Guild Inspiration

Inuvik is a town of 3,800 people located on the Mackenzie River Delta, above the Artic Circle, at the end of the Dempster Highway and only kilometres from the Arctic Ocean. There are many things that make Inuvik unique including; the igloo shaped Catholic Church, rows of rainbow coloured houses, the utilidor system allowing our water and sewage pipes to be above ground and away from permafrost and the Inuvik Community Greenhouse (an old hockey arena turned into over 100 community garden plots) but we also have a Quilting Guild that averages 25-40 members annually with huge participation and a regular annual calendar of activities and classes. Check out more of Inuvik at: www.inuvik.ca or the Great Northern Arts festival at: www.gnaf.org.

One of the major accomplishments of the Inuvik Quilting Guild is that we have built a big quilting community with no access to a quilting store! This means beginners are introduced to quilting only through the eys and knowledge/skills of other members. The intrigue of fabric and gadgets is gained only through trips to the 'south' or through online shopping. Everything else is a sharing of ideas amoung members.

Each Monday night the Guild members meet at the local College (in a classroom space donated) to sew. Everyone brings their own sewing machines but mats, rotary cutters, rulers, irons, and boards are shared and stored in the classroom. Even in 40 below weather we have good turnouts!

Here is a sampling of what you can see on a Monday night in Inuvik with the Inuvik Quilting Guild. remember that these are all quilting who have been quilting less than 7 years (the Guild began in Summer 2006).

Crazy Curves by LS. This was a class we did in Winter 2013 to introduce members to the Drunkard's Path block using templates. LS got back into quilting after moving to Inuvik.

1930's 9-patch by KA. KA is the newest mom in the Guild, after a 1 year baby boom in the Guild. During a Winter UFO weekend there was a row of carseats at the front of the class. This is a very 'young' Guild.

 



Machine Quilting by AJ. This is AJ's first time machine quilting and look at the Hawaiian flowers. The quilt was pieced during a Beginner Bento Box class in Fall 2013. AJ is also a new mom and brings experience with a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Alberta to the Guild (hence her amazing doodling skills).

Batiks by LK. This fabric was purcahsed as a kit online which is not uncommon in the Guild. LK is the newly wed of the Guild, following her July wedding and now finding time to quilt.

Tiles by CM. This project stunned the Guild last night. CM is a new quilter since Fall 2012 and has jumped right in. CM said it great last night that she got back into sewing and the gym and feels so energized from this.

 

So proud of the Inuvik Quilting Guild and I cannot wait to see what the 7th Annual Summer Quilt Show and a new quilting season brings us.

 

Enjoy!

Shona

Challenges (The Good Kind)

The past couple of weeks have been full of Challenges. The fun, creative type of Challenge, so don't start worrying about things! For the last few years, I have been really into quilting challenge projects. The Challenges provide a basic set of rules or guidelines and then the rest is up to you to complete. The Inuvik Quilting Guild has launched an annual challenge each year and I am proud to say that 2013 is the 7th Annual New Year Creative Challenge. We continue to get a good contigent of new (and old) participants in this each year. Now that I think of it, it might be a good idea to a pan-territorial quilting challenge, rather than just with Inuvik Quilting Guild!

The first Challangee I worked on was for the 2013 Trend Tex Challenge, organized through the CQA. If you do not know about the CQA then check it out at: http://www.canadianquilter.com/. I really believe in having a national quilting organization and encourage people to purchase a membership or think about attending Quilt BC 2013 or Quilt Canada 2014.

2013 Trend Tex Challenge

Artist: Shona Barbour

Location: Inuvik, NT

Title: Summer 2005

 
This piece uses the goals of the Modern Quilt Movement. The theme was interpreted as a set of feelings, rather than an image. This took me back to a road trip to the Okanagan in Summer 2005. Ideas of the warmth from the sun, wind in our hair as we cruised with the convertible top down, the taste of sweet wine, clean rows of grape vines, and the pleasure of being with friends and family.

The next challenge I completed, again organized by the CQA was the Where Do You Read Your Canadian Quilter Magazine?. This idea came to me suddenly last week and I knew I had to complete a project for this.

