Catalogne Rug

“Someone asked me what a Catalogne is. Here is the information I sent: a catalogne has its origins in Europe, L’encyclopédie de l’artisnat :Bois et Textiles, 1975, says that it would hold its name from Sieur de Catalan who lived in the 17th century. At this time the catalogne was a carpet. It has been brought here in Quebec as a carpet (most of our ancestors are French) but it was turned into a bed blanket in the area around Quebec city. A traditional catalogne is made out of old clothes while the commercial one are of new material. It is woven at 24 threads of coton 2/8 an inch.

This is my work, I wove it with an experienced women only four months after I started weaving! The design is my own creation, no experience except for some calculations to make it fit. You probably can figure out that I love weaving.

The weft is strips of fabric of 3/4 to 1cm wide. My aunty uses even smaller but does not use cotton weft threads between the fabric as I did. She says it is not the traditional way of making catalogne. She bases her comment on my great grand-mother and grand-mother’s way of working. I guess this is a really godly source to call something ‘traditional’. I did not know that when I wove mine.”

Catalogne Rug