An Amazing Guild and a Giveaway

 It is always so interesting to see what different guilds do, who belongs and the fun things they create.

After seeing the cutest photo (pictured below) posted from our NWT Regional Representative Shona Barbour, it prompted me to ask a few questions that I thought would be fun to share with you.

Here is Shona and her friend Kayla's 9 month old Jacob at their UFO retreat.   Shona mentioned the needle is in the down position!

The Inuvik Quilting Guild began in 2006 when three quilters got together regularly to quilt. In 2007 as interest grew in the community, the guild became a registered non-profit society with bylaws, a Board of Directors, a bank account and the ability to fundraise. They have remained in good standing as a society since that time. Shona Barbour (NWT Regional Rep) has been the Chair of the guild since its inception. Their main activity is the Monday Night Quilting Get Togethers which occur every week from September long weekend to May long weekend, making a weekly gathering a bit unique to a guild.

Blocks made at the UFO retreat

 The guild averages about 30-40 members and requires people to purchase a $25 annual membership if they register for courses and activities. They have some members who pay their membership only to be on the email list and others who purchase a membership and participate in all the activities! The guild is made up of a VERY young group with many members starting to quilt in their late 20's and now keeping up with things into their 30's. It is not unusual to have a row of baby car seats in the room during weekend activities as there has been a baby boom in the guild over the past two years.

By Candace Morgan

They have tried hard to maintain a very regular schedule of annual activities; beginner classes are held in the fall, members teach a couple classes throughout the long winter, the New Year Creative Challenge is launched at the annual Christmas party, out of town instructors come in the new year and the summer quilt show begins July 1 of each year. They have maintained this schedule for about four years. In the summer they do many partnerships with the Inuvik Community Greenhouse such as; natural dyeing, flower pounding, Dyer's Garden and some kids activities.

By Lynda Smith

They have a wide range of quilters in the guild but many of the younger crowd have been drawn to the simple lines and geometry of modern quilting. But at any given Monday Night Get Together you will see a wide variety of projects; big and small.

Every couple of months the guild hosts a UFO weekend and these have been incredibly popular as it gives members classroom space and dedicated time to finish projects. They are fortunate to have  classroom space and a storage cupboard available to them at the local Aurora College campus.

This means irons, ironing boards, mats, rulers, extensions, cutters are all available to members to use. As guild members are working mothers, grandmothers, professionals in the community, small business owners, etc there is no set time commitments for the UFO weekends and people can come and go as they need to. Many times kids and partners come to share a paper bag lunch with their moms!

Life in the North is great and pretty much the same, quilting wise, as being in southern Canada. They have an amazing quilting/textile community with some members being graduates of university design programs and even the Capilano College Textile Arts program in Vancouver. They get  fabric through internet shopping or trips away and the guild brings in a supply of batting for sale. The Yellowknife Quilters bring  great instructors to Yellowknife and some Inuvik members make trips down for those classes (Pippa Moore, Susan Carlson, Karen Stone, Gloria Loughman, Elaine Quehl, Carol Soderlund and others have been there recently). The biggest difference Shona has seen is just the 'young' age of the members and the commitment members have with the guild. Every activity is filled with participants, and Board members have been easy to work with and enjoy volunteering. People always have great things to say about their group; openness, warmth, energized, eager, and so committed to quilting.

by Anick Jenks

Thanks Shona!   What a fantastic guild.  Do you have a guild or quilt group you would like to share with other Canadian quilters?  If so, email me at vicepresident@canadianquilter.com.  I would love to hear from you!

And to celebrate guilds across the country, we have a giveaway!  The latest edition of the Quilter's Connection magazine.  If you want to enter, leave a comment below telling me that you are a CQA/ACC member and something unique your guild or quilt group does.   If you don't belong to a guild, tell me something fun you do while quilting.  I will randomly pick a winner on June 24th, 2013.

Only CQA/ACC members can win.