 

'North of Sixty and North of the Arctic Circle'

12" x 12"

Hand dyed fabrics

Shona Barbour

Inuvik, NT

When thinking of where I read The Canadian Quilter it occurred to me that the magazine is usually my reading when I travel. North of Sixty refers to my frequent trips to Yellowknife (my home town), where I am usually curling, attending quilting classes with the Yellowknife Quilters or visiting with family and long time friends. North of the Arctic Circles refers to my travel associated with work. Although my office is located in Inuvik, NT, like most government offices, we services the most Northern region (Beaufort Delta Region) of the NWT. This means lots of time spent on the plane or in hotel rooms and lots of time for catching up with quilting activities from the Rest of Canada!

 
Only the land mass north of the sixtieth parallel has been included in this image; Alaska, Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, Northern Quebec, and Greenland.The lower red line indicates 60 degrees and the upper red line indicates the Arctic Circle. I completed it after Earth Hour on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

And so now I am left with only my Inuvik Quilting Guild challenge to complete. However, for now, I have no idea what I am going to do for this one but it will come to me at some point. Due July 1 so lots of time?!?!?!

Spring and Transition Time

This is always an interesting time of year for me as I return from the Scotties to Inuvik where there is a significant amount of more sunlight than when I leave for the Scotties. This two week period from mid- late February makes a huge difference to the seasons in the North. It brings me back to Inuvik with renewed energy and a real sense of home and place. This year was no different.... I love Inuvik in the spring.

It also means that my focus lessens on curling and increases onto quilting. I am craving time in my sewing studio right now and have been squeezing in as many spare moments each day to escape into my studio for just a few extra stitches and seams.

Yes, the Scotties was amazing. Great fans, great teammates and major attention on yourself all the time (!!!!), plus all the time to compete against and catch up with your good friends. Each year I have so much to be thankful for with curling. Curling really has been a great blessing in my life and as an adult I am even more apprecaitive to have competitive sport still in my life. In Kingston, I managed to play one game, against BC. When the girls first asked me to play I was very hesitant but then decided if nothing else I could punch a bit of extra energy in them to take on Team Canada in their final game. And so I stepped up and played third for team NWT, maybe not playing as stellar as I could but holding my own and pumping up the girls. We lost that game on a last rock shot by Kelly Scott and team but it was a good showing for our team that had been struggling. And more importantly, the girls played their last game that afternoon against Team Canada AND yes, they pulled out the win. A perfect way to end a tough week!

I returned from Kingston on the Monday, rested that night and then re-entered the quilting world! More handstitching of binding (boring) and some new projects (exciting). I had to put my million class projects/samples aside and focus more on a project that challenged me. Therefore, I pulled out some fabric Eric Carle panels (yes, I know , everyone has them!) but started on a Kaffe Fasset block arrangement to complete the quilt. I think this is an interesting (and not boring) approach to a project! I love Kaffe Fasset and his appreciation of repetition and a million little pieces. And so, yes, I have been sewing lots of 16 patch blocks but loving every minute of it!

I'll continue to see what the lengthening days bring into my sewing room and what the sunlight inspires me to create as we continue into the Arctic spring days!

Shona

Unusual Facts.... Scotties Info

Things have been a struggle for Team NWT at the 2013 Scotties in Kingston, Ontario. I am starting to think that '13 might be a jinked year for this team. BUT we still have 5 games to go and lots of shots still in us!! Plus team spirit is still high and in curling that makes a big difference.

We did our Upclose and Personal interview yesterday at the Heart Stop Lounge. Megan and Sharon did a great job answering questions and it made me realize how intrigued curling fans are about the curling and how things work at the high performance level of this sport. Here are some interesting facts that people might like!

1. Yes, we all work day jobs! There are a few curlers who with Sport Canada funding are able to take some time off from their careers to focus on curling but almost all of us have day jobs and very supportive employers who are flexible with the time off that is required.

