• An Introduction to First Hand
• Basket Weaving - by Tiffany Sark
• Literary writing - by Jane Ledwell
• Mat Hooking - by Anne Nicholson
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Collectors' Items
• 3. The Hooking Renaissance on PEI
• 4. Island Matters
• 5. Conclusion
• 6. Acknowledgements
• Photography - by Sasha Mullally
• Quilting - by A.-L. Beaumont and E. Zakem
• Visual Arts - by Sandy Kowalik
• News Releases

First Hand

    

HOME / MAT HOOKING - BY ANNE NICHOLSON / 4. ISLAND MATTERS /

b. Hélèn Gallant

Hélèn Gallant is probably the most celebrated mat hooker on Prince Edward Island. Born in 1924 in Saint-Chrysostome, Prince Edward Island, Hélèn was the oldest girl of thirteen children. She now lives in Wellington with her husband, Joseph. At the age of 13, she left school to help her mother with her large family and, at about the same time, she discovered her love for the art of mat hooking. Hélèn describes how she went to a local exhibit of crafts and became fascinated with the mats. She got her brothers to make her a wood frame and a hook from a nail embedded in a piece of wood, and she taught herself to hook. Hélèn's mother did not hook mats, perhaps because she was so busy with her family, but also probably because many of her generation abandoned traditional handcrafts in favour of modern alternatives. There were, however, many other women in the community who practised the art and enjoyed some "friendly competition" among themselves.

Hélèn designs her own patterns using photographs of rugs she has seen on her travels or pictures of well-known Island scenes. When she began hooking as a child, Hélèn used the rags that were available in her home and had to make do with the colours as they were. As soon as she was able to afford it, Hélèn chose to hook exclusively with yarn purchased from Island mills. This yarn allows her to use the clear bright colours that she prefers for her designs. Hélèn is particularly skilled at creating striking geometric designs using vibrant colours that bring movement and depth to the work. Traditionally, geometric patterns are not as valued as pictorial or floral designs, yet they often permit the hooker to use colour more inspirationally, and they result in unique and individual mats. Hélèn has kept photographs of her mats over the years, and among them is a mat that looks somehow out of place: it is a rendition of one of Picasso's cubist paintings, drawn by Father Adrien Arsenault for her to hook. Hélèn fondly remembers the late Father Arsenault as an enthusiastic promoter of the often forgotten art of hooking mats. Father Arsenault encouraged many Acadian women to try different patterns in their mats and often bought the finished products himself. A visit to the Acadian Museum in Miscouche uncovered a photograph of a mat by Annie Arsenault Derasp of a similarly cubist design; the designer is listed as Father Adrien Arsenault.

Hélèn is particularly proud of her portrayal of the MV Abegweit ferryboat that she has hooked in great detail. This is one mat that she will not part with. Hélèn does sell many of her mats, but she retains a sense of loss each time she lets one go. She speaks regretfully of the last mat that was sold before it was even off her frame. People are always dropping by looking for mats because she is well known as a prolific mat hooker, and it is getting more and more difficult to find hookers willing to part with their creations. Although it is possible to charge reasonable prices for mats today, it is hard to put a value on the hours of work that go into each one. Hélèn sells her mats because she wants to share them and clearly can't resist the enthusiasm of those who seek her out and fall in love with her mats.