Underfoot
An exhibit of handmade rugs
July 1 - Aug 14 (This show may be unavailable during Corn & Apple Festival) Aug 26 - Sept 28
This exhibit showcases the rug making of 7 Manitoban artists. Colleen Granger, Margie Hildebrand, Dallas Hulley, Sharon Loeppky, Marlene Perrin, Miranda Stobbe & Naomi Stobbe. Opening reception & demo Friday, July 12, 6-8pm.
Underfoot
The dictionary defines underfoot as
1: under one’s feet; on the ground,
2: constantly present and in one’s way.
Melding the two definitions into one speaks to the idea of the possible lack of regard to that which is under our feet. Like the child who is always underfoot and then sorely missed once grown, so too could a forsaken earth beneath us and a loss of our integral connection to it result in a longing for a time past.
Underfoot is less an exhibit and more of an experience to interact, learn and create. Instead of the artworks being presented on the wall, relegated as untouchable and forming a separation from the viewer, Underfoot is meant to be an opportunity for connection with the works of art and to what is beneath their collective feet.
While finished works inhabit the gallery floor, an unfinished rug at the entrance of the exhibit beckons visitors to participate in the communal experience of creating a new rug.
Underfoot’s invitation to return to the floor and explore something new, will hopefully encourage a child-like wonder and sense of curiosity about the human/earth connection. The ground, this constant presence that holds up every foot fall, every body, and every home, deserves more reverence than it receives…so go ahead and feel…what’s underfoot.
Welcome to our rug hooking experience!
Sit down, choose a strip of wool, and pick up a hook. The rug we have started here is an old traditional pattern called Hit and Miss. In past days making a rug like this was a popular way of using up odds and ends from past rug projects.
FAQs
How do I do this?
Hold your hook in the hand you use to hold your pencil, and the strip of wool in the other hand. Put your hook down through a hole in the backing, and catch the piece of wool that you’re holding underneath, pulling it up through the burlap. Bring the first end right up through, then continue the hooking pulling it up loop by loop.
What do I do when I come to the end of the wool strip?
Bring all your ends of wool to the surface and clip them evenly with your loops.
How high should my loops be?
There is no steadfast rule. Use your better judgement.
Should I hook in every hole?
No. If you hook in every hole the rug will not lay flat and will probably curl. Depending on the thickness and width of the wool strip, every second to third hole is a good general rule. The same goes when you start a new row. Move over two or three holes.
What do I do when I need to start a new strip and I have just a bit left to go in the row?
End your last strip a loop or two early so you can do a few loops with the new strip before you end off.
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