Lighthouses of Newfoundland and Labrador Part 3

Tides Cove Point Lighthouse, Fox Cove, Burin Peninsula, 21½" x 13½", wool fabric and roving on burlap. Designed and hooked by Mary Hickman, St. Lawrence, Newfoundland. Photo source: Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada.

A Project of the Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador

Faced with the fact that some of our history is in danger of disappearing forever, I suggested to the executive committee of the Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador (RHGNL) that we undertake a project to pay tribute to these well-loved landmarks through the art of rug hooking. A committee consisting of Ruth Chaffey, Lillian Dwyer, Venissa Fancy, Kelley Fewer, and myself sent out a call for submissions in 2011. Each entry had to feature an operational lighthouse (past or present) of this province and be no more than 24 inches wide when completed.

We received a total of 44 hooked pieces depicting 34 lighthouses from Battle Harbour and Point Amour, Labrador, and around the entire island of Newfoundland. They vary in style from realistic to folk art and in size from quite small to a large 22- by 43-inch piece. Each one is an original design, and most were based on Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) pictures, personal and old family photos, or research at local museums.

For the final rugs in our 34-piece preview of these hooked lighthouses, see our selection below, and don't forget part 1 and part 2. For the full set of lighthouses, buy this November/December 2013 issue of Rug Hooking magazine.