The Garrett Bluenose Patterns: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Rug Hooking Heritage, by The Teachers Branch, Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia

From the moment you pick up The Garrett Bluenose Patterns: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Rug Hooking Heritage, it’s clear that a lot of thought, effort, and care went into the production of this volume. The pages are printed on quality paper, with a slight gloss though not enough to make reading difficult. Color images are provided throughout. The pages themselves are off-white and backgrounded with a subtle weave pattern suggestive of rug hooking fabric. The book’s content is well organized, with a suitable number of photos to break up the text, illustrate points, and add interest.

“Garrett’s rose to become the largest worldwide producer of rug hooking patterns.”

The Garrett Bluenose Patterns is organized into three sections. The first section deals with the history of the Garrett Rug Hooking Company, and the fate of the rug hooking pattern stencils after the company’s demise. The second section provides photos of several Garrett patterns, as well as examples of finished works crafted by different individuals. The final section contains articles providing tips about rug hooking techniques generally, and hooking Garrett patterns specifically.

The story of the Garrett Rug Hooking Company began in 1892, when John E. Garrett and his father Frank “began to design and sell printed burlap patterns out of their home in New Glasgow, NS.” John’s three sons, Frank, Cecil, and Arthur, later joined the business, which came to be known as “Garrett’s.” Around 1926, the patterns produced by the company came to be known as “Bluenose,” after the famous Nova Scotia schooner.

Over the course of 80 years, Garrett’s produced hundreds of designs. They also provided patterns for Eaton’s, who, in the late 1920s, were Garrett’s best customers. Garrett’s rose to become the largest worldwide producer of rug hooking patterns.

By the 1960s, however, “interest in patterns was in deep decline.” In the early 1970s, a fire at the factory caused significant damage. The Garrett company never rebounded from this setback.

In 1998, Linda MacDonald of Pictou, Nova Scotia made a deal to “purchase the stencils and old burlap patterns.” She managed to recover over 300 designs. After Linda died suddenly in 2018, the Teacher’s Branch of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia acquired the patterns. They now have “a treasure trove of over 240 beautiful and timeless designs,” and are “dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the historically important Garrett Bluenose patterns.”

The book’s second section, which provides examples of some of the Garrett patterns, is broken into chapters, each dealing with a specific type of pattern—chair mats, animals, florals and scrolls, pictorials, and the Bluenose Schooner, among others. This section provides pictures of sample Garrett patterns and sketches, then shows examples of the finished product after different individuals have hooked a particular pattern. The examples demonstrate how different color choices, the decision of whether or not to use outlining, varying approaches to shading, and so on, can cause the same basic pattern to look strikingly different, once complete.

The opening chapter of the final section offers a beginner’s guide to rug hooking. Subsequent chapters focus on overall tips and tricks, as well as specific techniques for landscapes, seascapes, geometrics, flowers, shading, finishing, and other key items.

Though the Garrett’s factory is no longer in operation, The Garrett Bluenose Patterns highlights an important part of Nova Scotia’s crafting history, while at the same time facilitating the possibility that the Garrett patterns might enjoy a revival in the hands of today’s rug hooking enthusiasts.

The Teachers Branch, Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, was formed in 1980 by a small group of Maritime rug hookers wishing to share their knowledge and craft with others. Training was provided by Ontario teachers, and the Branch was officially established in 1985. Today this organization is a strong, vibrant group of certified teachers dedicated to providing opportunities for study and creative development. Respecting the importance of our rug hooking heritage, the Teachers Branch proudly presents this celebration of the historic Garrett Bluenose Patterns.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nimbus Publishing Limited (Nov. 24 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 177471129X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1774711293

Lisa Timpf

Website

Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, The Future Fire, Triangulation: Habitats, and other venues. Lisa’s speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/.