The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
East of Here? Linda Peckford's recent appointment to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is her reward for years of work reviving an old Newfoundland tradition. She was taught quilting and rug hooking by her grandmothers when she was young, but it took a visit by a New Jersey rug hooker to make her realize its value. Hooking rugs was a necessary chore years ago, and when people could afford store-bought rugs, the handemade ones were looked down upon as a sign of poverty. Ten years ago, Linda was invited to attend a Nova Scotia rug hooking school and when she returned she was convinced that this art form would have to be revived. In 1995, Linda organized the first rug hooking retreat in Change Islands and with 25 participants; she formed the Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador. Now she is one of seven teachers of the Guild's annual school and the Guild has a registry of more than 500 mats, some worth up to $7,000! Linda has also taught rug hooking to her daughter and to local Girl Guides. Something to Ponder: Remember when a juvenile delinquent was a kid with an overdue library book?
