W. I. Archives

Photo from the WI archives

One of the 3 speakers at our upcoming Oct 2 hook-in, It’s About Time, will be Katie Kennedy of the Northumberland County Archives.  She’ll talk to us about the purpose and importance of archives, and also about a program they have initiated to interview rug hookers from the community.  

Here’s a related story about another important archive, available for everyone to access.

There is a treasure trove of info out there, if you know where to look for it.  I was pointed to the Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario Digital Archives by Joanna Dermenjian when i was posting about WW2 textiles.  ‘She said that if i like “rabbit holes” and textiles, this was definitely a place to check out.  

…and she wasn’t wrong!  The Women’s Institute has been around in Ontario for over 100 years, and they’re still going strong.  Here’s an excerpt from their website about their mission/goals:

For over 125 years, Women’s Institute (WI) Members have actively worked together for family, home, community and country.  The objective of the first Women’s Institute Branch, formed in Stoney Creek on February 19, 1897, was to improve women’s skills in the art of homemaking and childcare.

 

The Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario (FWIO) was organized in 1919, giving Members a stronger voice by working together as a united group.  Through education and support programs and services, FWIO’s original focus expanded to include personal growth opportunities, and health and community wellness projects.

One of their achievements has been a compilation of the history of the communities in which they are active.  These histories are known within the group as Tweedsmuir Manuals, and here’s some info on their genesis:

By the mid-1930s, Lady Tweedsmuir, wife of …(the) Governor General of Canada, took a great interest in the Women's Institutes...Lady Tweedsmuir stressed the need for preserving the history of our Canadian people. As an active WI member in England, she suggested that Ontario Women's Institute Branches follow the example of their English counterparts and keep detailed local history books.

This entire collection of history books has been digitized and is accessible online.  You can put in a search criteria of, for example “rug hooking”, and come up with all kinds of goodies!  Pictures, stories and more!  

Here are just 2 small examples of what can be found there.  I’ll post more stuff as we get closer to the date of our upcoming hook-in, featuring all things vintage, “It’s About Time”.

“weighs 100 pounds”???

A true rug hooker - she sacrificed her dressing gown to complete the project!

This is from the 1970’s - click on it for a larger version.  
Mrs Mervin Haight:  aka Dorothy Haight - i bet there were a lot of oriental rugs on display.  
“10 different ways of dyeing wool? - really? can you name them?

Does/did your community have a branch of the WI?  Take a gander through the archives, and see what you can find - you may learn something about the history of your area….and you may even come across some references to rug hooking.  Hooking was a very popular craft for WI members - there are many references to hooking, classes and more.

Click here to go to the archives advanced search.