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
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.