My mother Evelyn Langille was born and raised on Big Tancook Island, NS. Mat hooking on burlap was one of the traditions passed down for generations. The hemmed burlap, cut to the desired mat size, was laced into a wooden frame, most often set up in the kitchen or back bedroom. Old clothes were saved and cut into strips upon which the hooker filled in the pattern drawn out on the burlap. In my mother's case patterns came from the design on the floor covering in her house, a picture in a magazine or the creativeness in her head. Many evening I sat with mom in the kitchen while she cut the rags into strips and relayed the background story of each piece. A shirt my father wore, a well-worn blanket, an old skirt, a sweater of mine or my brother's or some fancier pieces sent from a well-to-do relative in Halifax. Mom also hooked what they called suttle mats, also on burlap and framed although sometimes she fashioned round ones. For this type of mat the material was cut into shorter and thicker pieces, the most popular being crimplene. Two ends pulled up through the burlap created a plush-like mat. Dad also got involved. He made the wooden mat frame and also crafted the hooks. He hammered a nail into a piece of wood, snipped the head off and bent the end just so forming a hook. He trimmed the wood, narrow close to the nail and left the other end wider, smoothed all rough edges so it fit nicely in the palm of a hand. Sadly at the age of ninety four my mother passed January 16, 2022 but I have a treasure trove of memories to reflect upon for the rest of my life and a home decorated with pieces of her talent and gifted imagination. The photos show regular and suttle mats. The small one mom made for my cat carrier and as you can see of a grey cat with a bow around his neck. We love your magazine and read it cover to cover. Keep up the good work. Yours truly, Donna Langille   Submitted By: NULL