Village Squire, 1975-02, Page 341
Book Review
Crafts Canada telling the story
behind Canadian crafts
BY M. E. ROULSTON
If you are looking for a detailed "How To"
book, Una Abrahamson's Crafts Canada's not
for you. It is, rather, a history of where the
various crafts originated, means of travel
from country to country and how they have
been accommodated to the Canadian culture.
I found it quite interesting to find many,
such as knitting, macrame, and ivory carving
were spread by sailors who thus filled their
spare time during long months at sea.
It is quite evident that Miss Abrahamson
did a great deal of research in preparing to
write this book. It is well written and gives the
reader a clear picture of the history of crafts
from the knitting and crocheting that most of
us have always been associated with to such
rare crafts as tapestry, bookbinding and
silversmithing.
Primitive forms of ceramics have been in
use since 500 B.C. The Chinese were the first
to make stoneware and later porcelain so it is
only natural that our fine dishes are called
china. We follow the history of ceremics
around the world. In North America the
Eskimos worked in clay as far back as the
ninth century. We also trace the progress of
glass making, glass blowing, cut glass,
stained glass etc.
She writes of camel drivers knitting as they
crossed the desert, sailors knitting on watch
and English coachmen knitting on their
travels. Each area produces its own special
materials and techniques.
Crocheting in mediaevel times was done by
the nuns in convents. Now crocheting like
knitting has become a creative art as well as
being used as an utilitarian craft. Macrame
has evolved from a simple knotting operation
done with the fingers with two basic knots,
the flat or reef knot and the half hitch. Lace
making and tatting are also described.
Leatherwork from the stiff, smelly,
non -tanned skins to industrial use of finest
leather. Bookbinding is an ancient craft which
has had a revival of late.
One item of special interest to me in the
chapter on metals was learning what a tinkers
dam was. It seems when pewter was used
daily it didn't last long. Itinerant pewter
workers would melt and rework discarded
pieces, using a "tinker's dam", a cloth filled
with damp sand, to keep the hot metal from
flowing where it wasn't wanted. Thus the oft
heard expression "not worth a tinkers dam"
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No book of this kind would be complete
without mentioning rug making and quilting
and Miss Abrahamson has a chapter on both
as well as embroidery, textile patterning, and
stone, bone and horn.
Did you know that the term "spooning"
came from the carved spoons given by a
young man to his girl when they became
betrothed? Just one small item from the
history of woodwork.
Weaving has been a part of man's life since
the stone age. Linsey-woolsey is a word I
heard years ago and now learn it was a
mixture of linen and wool and was a favourite
of home weavers. Tapestry is traditionally a
type of weaving in which different coloured
yarns are threaded into the warp to form a
picture or design. Another form of weaving
mentioned is basket weaving.
Crafts Canada has quite a number of very
good illustrations to add interest and in
general it is a very good book of its kind.
Once again though don't expect to find
explicit instructions for any one craft or you
will be very disappointed
CRAFTS CANADA....The useful arts...by
Una Abrahamson.
[Clarke, Irwin & Company Ltd.] $19.95
art
Craft
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