2. We do a lot between games and during our off time. No one really sleeps between games anymore and we refer to this time as active rest. We make sure we eat when we need to and then spend time checking out the city, shopping, or other activities (manicures, fabric shopping, visiting friends/family, etc). We do not just go back to our hotels rooms and sleep. And Yes, we watch a lot fo TSN curling also, when we are not on the ice.

3. There is no advertising allowed on the bench or ice surface (except the approved signage). That is why we all have the same water bottles. Anything we drink (G2, water, etc) needs to be put in these bottles before we get to the arena. It is also why we all wear the same jackets and carry the same duffle bags. The CCA supplies these to us so that there is no advertising during the event on players. Logos are also limited on our equipment so at times you may see duct tape covering things.

4. There are 2 change rooms at the arena. One for yellow rocks and one for red rocks. This means we never change in the same room as the opposition. So there are 4 teams in each change rooms and they are jsut the regular hockey locker rooms you see in any arean (urinals and all!!!). It is funny but you end up sort of being in the change rooms with the same teams each games, just the way a round robin works out.

5. Every team has a schedule. This means each and every moment of the day is planned. We know when to eat, what to eat, when to leave the hotel, when to wake up, etc. It is all scheduled. The Scotties is an event that takes a ton of planning and stamina and the schedules ensures that you are not tired out mid-week and or rushed with your preparations.

6. Who rooms together? Each teams gets 4 rooms and we indicate ahead of time who is staying with who. Most teams will give a room to each of the coach and fifth player and then 2 players will room in each of the other two rooms. All of these costs are covered by the CCA.

It definately feels at time like you are in another world during the Scotties but at the same time it also feels like home. There are no longer any surprises and things are planned out so much to make each player feel comfortable throughout the week. Plus the volunteers and hosts are so great to us that anything you need is only one request away. And after your first Scotties, everything of the week becomes so normal and natural to us but still interesting to fans of curling! Keep cheering!!!

Shona

Bell Let's Talk Day!

 

Today (Feb 12, 2013) is a big day for 3 reasons; 1. It is Shrove Tuesday and we get to eat pancakes, 2. I leave for the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kingston and 3. It is Bell's Let's Talk Day bringing awareness to mental illness. The pancakes need no further explaination so let me start with the Scotties. I am thrilled to be going to my 6th Scotties and with my same great teammates from last year. Yes, we all know the story of Team Galusha and the flu from 2012 and we are aiming for much better results this year (without the flu!). I leave today to meet up with everyone in Yellowknife and one last practice game before we take off tomorrow. It has been another busy year for this team and I am proud of everything we have done to date. As I decided to take a bit more time for my own adventures (I went to Hawaii in December!!!), and so I will be traveling with Team Galusha as the fifth player. But take my job as a benchwarmer very seriously!

Now Let's Talk... many people do not know that I struggle with generalized anxiety. This is not anxiety that comes along as a panic attack or depression but rather it is anxiety that is always present and never goes away. I remember having this even as a child and waiting for my parents to pick me up from activities or hating going to summer camps, etc. This anxiety hit a record high 3 years when I fainted at the gym and suffered from a major concussion. After many tests it was found that I fainted due to my body not regulating blood pressure and a couple other health issues but I still really believe that some of this was a sign that my anxiety was out of control. After 6 months of suffering from mega post- concussion syndromes I turned to yoga and the Doctor (giving me a prescription for citalopram), this along with curling and sewing has saved me. It is like a whole different way of life and outlook on things. Sure there are still bad days and bad moments where I need to slow down and breath but things are soooo much clearer and calmer for me.

 

Many people ask how my anxiety affects curling. It is the opposite where curling affects my anxiety in a positive way. As more athletes talk about mental illness I feel the same as what others are reporting. Curling is a time when I have complete control over my body and my mind. When I step onto a sheet of curling ice (or sometimes onto the treadmill) I get this wave of calmness through my whole body. As soon as my feet touch the ice nothing else matters. I think this is what gets an athlete addicted to a sport and maybe why many athletes suffer from mental illness. There is no better feeling for me than the bubble of curling!!!

And so with all these happy thoughts for today; good luck and good curling. Many things to look forward to over the next couple of weeks (and lots of Blog posts).  

