"Pulling The Rug"

No, not this kind of rug!
 This kind of rug! When I was visiting our library a couple months ago one of the librarians handed me a bookmark advertising an upcoming Rug Hooking Exhibition. I do not have an artistic bone in my body (sadly) but I so admire all the various crafts. Friday was a beautiful day so we headed down to Cobourg to their fabulous Town Hall for the exhibition.
The building itself is so wonderful to wander around in.
 Up on the third floor is a beautiful gallery with gift shop. There is no admission charge but there is a donation box. We did leave a donation! It was just an explosion of colour when you walk into the main room in the gallery.  I am posting many photos so I won't yak much, just let you enjoy the rugs! Click on the photos to really enjoy them!
 The kitty rug was only about 6 inches by 8 inches.
 The rugs were made anywhere from 1900 to 2016.



 Some looked like they were well used, others were in pristine condition.


 Making Maple Syrup.

The three churches in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. We were lucky enough to see these in person. Beautiful!
I think this one was my favourite. Love the flowers against the black background.














This was a very large rug, I couldn't get it all in!
This one was very unusual!
We popped into the gift shop for a look around. So many lovely items. I loved this Bunny picture.
Everything is made by local artists.
The Town Hall the exhibition was held in was built between 1856-1860 in the Neoclassical style by Kivas Tully. Much of the three storey building is original inside and out. We peeked into the court rooms and concert hall, they were stunning. This is one of many light fixtures in the lobby.
It was a beautiful show and I would love to go back and see it all again.

Sorry so many photos but I wanted to share as much as I could with you.

Have a wonderful week!
Robin

Comments

  1. Rug-hooking is something I've always wanted to try. Some people do some amazing art with it!

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    1. I did some rug hooking back in the 1970's but never continued on with it. It is astonishing what people do!
      Have a good week!

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  2. Wow, some really stunning rugs there, some very talented artists, thank you for sharing.... and I did love the little chihuahua in his own rug too xx

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    1. Hi Cheryl, glad you enjoyed the photos. When we visited the gallery there were a table full of ladies doing some rug hooking too. I wanted to sit right down with them and watch!
      I was looking online for a photo of a man with a really bad rug but I couldn't resist the puppy!
      Have a good day!

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  3. I will be honest. If I heard there's a rug hooking exhibition, it wouldn't occur to me that it would be interesting. Well, and your pictures have definitely changed my mind! These are fabulous! Of course, I love the kitty rug but these are all just so neat. I love your picture at the top, LOL!

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    1. My husband had the same thought as you. But after the exhibit he stated he admired all the work that went into the rugs and was glad he had seen them. He is pretty well always up for anything I want to do, I am lucky!
      Have a nice afternoon!

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  4. Wow, Robin, what a fabulous exhibit! I recognized those three churches right off the bat (scrolled through your pics first, then read the post). My favourites are pics #s 4 (with the owl), #15, #16, #17 and #31. (Counting the dog as the first photo, of course!)

    Wonderful post, what a treat to have seen these. You should let me know if there's something going on in your area that you think Dad might be okay going to see. Otherwise what am I going to do with him for almost 2 weeks? :-D

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    1. Hi Kim, I recognized the churches too, must dig out my photos of them!
      So glad you enjoyed the post. I would love to walk through it again with you, I know you would enjoy it.
      Would your Dad enjoy the National Air Force Museum in Trenton? That is interesting. Cobourg is wonderful just to walk around with great stores and restaurants. I will keep my ears open for anything else going on.
      Have a good evening!

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  5. I loved the pictures. So many wonderful rugs. When I was about 12, I hooked one rug and that was one too many!!! lol It was hard work. Thank you for sharing your visit.

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    1. Hi Mildred, glad you liked the photos! I think I was about the same age as you when I was rug hooking. It is hard work and after all that I no longer have the rugs!
      Have a good evening!

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  6. These were amazing. Some very unusual ones. What fun.

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    1. Hi Sandra, they were very stunning to see. So much hard work and the artists were so generous to lend them to the gallery for almost two months. I really enjoyed the show!
      Have a nice week!

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  7. My friend Kim would love this post. I'll send her the link. Wow! People are SO talented! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Hi Pom Pom, I am always amazed at people's talent. My Mum is very artistic, I don't know what happened to me!
      Have a good week.

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  8. I agree with you on your favorite (and the two that follow that one). Such an amazing variety. I taught myself how to do the basics to help my brother with a rug nearly 30 years ago. It was a simple gray whale on a blue background, but fun to do. I haven't done anything since, but would love to try something more elegant like what you've shared.

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    1. Hi Mitchell, I had to remind myself to take photos of all different kinds of rugs, not just ones with flowers! It has been almost 40 years since I hooked a rug. I think it was a cat in a window. My Mum still at 83 can embroider beautifully. I guess I am more like my Dad and lean towards gardening but would love to be crafty!
      Have a good day.

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  9. Wow! Those are amazing rugs! I like the flowery one on the black background too. And the one with the owl in a tree hole.

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    1. Hi Granny Marigold, they were amazing, I could have stood there gazing at them for quite awhile. The one with the owl in the tree had so much detail, it was beautiful.
      Enjoy the first day of a Spring!

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  10. I love all your photos, and the rugs are gorgeous! I love vintage, so when you said anywhere from 1900, I perked up! Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope you had a great weekend. :)

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    1. Hi Linda, the vintage rugs were in a separate room. In my photos they start at the wooden framed one and continue until the three witches. I was really interested in them too. Some were very worn, one had a little notice beside It stating it had been in daily use for fifty years.
      I hope you enjoyed your weekend too!

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  11. Cobourg is one of our favourite places to visit, for their downtown, their beach and the lovely okd buildings. Thise are amazing rugs and would be lovely ti see.

