Rug hooking for charity

Laura-Lee Johnson of Cameron Lake says she didn’t become a full-time resident of the area until last Oct.; she instead lived in various areas around the province with a cottage here to escape to. “This has always been our home, our home base,” she explains.

In the meantime, Johnson and Mary Vaughan of Molega Lake started a rug hooking group. “When we (Johnson and husband) came here full time I wanted to do something to help the community.” After looking at various area organizations, she chose the Caledonia Visitor Information Centre. “I didn’t realize it’s not all government funded, that they have to raise a lot of money to run it.”

Her friend liked the “idea and decided to make one too.” She chose the Chelsea Fire Department. The results took hundreds of hours including “a lot of three o’clocks in the morning and 6 a.m. hours,” Johnson says.

However, she says, they didn’t mind because they love the art form. “It’s an addiction, very much an addiction. The hooking is just a small part of it - there’s drawing and shading and dyeing the wool. There’s quite an art to it.”

She says Vaughan’s mother, Doris Eaton of Crousetown is world-renown for her rug hooking and helped them a lot. She laughs. “She basically got us hooked.”

Johnson says her rug includes oxen and pine trees, the area’s 1800s gold rush, NF Douglas building, Kejimkujik National Park, and Alton House, to name some examples.

Vaughan’s includes the oldest house in Chelsea, logging, and the old school house and church, also as some examples.

Members of the respective organizations are selling raffle tickets on the rugs, which can also be viewed at the centre and fire hall. The tickets and rugs will also be available at various community events.

Johnson says the rugs have each been valued at about the same price, $1,050 and $1,100. “It’s pretty satisfying. I was really excited about doing it and as it got closer to being done I got more excited. I’m just hoping to sell tickets and that they make lots of money.”