Northern woman shares her love of quilting across the north
For Carla Alexiuk, the buzz of her sewing machine is a familiar sound.
“I started quilting in around the early 1990s,” Alexiuk said. “The kids were off at school, my older sister started quilting and thought that maybe I should, too.”
In 1996, Quilting By the River was born and for the last 26 years, Alexiuk has been sharing her love and knowledge of quilting throughout northern Ontario.
“Because of the squares and triangles, most of the time, a lot of new quilters and some of the older quilters find traditional quilting to be a bit of a challenge," she said.
"So they tend to veer away from it… so that’s where I come in to play."
As a professional quilting instructor, Alexiuk offers workshops, patterns and lessons. She has travelled to Sudbury, Timmins and Cochrane to share the hobby with others.
“Carla is a certified Studio 180 teacher, which is a series of rulers and quilter methodology that I have adopted with her teaching me,” said Susan Huot a local quilter.
“(It) has allowed me to become a much more accurate piecer and quilter.”
Closer to home, she offers quilting retreats. Located on the French River, she offers a space to work, her expertise and a truly northern view.
“I brought my mom -- it’s her Mother’s Day gift,” said Beth Lacasse who was in the beginning stages of a new quilt on Monday.
“We thought we’d get away and go on a quilt retreat and I brought my aunt with me and this is my second time here and I just love it up here. It’s so pretty and nice and calm and peaceful.”
Although the hobby is more common among older people, those involved said it’s a skill for any age.
Not just for older people
“I think a lot of people still think quilting is very traditional patterns and stuff and if you can quilt you can do anything with fabric,” said Lacasse.
“So fibre arts is a whole huge area that people are getting into and it’s quite addictive. So if you are an artist of any kind it’s basically painting with fabric instead of traditional medium.”
“It’s not an old lady's hobby,” added Alexiuk.
“It is very artistic and it does take a certain amount of creativity and it’s a very good outlet for stress.”
She said when it comes to quilting, creativity comes where you feel most at home, which for those in northern Ontario is usually surrounded by nature and the outdoors.
“I would say until most recently, my colour palate has always followed nature,” said Huot.
“I do a lot of autumn colours, a lot of spring colours, a lot of greens and browns and earth tones. I’ve started working outside the box a little bit colour wise, but that’s always been my greatest love … the earth tones and the colours of nature.”
On top of creating art that helps keep you warm in northern winters, those involved said quilting allows them to be a part of a community.
“(It’s) done best shared with people of like mind,” said Huot. “I first met Carla actually at a retreat at Killarney Mountain Lodge and our friendship and relationship as quilters developed from there.”
“I think quilting is about community, has been and always will be,” said Alexiuk.
“As we now start to come out of the pandemic, quilters are ready to be back in with groups where we can share what we know, get inspired by what everybody else is doing and it is very much about being together.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.