Hooked

The other day I went to a favourite spot, the Textile Museum. They are showing an exhibition of hooked rugs, called Home Economics. Astonishing! Let me just show you a few pictures, in no particular order.

I was sure this was modern, but no, early 20th century. Kaffe Fassett could have made it. Wonderful colour and pattern.

These two are, um, from 1840 and 1910. 

There was a wall, two storeys tall, full of animals on rugs. Dogs, bunnies, horses, deer, birds. On the right in the picture below you can see lobsters in a chequerboard.

The one below was under glass so there are reflections of the overhead lights. It was made by Emily Carr. The blurb said it was taken to England from Victoria by a family who kept it for 100 years, before it was put on Ebay! 

I actually started this exhibit at the wrong end, so this modern rug by Barbara Klunder was the first that I saw. It shows Canada's national heroine, Laura Secord, and her cow -- I'm sure she wore clothes while running through the woods to alert the British about approaching Americans. It's quite fantastic. 

Another fantastic rug. Look at the colours of the ocean. 

Now this... This is not a modern rug, but another from the early 20th century, around 1930. I would guess it was made some time after the popularization of photography!

The sheep is made of longer loops of yarn than the background

The wheels have shadows! Shadows!

Just some wonderful stuff. In the top right above, the background is sort of "marbelized" with different browns.

I can imagine how delightful it would be to get up on a cold morning and step onto a hot pink rose-strewn-anchor rug.

This is a modern piece, telling the world that craft is inherently utilitarian; most of these pieces were made just to keep feet off cold floors and brighten things up a bit.