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    1. Hi Linda, we love Cobourg too and find now that we are living in Brighton we head to Cobourg rather than Belleville. We did go down to the beach and it was lovely (next blog post!). The old buildings are fantastic. The downtown is great with so many interesting stores. We are heading back in a few weeks when the weather warms up a bit to have a good long walk around town.
      Have a good first day of Spring!

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  12. Oh, my, I so would have loved to go see these. They are beautiful!

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    1. Hi Rose, I was so happy that this exhibition was fairly close by so we could easily visit. And we had the whole gallery to ourselves!
      Have a good day.

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  13. I know the little kitty one is very simple, but it is my favorite. The witches one is AMAZING!

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    1. The kitty one caught my eye too. It was way off in the far corner. It's simplicity appealed to me too. The witches one is amazing and is quite large. The work that goes into these is amazing.
      Have a great week!

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  14. Wow, what a neat exhibit of rugs. Cool collection! I had a giggle over the first photo, cute pup! Happy 1st day of Spring. Have a great new week ahead!

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    1. Hi Eileen, it was a wonderful exhibit! When I was trying to think of a title for the blog I knew it had to have something to do with rugs and THAT type of rug jumped into my head. The puppy is so cute.
      Enjoy your week!

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  15. they are ALL amazing, so much talent and beauty in one room. if I were buying one for myself, it would be the Owl. love that one and I would like to own the rabbits in the frame.

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    1. Hi Sandra, the owl rug is amazing, so much detail. To be that talented is a real gift!
      I did love the rabbits in the frame too. Very cute.
      Have a good day!

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  16. Thank you for visiting my blog today! I love meeting new bloggers and making new friends. This is such a beautiful exhibit of art you've shared with us. No need to apologize for the number of photos - each and every one is lovely!

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    1. Thanks for popping by my blog! I really had to narrow down my photos of this exhibit, there were quite a few more! I hope to go back again and really take more time to examine the rugs closer.
      Have a good day!

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  17. Those are some wonderful rugs. I used to make rugs but it takes a really long time and I don't have the patience any more. It was fun seeing all of them.

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    1. Hi Marg, I vaguely remember that it does take very long to make a rug. Being a teenager the last time I made one, it was a long time ago!
      Take care Marg!

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  18. What a wonderful collection of rugs! I hooked a tiny "rug pillow" from a kit when I was a little girl. It was the seventies, so perhaps you won't be surprised when I tell you that it was a pink elephant, outlined in navy blue, on a bold yellow background. Happy Spring, Robin!

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  19. Hi Marcie, I did a kit rug too back in the 1970's. I believe it was a cat looking out a window. I wish I had kept it.
    Happy Spring to you too Marcie!

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  20. Oh I am so happy to see someone else say, that they are not "crafty." I sometimes feel I am the only female, who does not do crafting or knitting or etc., etc., etc. :-)))))

    I do sew, a wee bit. Very simple. Not anything like regular "sewers" do though.

    So happy, really, to know I am not "alone" in this.

    Gentle Spring hugs,
    Luna Crone

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    1. Hi Luna, I am SO glad to know there is someone else who isn't crafty! I can sew basic things too, nothing fancy.
      Enjoy the first day of Spring!

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  21. Hi! Thank you for commenting on my blog! I have only hooked one small run in my life. I still have it. Don't you just love the look of old buildings like that one. Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, thanks for stopping by! It seems a few of us have hooked one rug and then that was it. That's pretty telling! I thought maybe someone would be a rug hooker.
      I do love old buildings so it was doubly pleasurable to go to this exhibit.
      Take care!

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  22. Beautiful work. I made many hook rugs, didn't design them though, just made the kits.
    The 3 witches is kind of spooky.
    First 'rug' picture cracked me up. : )

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    1. Hi Karen, it was such a lovely exhibition. You are the first person to comment that you made more than one rug! Like many others I just made one years ago from a kit too. Do they still make them like they? Must check.
      The three witches rug is quite different, it would be great at Halloween.
      I loved the first "rug" too!😊
      Have a good day.

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  23. Hope you had a productive day and are having a pleasant evening.

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    1. Thanks a Sandra, hope you have a good day too.

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  24. The hooked rugs are beautiful. It looks like some of them have quite a history as well.
    I like crafts but am not "gifted" in that area =)

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    1. Hi Maggie, there were stories behind a number of the rugs but I thought it would be too much to include that in the post as well.
      Sadly, I too am not gifted in that area. My Mum is tremendously crafty but when I was growing up she worked 3 to 11 shift as a nurse so we didn't see a lot of her except if she happened to have a weekend off. Time goes by so quickly and by the time she retired I was long out of the house and moved away. Sigh....
      Enjoy your day and say Hi to Miss Emily and Winston for me!

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  25. Hi HO!
    You dropped by my Doodle POV dog blog at Lawrencetown Beach. How kind of you to leave a comment. I see the rugs and the Mahone Bay one is a beauty. I love that area of our province, Nova Scotia. The eastern Shore is quite different as you already realized too. Thanks for dropping by and Cheers "from sophie's view"
    Ron and Sophie

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    1. PS: I see you follow Mitch at Mitchell is Moving and John at Going Gently !!

      2 check marks for them!!

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    2. Hi Ron, thanks for returning the visit! We loved our four years living in Nova Scotia but my Dad became ill requiring us to move back to Ontario.
      We loved touring around Nova Scotia. Always something beautiful around every corner. Most Sundays found us walking on Lawrencetown Beach. Depending on how long you have lived there we may have run into you!
      Take care.

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  26. Replies
    1. The rugs were so beautiful, I want to go back and have another look!

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