How does a man get interested in the art of rug-hooking? For Doug Dawson of Port Elgin, it was serendipitous.
He saw an article in a local publication about Southampton ‘hookers’ and called Sybil Mercer, who has been a ‘hooker’ for several decades. She and friend, Vicki Pickup, are organizers of the annual rug-hooking school held at the Chantry Centre in Southampton for some 30 years and where hookers have come from across North America each year to learn new techniques and socialize with old friends.
Dawson called Mercer because he has a rug that his maternal grandmother had hooked for him as a youngster 75 years ago. The rug, that lies on the floor by his bed needed repairing however and, since he had his grandmother’s tools for hooking, he thought that he might be able to learn how to repair his rug.
Little did he know. Mercer informed him that it would take too long to teach him to adequately repair the rug but that she would take it on, if he joined the club.
The decision was simple. Dawson joined the club and, over three weeks, Mercer gave him small pieces to complete as part of his ‘training’.
In February, 2020, after a few weeks of lessons and minimal cost, Dawson decided that it would be fun to seriously learn the art, particularly given the lockdown due to COVID-19 and the time that he had on his hands. A retired geography teacher and department program head, Dawson had also “dabbled in art” which gave him an advantage when it came to adding to the designs that he was about to undertake.
As his grandmother had created a ‘legacy’ rug for him, Dawson decided that he would also create ‘legacy’ rugs for his five grandsons, Ethan and Braeden Dawson and Kieran, Connor and Liam McCormack, ages 10 – 16, with each rug to be different and indicative of each grandson’s interest.
Mercer said that Dawson should be able to create two rugs a year, but the pandemic created time … time to complete all five in some eighteen months. Each rug has been designed as a wall-hanging. “I was fortunate to be able to access materials such as the wool from generous hooking club members and Sybil,” says Dawson.
The question was, “Who do I first start a rug for without offending any of my other four grandsons?” said Dawson. So, he started with the youngest.
His youngest grandson, Ethan, and his brother are avid ball players and fans and, therefore, the first rug became baseball themed.
“I saw an image in a hooking magazine that Sybil had given to me and knew immediately it was the right one for my first rug,” said Dawson. As part of the process, he had the patterns blown up by a local printing company and then worked from a grid of two-inch squares.
Next, came a rug that would appeal to Liam, who loves nature and collects driftwood. Summering in Gobles Grove (Saugeen Shores), Liam won ‘Junior Cottager’ of the year because of his love of nature. Liam’s rug by his grandfather depicts Liam’s love of the beach, with a beach theme that includes his name spelled out in ‘driftwood’. Wool for this piece included dying the wool by soaking walnuts to attain a stain for the colour of the sand.
For Braeden, the choice was easy. A big Montreal Canadiene’s fan, Dawson hooked his grandson’s favourite team’s logo … one that will probably reflect a life-long devotion for the Canadian team, with a legacy wall-hanging that will serve as a reminder.
A rug for second-oldest grandson, Connor, who will be 14 on June 25th, is an artistic creation based on Star Wars. “Star Wars is not a specific interest of Connor’s but this is more indicative of his interest in art. He is very artistic and this was an artistry choice.”
Finally, it came time to create a rug for his oldest grandson Kieran. “I decided to incorporate images from the rug that my grandmother had made for me, so I included the dog and a frog that is on my own rug from her.” .
“Sybil helped with the sky and water to get those different shadings of blue that are found in each,” adds Dawson. (She also completed the ‘whipping’ of the border around the final rug)
Each rug is approximately 23 in. x 25 in. with some 28,000 to 35,000 loops. “I actually used this as a math learning tool for my grandsons,” says Dawson. “I had them measure out a small square, count the loops and then figure out the number in the entire rug.”
“I don’t know if the boys will truly appreciate these now but, perhaps like I do with my grandmother’s rug, they will in the future as they get older,” says Dawson.
Dawson adds that he doesn’t know if he will continue ‘hooking’ but says, “I’ve already had a request from a neighbour to create a rug so who knows how long I will go on. I find it a lot of fun.”
Sybil Mercer adds that she was overwhelmed that Doug has created the five rugs in so short a time. “He is only one of two men that I know of who have become rug hookers, but he is the only one in this area, and his artistic talents are evident in each piece. Even more importantly, I am impressed with how he stuck with it to create these wonderful legacy pieces. “
