The leaves on the trees are turning brilliant shades of yellow and orange, there's a chill in the air and the craft fairs have begun.
On Saturday, the city's artisans showed off their creations at the Yellowknife Ski Club and the Baker Community Centre. Fur mittens, sealskin teddy bears, natural soaps and knitted, weaved and crocheted garments were on display.
Artisans shared a love for their craft and similar stories of how they got their start. Many began making crafts for their own enjoyment and were soon asked by friends and family to make some more.
Peter Workman was no exception.
“I lived in Nunavut for about 10-and-a-half years and realized there was no one making sealskin stuffed toys and I thought I want to make one,” he said of the start of his creative process. “I decided I'd make one and then friends were like, 'Well, you maybe should make me one.'”
Several artisans agreed making their crafts was relaxing and even therapeutic.
“This is my sanity and my passion,” said Nadia Lindsay, a mother of twin boys who sat spinning yarn with a traditional spinning wheel. Lindsay first learned to work with yarn at age nine – she was a homesteader in Ontario before moving to Yellowknife.
It was a family affair for the Duculan’s at the first annual Baker Community Center craft sale. Princess, left, made soaps, bath bombs and body creams and had the help of little sister Jezebelle and mom Vicky to sell her wares Saturday. It was the first craft sale for the grade 10 entrepreneur, who learned to make soap through Youtube videos. (September 23, 2017)
Heather Moxon is the maker behind natural body care company Moxxy It Up. Her latest creation is natural aftershave made with witch hazel, orange, lime and essential oils that she began producing after her husband and his friends began inquiring about aftershave. It takes eight weeks to produce this natural alternative to aftershaves with chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin. (September 23, 2017)
Kristjana Dunn works on a pair of mittens made from recycled fur coats, this pair made from muskrat she believes has been dyed blonde and will be finished with cream sheared beaver on the inside. Dunn is one of nine local artisans showcasing their wares at the Yellowknife Ski Club Saturday. (September 23, 2017)
Kaye Keenan weaves a purple and grey houndstooth scarf at the Made in Yellowknife: Artist and Artisians Showcase held at the Yellowknife Ski Club. Keenan is a fibre artisan who knits, spins, crochets, works with yarn and sells her creations online as SoftN’Shiny. (September 23, 2017)
Patricia Anthony says she is always knitting, she would even knit at church if she could but she’s afraid she might get kicked out. Anthony stand behind her many knitted creations including sweaters, toques, mittens, long johns and ballet sweaters. (September 23, 2017)
Nadia Lindsay spins yarn on her wheel at the Yellowknife Ski Club craft sale Saturday. Lindsay, a former homesteader in Ontario, says working with yarn is both her sanity and her passion. (September 23, 2017)
Kerri Nolting displays her most popular item, hand-painted welcome signs made from salvaged mining core boxes. Knolting sells her hand painted signs and sandblasted glasses at craft sales like the one at the Yellowknife Ski Club Saturday, her dream is to one day have a storefront. (September 23, 2017)
Gabrielle Tink tries on a pair of mittens made from recycled fur coats at the Made in Yellowknife: Artist and Artisians Showcase held at the Yellowknife Ski Club Saturday. (September 23, 2017)
Peter Workman shows off one of his plush toys made from sealskin at the Made in Yellowknife: Artist and Artisians Showcase held at the Yellowknife Ski Club Saturday. The plush toys take approximately 10 hours to make and are each hand sewn from Nunavut and NWT pelts.
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