Quilt Canada 2012- Shows, Shows and More Shows

Although Saturday is my day to really go through the major quilt shows at Quilt Canada. I wanted to stop in to both the National Juried Show and the Invitational Show to see the impact of so many beautiful and amazing pieces hanging in one single space. Neither of these shows disappointed. After seeing things on a grandiose level I will use Saturday to really get up a clsoe up and see the details and workmanship of the pieces. Again, amazing! There are no cameras aloowed in the NJS show, you are not even allowed to have pens in the show (not to mention food and drink) and NO touching the pieces. if you want to see the back, you must ask the women in the white gloves to lift pieces for you. Good quilt show etiquette! The invitational show cameras are permitted; I will try to credit as many artists as I can remember but just in case please refer back to www.canadianquitler.com for more of the completed listing of teachers, artists, and participants.

1. Heather Stewart included a muted down Broken Dishes pattern that I have to feel connected too as I share of love a smaller, repeated pieces jsut like Heather. I took her postage stamp class yesterday and can also claim to ahve a done a very similiar Broken Dishes quilt using a Kaffe Fasset design a few years ago (it showed at GNAF that year). Heather's piece was made of textured Japanese fabrics... amazing!

2. Elephants- This piece was catching many people's EYES at the show and so I took a detailed photo of the EYE of the elephant. There is a lot of detailed and small scale machine quilting on this and it seems to be them of quilting recently/this year. Many of the NJS pieces have it also and it must be what judges are looking for; note to self. remember this is not your grandma's quilting!

3. There was two great pieces by Jo Diggs, including the under the sea images that caught my eye. People LOVE quilting fish and under the sea themes and they usually do NOT interest me at ALL but this one captured my attention.

4. Finally, a large scale photo and a detail of a piece that I have HUGE respect for. I amazes me when artists focus on abtract peices AND hand stitching/embellishments. I could sew a straight line with aneedle and thread to save me life and I am sure my hand would start cramping up after a few stitches! Big props to textile artists who explore this type of work!

Enjoy... and keep encouraging creativity and art!

Quilt Canada 2012- Northern Participation

I am planning a few posts tonight as today has been a busy, busy day at Quilt Canada 2012 in Halifax. All the photos and information included and added tonight is meant to inspire creativity and give a bit of an idea of where/what quilting is today. Don't think for a second this is sewing squares together like what your Granmother and/or Great Grandmother did!

I started a 2 day class today which is a first for me and I highly recommend it. I think I have moved beyond the 1 day classes where you only learn one or 2 specific techniques. A day 2 day class means that the instruction concluded on day 1 and now I have a full day of sewing and designing on my own. My 2 day class is Lines, Curves, and Wonky Log Cabins with Maggie van der Weit and so far she has been great. I have entered this class and have dove in with no plans or idea where this piece is going. For sure it is a sampler project as with each technique today I jsut added another strip to an ever expanding collage of things... don't laugh at the colours and design 'mistakes'! Included is also a start of chakra petals that I am experimenting with as I am really thinking of a class that combines yoga AND textile art. Again, I sooooo wish i could be an art therapist! I think the pieces could be use with an alter, meditation space, energy work area, etc.

I am very proud and a bit shy that I also have a piece in the 2012 Invitation Quilt Show that is held at Quilt Canada. This is a show where individuals are asked/invited to participate in based on their involvement with the CQA and/or Quilt Canada. Many people have commented on my piece including my instructors and I am very honoured by this. I know the piece is not perfect and is not ready something like the National Juried Show but respect that art is a journey and I think this is a good step/space to be in right now. It has given me a big of confidence to keep progressing and experimenting with things.

Although, I am the only person from Inuvik we have a big group of Yellowknifers and ex-Northerners here. They are so inspirational and encouraging and obviously, great company. Yellowknife Quilters has always been a strong Guild and many of these women were core to this Guild over the years. I have included all the photos of their show and tell from Judy Farrow's class. Fingers crossed that we will soon be going to Parksville, BC for a retreat/5 day workshop/studio time with Judy!!!!