Here is a new video clip from Quilting Arts TV, with my review of the Quilt Canada exhibits this summer! Check out the beautiful quilts that Canadian quilters are making, expressing their native culture, landscapes and wildlife.
Two days ago I was out in negative 42 degree windchill in Churchill Manitoba, photographing sled dogs! It was so cold that my fingers and toes froze painfully after just a few minutes despite my layers, so I would take a few photos and then run back in the Warming Hut to stave off frostbite.
I saw more foxes and dogs, than polar bears on this trip, because of the ice freezing up and the bears had mostly gone off across the ice to hunt and feed. Nevertheless we did have a magical time with a mother bear and her young cub, as they cautiously made their way towards the frozen bay.
There’s a story that goes with this photo. The dogs go crazy howling and barking after they are hooked up to the sled, until they are allowed to take off running. The two lead dogs on this team are two opposite personalities. The Malamute gray dog is howling and loudly grumbling, while his teammate has a look of pained tolerance to his noisy vocalizations.
The mushers put booties on the dogs before they took off, and the dogs would hold out their paws for their insulated footwear. These special dogs have an extremely high metabolism so they love running in the cold. You’ve heard of the Ididarod race? These sled dog rides for tourists are called the Ididamile. Haha.
The supply train has not run to Churchill since the rail flooded out in May 2017, and the cost of food for sled dogs (and everyone else!) has skyrocketed. Melting permafrost means that the rails sit on squishy boggy land, but the rail has been sold, and the mushers are hanging on, hoping that supplies will be rolling again soon on solid frozen land.
Quilting supplies are hard to come by there also, so I brought some fabric and magazines to a quilter friend who works in Churchill as a research scientist. The indigenous people used precious needles crafted from ivory, before traders brought them metal needles. We tend to take our notions for granted, unless we live on the furthest edges of civilization!
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul
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eQuilter Classroom & Travel Calendar:
Dec 2 – Victoria Findlay Wolfe CQC workshop @ eQuilter (FULL)
Dec 8 – eQuilter Holiday Sewing Day (9 am -4 pm) & Open House (1-5 pm) – RSVP
Dec 23 – Jan 6 – China Heritage Trip – Sophie & Luana
2019:
Jan 24-29 – Luana @ Tokyo Quilt Festival
July 11-14, 2019 – Cindy Lohbeck – Shibori, Ice-Dyeing and Ombre Dyeing Workshops @ eQuilter
