the once-popular hooked rugs.

Corinne Nash and Sarah Branch

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Item:HOOKED RUG, GARRETT'S DESIGN
Date: 1912
Dimension: approx. 1.24 m x 2.25 m

Comments:This mat was hooked by Annie Catherine Delaney from Lakevale, just outside Antigonish. She was married to John George MacLellan and had fourteen children. The design of the rug was based on a common Garrett's pattern. In fact, it was described by advertisements as one of the easiest designs on which to learn how to shade a rose. Although the introduction of patterns may have restricted women's creativity, many hookers still improvised and introduced elements of individuality to these store-bought designs. For example, although Garrett's recommended darker colours for this particular hooked mat, Mrs. MacLellan chose reds, greens and beiges with a dark border. She also experimented by raising the flowers, giving them an almost three-dimensional sculpted effect. In this instance, the hooker clipped the loops in a technique called "hoved up." This mat took three years to complete and Mrs. MacLellan did everything from shearing the sheep to dyeing the wool. This rug was proudly displayed in her parlour for many years, and was not for everyday use.

The hooked rug was the most popular type of rug made in Nova Scotia. Some contend that there is a connection between hooking and fishing, since the hooks for making mats are similar to those used for net-mending. Still, methods for hooking varied from region to region. In the Yarmouth and Digby areas, hookers tended to clip the loops of yarn creating a soft, velvety texture, while along the South Shore, and in Pictou, Cumberland and Colchester Counties, this technique was seldom practised.

Sarah Branch

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